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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask what you spend on party bags?

201 replies

Nicpem1982 · 31/12/2016 21:13

I'm having my dds 3rd birthday party at our local zoo.

We're expecting around 20 children aged 2-6.

Dh says I need to set a reasonable budget for party bags I thought about 4 pounds each as the venue is providing an activity pack and we've paid additional for face painting for each child.

I'd like them to be animal themed as per the party.

What do you spend on party bags per child?

OP posts:
civilfawlty · 05/01/2017 08:01

Last year I did colouring pencils and themed stickers (pound shop) and printed out themed colouring in pictures (rolled them up and tied with a bow). Couple of sweets and done!

pishedoff · 05/01/2017 08:04

In the past I've done..

Hot wheel cars
Books - book people pack
Jokes - whoopee cushion etc
Top trumps cards

Along with the usual sweets and cake. The cards were the most expensive at £3 a pack, the rest were all around £1

ItMustBeBedtimeSurely · 05/01/2017 08:05

You've got to remember that once they start school there are so many parties. So less is definitely more. Parents don't welcome generous party bags and children don't care as long as they get something - it's a total waste of money and effort imo.

Last party for dd we did book people book, sweet cone and cake. Total cost probably £1.50 ish.

00100001 · 05/01/2017 09:29

You are spending an awful lot on a 3 year old's birthday. Even with conservative guesses for cost.

20+ people to the zoo (£10 each)
20 face painting (£2)
20 activity packs (£1)
20 Party bags (£5)
That's got to be well over £350

That's not even including the cake, any lunch you might provide, transport etc

Confused
PrimalLass · 05/01/2017 09:30

No more than £1.50 - there is no need.

00100001 · 05/01/2017 09:31

sorry £3.50 for the bags.

Original poster
Nicpem1982 · 05/01/2017 10:03

0011 actual costs are slightly more than your estimates but- I don't think it's relevant really

20 children at 14.00 a head including face painting and activity pack
10 adults at 7.00
20 party bags at 3.50

Parking is 30.00 for all cars related to our party
Foods included
I bake her cake so probably around 30.00

This is what parties cost I think?

OP posts:
PrimalLass · 05/01/2017 10:20

Nope. I've never spent anything like that.

budgiegirl · 05/01/2017 10:21

Wow, that's a massive amount to spend on a party. I went on a cruise for a week with my DH for about that much!

This is what parties cost I think?

Maybe for some, but not round here! Especially for three year olds. At that age we generally just did a party in either a hired hall (for winter borns) or in the garden at home for summer borns. Played party games, had party food, made our own cake. The kids loved it, and we have never ever spent more than £80 in total on a single party.

Party bags were generally just sweets, bubbles, notebooks, cake, balloon etc. Usually around £1. When the kids were older, we did a 'fill your own bag candy bar' type thing, which they loved.

noramum · 05/01/2017 10:25

We did often books, TheBookpeople do great sets, they come to 1-2 Pounds max. I really hate the usual stuff, cost a fortune and ends in a bin.

For a party like the one you do I think a small thing is enough, face painting plus the activity set is a lot already. Maybe get a small cuddly toy? A sweetcorn or plastic cup filled with sweets? DD had the cup version several times and we used them for a long time.

Other things I like because I know they are used are: hair clips for girls, small purses, tattoos, pens, small pots of playdough.

Oogle · 05/01/2017 10:25

We did a party at home for 2yr old DS so it cost next to nothing. For party bags I did:
Small bag of cadburys buttons
A circus ball (£1)
A pot of playdoh (10 for £8)
Pot of bubbles (50p)

That went down well actually and meant it was suitable for the age range (1-4)

I'm not bothering with a party for his 3rd party, we're just going to go out for the day I think.

dowhatnow · 05/01/2017 10:28

I only ever spent £1 - £1.50 but I would buy things earlier in the year in sales so they always looked better than they were.

£4 is ridiculous on top of an activity pack provided by the venue.

PolarBearGoingSomewhere · 05/01/2017 10:38

For DD2s 3rd birthday we are doing the books with a slice of cake. I am all too aware of the amount of tat we are accumulating so have decided to do it this way.

For DD1's 5th birthday we did sweetie cones with personalised stickers. Worked out around £1 each. It's really just a token imo £4 is far too much - that's an extra £80 on the cost of the party (which already sounds lovely if a little pricey!)

Babykrazy05 · 05/01/2017 13:05

We recently did a book with a candy cane ☺as it was xmas we wrapped the book ....the cake was served at the party to avoid that squashed cake on arrival home situation that so often occurs. The kids were happy and less tat going home!

I did attend a party once where the party bags were ott, and clearly more than the gift we had wrapped and i felt 😕 for my dc that i hadnt spent more.....but hey ho i wasnt to know. It was nursery year of school and it calmed down after that!

JustHappy3 · 05/01/2017 13:10

About £1 normal here too. Books are popular with the parents.

selly24 · 05/01/2017 13:39

Melamine mug with helium baloon attached?

teenmumandsowhat · 05/01/2017 13:46

About £2.50 per child, last year I just did sweet cones from the local sweet shop, cake and a few balloons. I don't like cheap plastic tat so I don't put it in.

LauraMipsum · 05/01/2017 14:00

They're only three, right?

Play doh and cutters is a proper birthday present for toddlers, and a mask as well as face painting possibly overkill. I'd do book, cake and buttons, that's a lovely party bag for children that age.

bigkidsdidit · 05/01/2017 14:08

My DS is six soon and his bags are having a hot wheels car, slice of cake, whoopee cushion and sherbet dib dab each

HesSpartacus · 05/01/2017 14:18

Can I just say how much I hate the pots of bubbles? Who knows what chemicals are in them & dcs always end up dripping them all over the kitchen, causing a h&s disaster with slippy tiles. Like the idea of the Hobbycraft stuff and finger puppets, though!

Levatrice · 05/01/2017 14:18

Im obviously very stingy then as i give what i think is a traditional bag of a balloon, bubbles and a bit of cake plus i have added a little girl/boy theme thing depending on which dc it has been ( i got little bags out of toys r us for about 70p which had 4 mini cars in it so just bought 4 lots of that) so very cheap around £1 each party bag.

Kids bring enough crap home; I hate when bringing them home from parties that my car/living room ends up covered in scrap bits of foam planes or plastic wands. I hate
Those sweet bags even more Grin.

Dont think kids really care whats in them as long as they get a little bag
To carry out, il just be doing a balloon and cake next time probably as i spend enough on the party Xmas Envy such a scrooge Smile

00100001 · 05/01/2017 14:20

Nicpem1982

Well, yes they cost that much if you're willing to spend £450 on a 3 year old's party. But, they don't have to cost that much.

You could (for example) invite 2 or 3 kids round to your house for a birthday tea.

Would costs approximately £10-20 ;)

Aeroflotgirl · 05/01/2017 14:25

No op, Ive never spent anything like that on a party. Last year ds turning 4 had a farm party £13 ph x 14 plus cake=£12 (M&S) chocolate cake, and party bags where included in the farm price. Was about £140.

This year ds is having a Pizza Hut party £10 ph X15, Cake £40 (made by professional cake maker), party bags £1 ph no need for so much. Kids are happy to have their friends there anyway whatever the cost of the party.

Aeroflotgirl · 05/01/2017 14:28

Op that venue sounds very dear! You are paying for parking for the parents! You are paying for parents to come in with their child! Is that not included in the price. When ds had his farm party, I never paid parking, 1 parent was included in that price of £13 ph as it stands to reason a 4 year old cannot be unaccompanied round a farm, that includes a Zoo.

00100001 · 05/01/2017 14:29

A 3 year old would be just as happy eating cake and playing at the park with 2 other kids as they would running round a zoo with 26 other people.

It just feels so... unnecessary.