My sweet little girl will be turning 3--a month from tomorrow! I cannot believe how fast she's growing up. And I love celebrating every year that we have with her. That's right: I love to plan birthday parties for my baby girl!
For her first and second birthday parties, I went ALL OUT. I paid way too much money for decorations and invitations, and I cannot even begin to say how much I spent on food! My Mom bought the cake for her first birthday party. Any guesses how much it cost? $70! For a birthday cake!
Now we're preparing for birthday party #3. And Dan and I have really been feeling certain convictions about where and how we spend our money. Mainly, we believe that God is calling us to be DEBT FREE. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? And trust me, we have a long way to go. Probably several years. But we are committed to making solid financial decisions. We have slowly begun to see the fruits of our labor, and that usually gives us the encouragement to continue going. If that doesn't encourage us, then we remember and speak one of our pastor's favorite verses: Galatians 6:9. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Anyway, back to the birthday party. I have to say that I have had more fun this year planning ways to save for the big day. I created Emma's invitations myself, and I am currently making some decorations from a digital scrapbooking kit that I found at www.theshabbyshoppe.com. Guess how much I will be spending on decorations/invitations this year?! Less than $15! And I am having a great time!!!
We've even saved money on gifts--we have decided to buy her one gift, and am half-way finished with a scrapbook that I'm making for her as the second gift. And as you may know, three-year-olds are pretty narcisstic. They LOVE pictures of themselves! She has seen a few of the pages as I've been working on them, and she gets so excited. The best part?! I've only spent $8.50 so far.
Who knew?! You can actually have fun SAVING money while planning a party. Funny thing is, I'm pretty sure my husband has been trying to tell me that for a few years... :)
Friday, July 25, 2008
It's my party...
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1 comment:
1. They do grow up waaaay too fast! I'm planning Jordan's first birthday party. And to think that Jackson is in kindergarten, whew!
2. Birthday parties get crazy! We've always done low key parties. For Jordan's we're having it at 3pm (in between meal times). It will be cake and punch. We give a gift on their actual birthday, and the party is their "gift" from us. I try and write my kids a letter on their birthday and put it away for them. I think I missed a year (or two...opps) for Jackson but now that I have two to remember I think I will do better.
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