"Keeping up with the Joneses" - Fort Worth,TX

I have found Mc Donalds to have been lame for years now. An at home party is less lame and less expensive.

You are the reasonable one. These outrageous parties are insane with everyone trying to outdo the other. My kids had home parties or parties at the park. Everyone always had a blast. Less is more in my book!!!!

Well, I think you are fine in deciding to do whatever works for you.

Kiddo was invited to a bouncy-house type party and a 'theme' party... he was marvelously impressed by these and wanted one for his sixth birthday. I decided that we'd go with just a small group of nice neighborhood boys and open up the house to play in/out and keep it simple. I'll put out the big table I used to have for my preschoolers, put out some playdough and the cars and ramps for indoors and then outside we have a sandbox and simple playhouse, sidewalk chalk and bubbles. They just want to run around and play, right? I'll make a pin-the-tail on the donkey game, we'll have pizza and cupcakes and some goody bags to hand out when kids go home.

It may not be PC, but I am not compelled to invite the whole class or to impress other people's kids. The kids who really matter to him are coming... and his very best friend is a seven year old girl who we'll take on a separate outing to celebrate. We adore her and don't want her to get lost in the crowd of boys.

I think the parents do them because it's easier -that's it. We actually just had my son's at Home Depot. They have a room (usually the training room) they use and kids get an apron (they keep) and the craft they build. The coolest part is the parents really get into building with the kids. Also, Iearned the parties are FREE and they do them to get parents into the store and for fun. You can bring in decorations/cake... Might check your local Home Depot to see if they do these in TX too?

Your basic premise is SO spot on.
It IS about the kid!
I like to laugh at the parents that forget that.
Your kid, your party, your budget.
Never consider whether your party/venue/etc. is "worthy" because that's a good sign you're buying into the madness!

You're not being cheap ... you're being reasonable. I think a McDonald's party would appeal to both of my kids (10 and 6) because it's not something they get invited to all the time. Honestly, I've had my fill of bounce house places and I cringe when other parents go overboard because then my kids expect the same type of party.

I think in your situation, the smaller crowd had more to do with the fact that you're new to town. You may have also been competing with Little League schedules right now, if you had it on a Saturday.

If you only invite your child's friends, then they will come regardless of the venue. Help your child to cultivate friendships by having playdates, so that a birthday party invitation is not your first contact with the child and that child's family. I found it odd when my kids were invited to birthday parties for kids that they had never played with (outside of school). My kids go to birthday parties wherever their friends have them, whether it be backyard, McDonalds, bowling or go-carting. When they were invited to the party of a classmate who they weren't friends with they may or may not go, but we wouldn't make a big effort to see that they go.

You and I both. I don't get the big birthday party thing at all. It's such a waste of time and money.

Have a celebration at home. Buy one of those big quick set pools, which can be his birthday gift, can be used at the party, and can be enjoyed all summer. Trifecta!

Have a pool party, pool toys, hotdogs and burgers, Kool aid, cake. Let the kids run around like boys do. Relax on the porch with the parents.

Or, if that's too much...set up a waterfight party. Water guns, balloons, etc. Or a nerf party where they play nerf wars (a small nerf gun for each kid, and extra darts on hand).

Above all....have fun! Getting wrapped up in making everything perfect NEVER leads to fun.

♥
C. Lee

Is the question "did my son have a low turnout because of the venue?"

All of my DD's parties so far have been at the house. No bounce houses. If I do a venue this year it might be a dinosaur park because she loves them, not to keep up with the other kids. If we do that, we will be able to have up to 20 kids for a flat fee. I think that rather than it not being "fun" it might simply be that you're fairly new in town and your son doesn't know as many kids. Or people had schedule conflicts. My sister once had a birthday that NO ONE showed up for at all, so even a few kids is a good thing. I never put the venue as part of my calculation for the gift, and usually it's not a factor in whether or not DD goes. It really depends on the family's schedule. So keep doing the parties you want to have and don't worry about anybody else. I am also a fan of careful invitations so you invite the kids that matter to your son and to whom he matters vs just everybody. I think that's one way to get better RSVPs.

Do you have room to do a simple at home party? That's all we'd do.

My oldest son is 6 and we still haven't had a friend birthday party. I'm not up for the budget we'd need to do something outside our home, and I'm not up for hosting a bunch of extra kids at our home.

By the way, my husband graduated from med school in 2005, and we are STILL living fairly austerely. We don't deny our kids important things, but we don't try to keep up with the Jonses. For us, keeping up with the Jonses would bankrupt us, since the Jonses in our circle tend to be surgeons, dentists, lawyers, and engineers.

ETA: Med school is just the beginning of the cheap years. Residency only brings in about $45k/yr, depending on the program. So, you're looking at closer to 7-8 years of very frugal living, and then the loan repayments start after he gets his first post-res position.

We've been to a pretty wide variety of parties ranging from Build-A-Bear with upgrades (cha ching cha ching!) to a backyard "run around and play until we call you in for pizza and cake". What I have noticed is that it IS more about the connection between the parents than the kids. I hate to say that, but it's true.

At my son's first preschool, we knew all of the parents really well because the Director was amazing and engaged the parents regularly. We threw his 3rd birthday at a local zoo and invited parents and siblings. We ended up with a ton of families... it cost us about $300, but it was a BLAST! Last year, same thing. We rented out one of those bounce house places and invited his whole class (no siblings). All of the mom's are FB friends and we had play dates all the time, so when the RSVP's didn't roll in... messaged them all and got responses.

This year? Not so much. We moved here in December and he started at a new preschool right after the first of the year. We don't know any of the families and there is no family participation (which I actually don't like), so we're not doing a huge party this year. He has one friend that is his new BFF and we know the family outside of school through our church, so we are taking my son and that little guy on a zoo adventure. It's still going to cost us around $200, but at least we can plan accordingly. He'll have a big family party and we'll do cupcakes at school, but I'm not investing in a big party this year only to have 3 kids show.

If you can, get involved at school and get to know some of the moms. For what it's worth, my son goes to a party if he's invited because I get seriously worried about that whole "no show" thing for other kids. I can't imagine that feeling as a little kid. However, others won't make the effort if they don't know you and your child. Sad, but it's the truth.

Oh... and my son would FREAK if he got invited to a McD's party. He LOVES the play place and some nuggets!!

Don't ever feel you have to compete with other parties. Do what works for your budget and what your child wants.

We had the same problem with RSVP's, so I expected 5 to 10 kids. We got 2 from his preschool (+ 2 of one's cousins, I didn't say anything) and 3 of his personal friends, + 4 neighbors not invited (I'm a softy and had food, cake and goodies so it wasn't an issue) + 2 siblings and 2 cousins. A total of 16 kids with my guy, and I kid you not, I had put together 16 goody bags!! So my guy got one ;) By the way, one friend bringing her 3 boys from quite a distance couldn't make it, she has fibromyalgia like me and her arms were cramping too much to drive, and a friend from his preschool had a family emergency, so the numbers evened out completely.

We did it at home, I made all the food, the cake and cupcakes and it was all a hit. I made spyglasses (paper towel holders, woodgrain print scrapbook paper, twine and stickers), and pirate chocolate suckers, bought eye patches and Jake gummies, and printed out Jake coloring pages for the goody bags, which were simple brown sacks tied with twine. I bought everything I could at Dollar Tree, and on sale at Michaels and Johann's, I never pay full price, I mixed $1 solid plates, cups, napkins and tablecloths with Jake & the Never Land stuff and really saved. Parents and kids loved it all, it was exactly what my guy wanted and I could afford on a limited income. It was the pirate theme that everyone loved, I encouraged the kids to dress like pirates and most did, three elaborately!

I disagree that a McDonalds party isn't fun, my guy would love it! I prefer to do parties at home or a park, exactly the way I want and can afford. Next year is birthday #5, so I'll do a party again, after that until 10 it will be a trip to a local small amusement park or children's museum, ($11 a kid at the amusement park, free at the museum) cake and punch for our family, he'll get to invite one friend to go along.

And you're not naive, out of touch or cheap :)

P.,
Not once have I ever looked at a party invitation and thought, "This doesn't sound fun enough" or "worthwhile enough". A party is a party- the kids love them and always seem excited to attend. The only problem is that we generally have so many commitments in place already that we can only attend about 50% of the parties. That's just how it is for most people, so just try to send out invitations at least 2 weeks ahead of time. That is the best you can do.
It doesn't have to be an elaborate, expensive party to be fun. I only do a "party" for 1 kid per year (I have 3 kids) - the other years we do a family-only party or I allow them to invite 1 friend somewhere fun.
This year was my 5 year old's home party. We bought a clearance gingerbread cookie decorating set from Michael's for $1 because it was after Christmas. We made mini pizzas at home. I borrowed a game from my mom. We watched a short Shrek cartoon off Netflix. Then the kids played hide and seek, red light green light and freeze tag. It was cheap and fun and I know the kid's parents were probably happy because I know for a fact several of them got a date night out of it with their kiddos being at my house for a few hours.
My 8 year old's party last week was super cheap too. We opted for a $5 pizza and she chose jello instead of a cake, we ate at home before going to a play place with 1 friend. I had found a free admission deal online so that is how we picked that place. We chose a weekday rather than weekend so we could get free admission. Because I saved so much on admission (normally $13 per person, there were 5 of us) I was happy to give them a few bucks for game tokens. It was soooo stress free to have just one child attending and we had a wonderful time.
Go cheap, you can certainly make it fun if you are flexible, plan ahead and are either creative or do some online scouting for deals.

A play place party for a 6 year old seems a little old. My daughter's friend did the same thing at the local Chick Fil-A and it was a mess. Not fun, too crowded (other people are obviously there too), etc. A party at home can be done cheaply and be more fun.

Parents should never compare their kids party to someone else either. If the kids have fun, that's all that matters. My daughter's 10th birthday party, will cost me a few hundred dollars, but it's a milestone year, she deserves it, and we can do it. Last year we couldn't afford parties and didnt have time time, so the kids didn't get them. We are still trying to find a good time to throw our boys their party. I don't compare my parties to other people's or other people's to mine.

I think things will change for you over the next 4 years. You and your kid will be better integrated, and have more friends who are more interested in celebrating the birthday and being together than whatever the party itself involves.

We've done at home b-day parties so far. Will likely continue in that fashion for the time being. Frankly, I enjoy the prep, the pinata and the party games.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

P., you have posted about this topic numerous times. Might I suggest that you're WAY overthinking this? Rude people will ignore an invite, no matter where the party is. DD's been at the same school since K (2 years), with the same kids and I've hardly heard from anyone. Not even the parents I've met on field trips, etc. Do the party you want, that's in your budget!

My daughter went to a classmate's party last year at Peter Piper Pizza, which is probably 10.00 bucks a head or more depending on the "level" you buy. The amount of empty, paid for place settings at the table was very high at that one. I can't imagine how much money the mom spent and only 2 kids from the class were there.

I vowed from that point on to never do a party at a place like that. I notice that no matter where or what you do for a party, the common denominator is the kids just playing together, with each other. None of the surroundings matter.

I will take DD to a class party if we're able to go, AND if she wants to go/actually likes the kid. If she doesn't want to go, I'm not going to make her. However, I ALWAYS respond the invites, regardless of my answer.

I think part of it is that people don't want to go to a stranger's house/party. It's easier when you know the parents. It's hard for me because I work and never see the parents. This year we are doing an arts & crafts party at home and I think about 6 girls will be there. For the past 2 years we have done trips instead of parties and I've honestly enjoyed those way more. Moving forward we will do a small friend party and let her pick who to invite, and we will go do something fun.

From my own experience, no, it's not (usually) a competition.
I live in a pretty well to do area and for the most part birthday parties are in peoples' homes or at the local park or pool. Yes, many kids DO have "destination" parties and we have even had a few kids do extreme things, like a limo picking up the birthday guests from school, or a hotel overnight, and one family took a bunch of girls to a Hannah Montana concert, but other than that it's pretty basic, lol!
Cake, games, a scavenger hunt, a pinata, cupcake decorating, the occasional bounce house, that's all we've ever needed to have fun and make good memories.
Oh, and INVITE REAL FRIENDS, not the whole class. That's what birthdays are all about, celebrating with your friends and family :-)

My daughter is 6 and still like the McDs PlayPlace, so it may be that they were boys. Age 6 is about the cutoff for playplaces tho.

Yes, there can tend to be competition between moms over the parties, but I think that the competition is mostly between the parents and not the kids. The key is to do something that YOUR kid wants to do, not what you think others will want to do. It is about YOUR kid remembering HIS birthday.

Another thing that I have done when money was strapped was to just send in a pack of cookies or cupcakes to school to be handed out during lunch, and skipped the friends after school/weekend party all together.
3 boxes of 10 count Hostess cupcakes travel well in a backpack, were unique, and only cost me $7.50. :)

My cheapest daughter's party was $16. Juice boxes and mini cupcakes at after-care center.

For my son's 10th birthday, we skipped the friends party and went to the amusement park, just us!

That is not to say that I haven't spent money on parties for my kids, even a home party will all of the friends and family (a lot!) adds up to $200 -300 by the time you add in lunch or dinner.

I don't think you're being cheap, just more practical. Being able to afford it or not, I do not think it's necessary to spend a ton of money on a 6 year old birthday party. I miss the 80's, when every kid in the class had their bday party at home and everyone went and always had a good time.

The majority of the parties I've been to with my 4 year old have all been held at the person's house and simple games are played, maybe a little craft and then a pinata. The last one I went to the kids just played on the person's swing set for an hour, simple and they loved it. I held my son's party at a park and played games with the kids, had cake and icecream and that was that. So far, I have not really felt the need to "keep up with the Joneses". It should be about the kids, not impressing superficial parents!

A party at McDonald's can be fun. It's the kids playing with each other that makes it so. Saving money for the goal of attending med school should be very much higher on the priority scale than providing an expensive birthday party for your son.

Are you saying that you or your husband are feeling bad because not many kids showed up? If so, that's common and you have the added handicap of not knowing many people. I suggest that even if you'd hired a jump house you'd still not have many people come. A birthday party is not about seeing which parent spends the most money to have fun. It's providing a place for kids to play with each other and celebrate the birthday child. How much one spends should depend on how much money the family has to spend in relation to their other more important goals.

i was really tickled this weekend - we went to our first "real" birthday party for a schoolmate. they had it at a park, they served hotdogs and chips (and cake), and there were only a few presents - it was mostly family and their close friends. my son was one of only a couple school kids that were invited and that's because the little girl just loves my son lol. SO i was very gratified to see that it was very low-key. i live in what tends to be a very "showy", keeping up with the jones' area as well, so i didn't know what to expect. they didn't even pay to 'reserve' a table at the park - it was awesome and i felt very comfortable. next time we do a party that's what i want to do.

i would have been happy to come to your mcdonald's party :) but i also tell that story to illustrate, you don't have to spend a lot of money. the kids were happy as clams playing on a "new" park they'd never been to. i'm sure they didn't spend much on the party at all. and it was great!

Do you work outside of the home, or can you volunteer at his school? It there a way for you to get connected with other parents?

It is also baseball season, so that could get in the way with Saturday parties.

In California McDonald's has a negative stigma (unhealthy and the play area is considered a germ fest). I go to McDonald's, but many parents brag that their child has never had it.

I love the idea of a park scavenger hunt or an obstacle course with home made ribbons/trophies. I know some who have been on a budget and made it clear lunch will not be served rather snacks and cake. I think a park this time of year in Texas would be nice.

I do not go to party based on the venue, rather I go to celebrate the person. Many parents refuse to go to a Chuck E Cheese party (they think there are too many germs), but this place is always packed.

I have never done a venue party for my kids. My son will be 9 in June and we're doing a camp out with 4 of his friends. My daughter turned 6 last month and we had it at our house. Girls playing and running around, I fed them lunch, had a craft and made cupcakes. We usually only invite a handful of people and I've never had a problem with a kid not showing up. If my kid gets invited to a party and it's a friend and we are not busy they will go no matter where the party takes place. In fact my son is having a sleepover party at his friend's house this friday.

I've always found it reasonable to have a birthday party at a skating rink or a bowling alley. Many times, the rinks and alleys offer great deals. For me, it sure beats having to clean up my house after a birthday party not to mention having to entertain kids. They always seem to have fun skating or bowling.

Just my 2 cents.

Well, we just had our spring break. Maybe you had a lot of families with prior commitments. It happens.

I don't look to see if the venue is something I want to take my kids to (as a competition). Never have. Although, if it looks like something I am not comfortable with for one reason or another --something that seems unsafe or something--that would be different.

It may have just been a busy time for other families. We don't do "venue" parties for our kids either. Never have. We had at home parties that were themed, and ones that had no theme (just a water slide and the pool to entertain them... and that was plenty).. and even one that the kids just decorated foam princess crowns. LOL
It depends on the group and ages involved. As our kids have gotten older, we totally skipped the "party" and just let them invite one or two close friends for a sleepover and activity. Going to the waterpark with us (as a family, plus the one friend), providing modeling clay (to take home with them after) for several girls so they could do claymation movies and a sleep-over, etc. Simple, but fun.
You aren't out of touch. Just maybe sensitive and a worrier? Relax. You didn't do anything "lame". Probably it was just a bad/busy weekend for people.

Home party, figure out a theme and be crafty and creative, Harry potter, Lego? Super hero? Sports? Scavenger hunts ,relays, challeges, guessinv games, crafts or projects, water wars, make your own cake or cupcake s. Not cheap just different than the cookie cutter party.

Hey -
We would go to a bday party at McDonalds. As others have said, it is about the kids having fun. But, I do have to add the caveat that I won't go to a bday party at Chuck E Cheese. For whatever reason, whenever I leave there, I have a splitting headache (and I am not a person who gets headaches). So, my kids know if they get an invitation to Chuck E Cheese, we don't go. Other than that, we try to make EVERY bday party that we are invited to. But, sometimes it is tough with our schedule. On Saturdays, we have soccer and baseball practice and swim lessons. I am finding that we are getting more and more invitations to Sunday bday parties - probably because everyone is busy like we are on Saturdays.

My son turned 9 last year and I gave him the choice of a bday party at a swimming pool OR a season pass to Splash Kingdom (same cost for both). He chose the season pass to splash kingdom (which was more expensive for our family because I then had to buy season passes for all of us, but much more enjoyable for us as a family for the whole summer). This year, I am going to take him to 6 flags for the day. I'm not going to even offer up the idea of a party.

My daughter turned 5 last year and we were really blessed that a church in our area does bday parties for $50.00, which I thought was awesome. But, it is only for 2-5 year olds. So, we have done it there every year. Now, I know she'll expect it there next year, but she will be too old and so I really don't know we'll do. To make matters worse, her bday is in December which is honestly the worst month for attendence.

Good luck with future bday parties. I am finding that smaller/ more intimate ones are easier on me and my child still has a ton of fun.

-L.

Sorry, I don't understand your question.

I doubt it's a competition thing. We have been to parties all over the board - from extremely elaborate to extremely simple. And the venue has never affected the gifts we give. In fact, I usually find a "Go to" gift and stock up. Last year everyone we knew got light brites I found on sale. This year it's spy gear I found on clearance.

We always throw parties at our house. We have never had a bounce house. I've just been creative. I really think that it's a combination of a busy weekend and you being new. There were a lot of bigger events in DFW this weekend, it could have been a conflict. You are new to the area and that affected things as well. Even if it's about hte kids, not knowing you will affect their decision to come. In the next few months you will find regular playmates and friends. Don't beat yourself up over this.

ANd next year, you can plan differently, so you aren't worried about disappointing anyone (yourself included).

My kids are 13 and 10 and have never had a party. I mean, we have a 'family' party, but I have never had them invite the entire class and go to some fun zone somewhere. We just never have done that. About 3 years ago we started letting the 13 yo ask 1 or 2 friends to do something "fun" for her bday. One year they went to the movies, the other laser tag and this last one bowling. So I don't have to stress about throwing a big party and who will or won't go and my kid will have fun with their "real" friends. Don't feel obligated to compete with anyone.

I felt the same way when we first started inviting friends, I am budget conscious so I do parties at home with a home made cake and some activities. I think the idea of breaking the bank to throw a party for a 5 yo is rediculous. We just this year started going to let's jump, it is more expensive, but compared to what I was spending for food, decorations and activity stuff it is the same, plus I don't have to spend a day cleaning my house or clean up afterwords. I am a mom that does not care if I know the parents or where the party is, we go if we can. I hope this helps.

You are reassured by me. But, I am a thrifty mom/person.

We do not keep up with the Jones, but there are plenty of other people who do - and they can have it. Having people show up for a party is a problem that all parents deal with, and I do not believe that bigger carrots entice more rabbits. But there are plenty of other people who do - and they can have it.

We have used the free picnic tables at a local park, rented a pavillion at another park ($35) and used a library at one of the schools I teach at for our twin girls. They were born in June. This is their first year in school so their circle of friends has been pretty small until now. We feel no need to "keep up with the Joneses" and cant financially. (especially as I am now a single parent)
We have only invited a few people the girls age in years past.
The first year: Family only
The second year: family and a couple friends of mine (one with a DD my girls age) and one of his friends
The third year; the same group from the second year but this time family from out of state did not come
Last year: we invited the same as the previous year, but due to our separation/divorce pending and work schedules it was much smaller- me, their dad, his mom, the girls sitter and her family (3 girls aged 5-10), a friend of mine and her DD.
This year, after being in school with the same group all year, I'm sure the girls will want to invite everyone. I have also heard that you should invite the number of kids as the birthday kids age. So if my girls are turning 5 and they are born on the same day do I invite 5 or 10 or just the whole class and whoever shows up...?
Anyway, we will probably rent the pavillion at the local splash pad/park for this year. It will be hot enough to get in the water, big enough for anyone who shows up and plenty to play on without having to rent bounce houses and such. Guests can come and go as they please and stay later than we do if they chose to.
I have done hotdogs or pizza in the past and will probably do pizza this year because I don't feel like dealing with hauling a grill or camp stove. I have purchased cakes in the past, and made two cakes for the girls last year. (one dinosaur cake with crushed graham cracker dirt, mini cupcakes covered in grey icing for rocks and green icing plants with cheap plastic dinos that she could add to her collection, the other is all about Cars and Cars2 movies and had a grey road through carbeurator county with some of her fav. hotwheels cars on the road)
If anyone thinks this is not enough, then they are welcome not to come next time. If they think it's cheap, then so sorry, don't come. I do what I can as do most of the parents around where I live. None of us are wealthy. None of us expect elaborate parties.
We also have a problem around here with very few people RSVPing. Very annoying, but I do understand that manners and proper upbringing were just not a social norm here. That said, the people here would give you the shirt off their back if you need it. You just have to take them as they come.
One of the boys in my DD's class had a party last month and rented the local ruritan club building. They had tacos and taco salads, pizza and hotdogs with all the trimmings. There were even more choices when it came to dessert even aside from the birthday cake. It was a pretty big party, BUT it was also families from their church and other family members and they were the ones who brought and offerred to bring so much food.
As I have made a huge mountain of an answer out of a small question (as I tend to do), I will end it with this: Do what you are comfortable with and comfortable affording. It's up to you, but I like to save the bigger bucks for a nice Christmas for my girls. (as their daddy never contributes)

I hope enough kids came that the party turned out ok or either way your son was happy! I think it's a combo of factors and you might be being a bit harsh on other parents. We attended a party in the park this weekend while most bday parties are at more expensive venues where we live. We are very well off financially so do throw pretty nice parties just bc we can. In contrast, I know the family this weekend doesn't have much money and I couldn't care less. We went bc my daughter is friendly with the bday girl and I've met the mom many times. She's visible at school and scouts, very nice etc. Lots of other kids came too. But you're considering people not coming due to snobbery when that could be a factor but likely only exaccerbated by the moms not knowing you. Have you tried to get to know who your son's friends are? Have you tried to get to know the other moms? I remember your post and you didn't seem sure who your son is friends with. I will admit I don't go out of my way for moms who don't make an effort... Remember you're new to the area but the other moms aren't so likely have lots of other social demands. A party for a boy they don't know whose mother isn't known either at a place that isn't all that enticing probably just isn't a high priority... There could be a few moms who turned up their noses just bc of the venue - you'll always encounter snobs - but likely it was just a combo of other factors for the other moms. And 2 weeks is a bit short notice which probably didn't help either.

my daughter is 6 and still loves those play areas. i would go as would my friends with their kids if it fit in our schedule.
What ive noticed is you need to get the directory and make phone calls. people might think they dont have to rsvp because its at mcdonalds and a public place. make calls or emails or send out a reminder...i've done this.

I think time and day matters more and the season. you're in tball season and other sports so saturday mornings are the worst to choose. not sure which day you chose. i find friday nigths to work the best since most kids dont have activities those nioghts. weekends are tough with schedules. we J. declined going to a cool expensive laser tag party because we already had weekend plans

You're new to the area, and most responders giving advice aren't from here ... so I thought my two cents might help. Don't be surprised by the amount of money spend on birthdays - it's pretty common for parents in DFW to drop $500 for a birthday party, between a bounce house, food, entertainment, supplies - it's easy to do. And that's OK, it makes them happy and if they can afford it - good for them. Don't feel like you have to do this. Do what makes sense to your family's budget.