If you’re visiting from CNN today, welcome to Being Frugal! I write about frugal living and getting out of debt. If you’re interested in the frugal birthday parties I’ve thrown for my kids, you might want to check out the following articles:
A couple of my other articles about children, frugality, and wise money management are:
Feel free to have a look around the site and leave a comment to say hi! And if you like what you see here, you can subscribe to Being Frugal via RSS or get Being Frugal delivered straight to your email inbox every day.
If you’re a regular reader of Being Frugal, head over to CNN to read Anna Jane Grossman’s article on super-expensive birthday parties. Anna interviewed me a while back about frugal alternatives to expensive parties. Then come back and tell me what you think!
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Cool! Congratulations!
As the commercial says “I just saw it on CNN.com!”
Congrats for being a good representative for frugal lifestyles.
Wow, how things have changed. My first “friends” birthday party when I was 7 was in my parents’ basement with cake, icecream and a clown. We played games in the backyard, and I thought it was the greatest party ever. It will be cold day in you-know-where before I spend $1,000 or more on a child’s birthday party. What are we teaching are children?
I’m glad to see sensible people like Lynnae are still out there!
Nice story and CONGRATS on being included Lynnae! Those are some excellent tips. I especially like the idea of doing a mid-afternoon party so you don’t have to feed the whole crew. My wife and I have been doing this for a couple years now and it really cuts down on our costs!
My 10 year old wanted a Wii party and invited friends over to play video games. I was concerned that all they would do was sit in front of the TV so I designed an old fashioned treasure that got them out and running in the park searching for clues. They all enjoyed it so much that they wanted me to roganize another one. We have been to a few children’s parties and it seemed to me that a lot of times the kids are spread out all over the place and hardly interacted with one another so have decided against those kinds of parties. If one spends ‘000s for a kid party, how much more extravagant will it be when they are in their teens, etc?
Congrats! I hope you get 1000s of new readers!
Good tips–I cannot imagine ever spending that much on a b-day party. But this is coming from someone who only spent $2500 on her wedding….. :-)Kids don’t know the difference, as long as you put time into it.
Thank you! I don’t know why they painted you in such a negative light as if frugal is a dirty word! You were the only one in that article who had a brain in your head. My wife and I live our lives debt free and save & give … and that is the lesson our kids learn. I bookmarked your site to share with my wife as it has a lot of good stuff. Thanks again for offering the intelligent voice on CNN!
I agree Lourdes. What will children expect when they become teens if you spend hundreds or dare I say, thousands on a birthday party when whey are little? It makes no sense to me, I mean why don’t people see how ridiculous this is? Simple is the way to go. BTW, Congratulations on the interview :)
Congrats on the CNN article. I can’t wait to read more of your site. What a refreshing change…back to basics.
Glad CNN had a link, I’m really enjoying your blog/site
Congrats on the CNN story!! These extravagant b-day parties are just a waste of money.
I found you because of the CNN story. What a wonderful blog you are producing here. I am really inspired.
Congrats on the coverage Lynnae!
Hi Lynnae – Congratulations on the coverage in the CNN article! I remember my simple, but fun birthdays in Alaska that included my friends, BBQ, cake/ice cream and a few gifts. Now it’s “where is the party”, “what entertainment”, “custom cakes” and “goodie bags”. I’ve watched the My Sweet 16 on MTV and my DH had to pick my jaw up off the ground because I couldn’t belive how much was being spent and how the kids treated their parents like it was their due. I like getting back to the basics. :)
Wow! Congratulations :D You deserve to be linked to, you blog was one o the first I started reading :)
Awesome! Thats really cool you got on there…Congrats :-)
I actually read this article earlier today while visiting CNN.com, and all of the sudden saw your name and was shocked and excited! How cool!
Great articles! Spending even $1000 on a kid’s Bday party is a real waste!