The Poor Mom Revolution

It’s officially March and with that, we’re less than 2 months away from our first birthday month of the year. May is big for us, birthday wise, with Mother’s Day the same weekend. Every year we have birthday parties and tend to organize something at the house. It is easier, closer and tends to be a lot cheaper. The only problem is the stress cleaning and anxiety that goes along with having groups of people over. The last few years consistently, my son will get a ton of rsvps for his party in August and my daughter will have 2 to 5 in May.

During covid, when we couldn’t do birthday parties we did a family weekend celebration. With traditional birthday parties at an event hall or party place being anywhere from $350 to $600 for the 2 hours, We opted for a night at a hotel, swimming in the pool, and a nice dinner out with cake before bed. I believe it was $150 for the hotel and I spent about $250 for the whole of it. It was an experience the kids still talk about, it lasted an entire 24 hours and was cheaper than a traditional birthday party without worrying about who was coming and who was not.

We’ve been going back and forth on what to do for birthdays this year. I would love to offer the kids a choice, and I also think big birthday parties are a thing of the past. Growing up my mom would allow us to pick two to three friends and we would do lunch and a movie. It was a small intimate party, cost-effective of course, and allowed you to have our closest buddies to celebrate. Times have definitely changed and with us living anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes away from the closest mall, movie theater, activity or chain restaurant.. I’m not entirely sure how many of the parents would allow us to take them for the day. To this day I don’t think we’ve been to a birthday party where the parents haven’t stayed at the house. I think parents are more cautious now, as am I, and sleepovers and all-day Hangouts with someone you’re not best friends with is most likely a no.

So brings me back to attempting to do a family day for the kids. When you typically spend on average $400 to $500 on a 2-hour party, why not spend that much for an entire day. Since birthdays are a day to celebrate, we’ve been brainstorming some ideas on things to do to make the day super special.

My daughter is super artsy. She’d love a canvas day or one of those pottery places. If I gave her money to go to Michaels or Jo-Ann’s fabric, she’d be there for hours.

I was taking a look at the American Dream Mall which is $109 a person and not something we would typically do, but a birthday is an excuse to splurge. A hotel is not out of the question, as we could always spend the weekend at a hotel in Boston and go to the aquarium. My little one is a Spa Queen and would absolutely love a day of pampering with a kids treatment, pedicure and an updo. Add in a new birthday outfit from Target and she’d be on cloud nine! Ever since we saw Jennifer Garner’s in Yes Day, the kids have also been asking for one of those. What better birthday than allowing them each one on their special day!

So, ultimately we combined all the things she’s been wanting to do and turned it into a ‘pick a card’ challenge just like the trends she loves. Throughout the day, she’ll get to choose the next thing we do by picking one out of the two cards. Here’s what I have so far…

Start at Target with a Starbucks for a birthday outfit and explain the rules of the day….

Choice 1: Sephora or Ulta

Choice 2: Breakfast: Turning Point or Griddle 145

Choice 3: Manicure or pedicure

Choice 4: SlimeTime Maker or Movie

Choice 5: Red Robins or Smoothie Bowl

Choice 6: Pottery Painting

Choice 7: Michaels/JoAnn Fabrics and whatever wasn’t chosen in number 2.

Choice 8: Dinner choices – All you can eat Sushi

Choice 9: Dessert Options – Vegan Treats

I think over the years I’m just more excited to have experiences with them as opposed to just spending money on them. We don’t tend to go on large extravagant vacations or anything like that, but the day trips, laughs, and fun days make it all worthwhile.