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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

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Original poster

Party bags....how much to spend?

19 replies

tissy · 06/12/2007 20:14

I know, I know

Have just booked dd's party at the local sports centre.

party is organised by the Council and has bouncy castle and slide, and a couple of entertainers (girls dressed up as tinkerbell doing party games)!

Oddly, dd has chosen the cheapest option, and I seem to be getting a party for 20-30 for £90, but the price does not include food or party bags. Much as I dislike the idea, I am not going to get away without any....dd would probably never be invited to another party again, so am going to bite the bullet and go for it, whilst being as tasteful as possible.

Have found some nice paper party bags, and thought of maybe stapling a helium balloon to the bag, so how much to spend on the contents? Think there will be 26 invited, so maybe 20 acceptances?

OP posts:

Iota · 06/12/2007 20:16

I spend as little as possible on a load of tat and sweets

BettySpaghetti · 06/12/2007 20:20

My tip is have a look at Baker Ross -you can buy things in packs of 12/20 etc that work out really cheap but are not just plastic tat eg. wooden bead bracelet kits, make a magnet kits

Check out the special offers bit in particular .

Califraunkincense · 06/12/2007 20:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BettySpaghetti · 06/12/2007 20:22

How old are the children

Califraunkincense · 06/12/2007 20:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

tissy · 06/12/2007 20:24

children will be six-ish

BS that site looks great at first glance- am liking the scratch-art bookmarks for starters!

OP posts:

Iota · 06/12/2007 20:25

mine too Califrau

Original poster

tissy · 06/12/2007 20:27

dd likes plastic tat as well..... my house is full of it! She bl**dy notices if I try and throw any of it away. How many plastic tangram sets do you really need ?

OP posts:

Twiglett · 06/12/2007 20:29

£1 max per bag

I've done books from the book club

but when DS was 6 we gave out inflatable guitars (or saxaphones) instead .. was perfect

will try to find link if I can .. think they worked out about 90p each

BettySpaghetti · 06/12/2007 20:31

On the Baker Ross site if you look under the Pocket Money bit of the Toys section you'll find lots of plastic tat too!

perpetualworrier · 06/12/2007 20:49

I try and put in a few usefulish bits that are v cheap eg. a sparkly pencil & some hairclips, maybe a bouncy ball. (poundland often has packs of 20 pencils or rubbers for £1).

Then I'd give one proper gift e.g. matchbox type car, bought on special offer in packs of 5, or a book from a pack at The Bookpeople.

Then fill with ballon, blowout, cake and sweets.

Aim to spend £1. But I do give far too much time to this.

A friend has decided she's having none of it, so she buy's the lucky bags from woolies or the supermarket. I think they're £1.99 each, but you often see them on 3 for 2 & kids love them.

DS1 went to a party at the weekend, where food was a Happy Meal (£1.99?) and then their party bags were just the McDonalds toy, cake and sweets. Maybe an option if you need to provide food, as I'm not sure how else you could do food they love and bags for not much more than £2 each.

Califraunkincense · 06/12/2007 20:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

tissy · 06/12/2007 20:58

now there's an idea.......send dh out to McD's for twenty six Happy meals!

OP posts:

chocolatespiders · 06/12/2007 21:02

i would go to poundland if you have one, wrap up what ever you buy, and so a lucky dip with it,, is the party before xmas? if it is for dd's bday last week, i put in choc tree decoration... and choc coins

perpetualworrier · 06/12/2007 21:11

tissy you can laugh, but that's what Johnny's mum did . I think you can place a party order in advance.

I've also seen this done at a party for 60 yes 60! kids, but that was chaos on any number of fronts.

Original poster

tissy · 06/12/2007 21:24

pw, dh is about as rabidly anti-McD's as you can get, he would rather pull out his toenails one by one.......

OP posts:

lilolilbethlehem · 09/12/2007 21:13

As near £1 as you can get. Second poundland/other pound shops for things like magnetic games; pencil cases with contents; playing cards and dice etc etc . Other things I have done for around £1 include: cake making kits (from any supermarket); mustard & cress seeds; cartridge pens (when on BOGOF in partners); boxes from Au Naturel with a few sweets/notebooks in; books from the Book People (i just got some stocking filler joke book sets so they probably still have them).

GrinningSoul · 09/12/2007 21:17

i agree that the lucky dip plan is a great alternative to party bags. kids are v excited by it, you're still doing your bit and you can just buy a load of poundshop (or baker ross - v popular) toys.

moljam · 09/12/2007 21:21

were thinking party bags atm as ds party next sunday.dd and ds1 are making the party bags,im putting in bit of cake,balloon,and pot of bubbles.party is for 2 year olds so they dont care!

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