Mason's Birthday "On the Green": Budget

There is no questioning you can find parties everywhere on the web. There are thousands of blogs and websites devoted just to parties and party ideas. How often do you wonder about the budgets of those parties? The most common question we get from clients is, "How much will it cost?" Of course budgets vary greatly and no two parties (or clients) are the same but we thought you would be interested in seeing how the budget broke down for Mason's 1st Birthday. If you have additional suggestions or questions please feel free to leave them in the comments. So here we go, this is what our budget worksheet looked like for this party:

Venue (which we will bring to you in detail tomorrow) $210

Food $63 (we are serious budget shoppers)

Smash cake $25

Decor $45 (tees $5, golf balls $10, Astro turf $15, bunting $5, paper $10)

Favors $63 (paper $5, jewel cases $15, printing $53)

Table settings $60 (all supplies purchases through Green Party Goods)

Total: $466

As you can see, half of this party's budget went to the venue, which we feel was completely worth the expense. If you host a party at home the costs are cut but there are trade-offs. If your home can accommodate this then great! If not, there are plenty of other options.

You could also cut costs by choosing a less expensive favor or going without them all together. We could have printed full-page calendars with just one picture and all twelve months to cut down on printing costs.

More ideas? Host a pot luck style luncheon, or simply a dessert party to reduce the costs of food.

So there you have it. A party thrown for 30 people, food included, for under $500. We would love to hear what you have done to cut costs or would have done differently for this event, so please share in the comments below.

Check back tomorrow for details on our fabulous venue!