Budget ideas for DD's 12th birthday

[DaniB]

My daughter's birthday is in June and she wants a home party. The idea is tiring me out already and I'm just sitting down to start planning it.

I find the cost of a home party can go overboard and overbudget pretty quickly. Plus I'm still trying to figure out a theme, or unique things/crafts for a bunch of girls to do.

Any ideas, pretty please everyone!?

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

Hmmm 12 is a tricky age!

I know Spa parties are fun here. My friend is doing one for her daughter this wekend and she has "stations" set up manned by her friends.

*Pedicures
*Manicures
*scrubs (she is making up some food based facials like with honey and oatmeal)
*masks-clay or peel-off
*"spa at home"-they have a few stations where they are making some things for the girls to take home like lip gloss, homemade scrubs

 

[GatorMama]

When I was 12, we were totally content watching movies in the basement with a few bags of popcorn and cans of soda... But I've always been a movie lover. Maybe you can employ your daughter to help plan the party within budget constraints? "We have x amount of money so if you want activity1 at your party, we'll have skip buying ice cream... or we can do activity 2 if we don't send home goodie bags"

 

[scrapquitler]

My daughter's birthday is in June and she wants a home party. The idea is tiring me out already and I'm just sitting down to start planning it.

I find the cost of a home party can go overboard and overbudget pretty quickly. Plus I'm still trying to figure out a theme, or unique things/crafts for a bunch of girls to do.

Any ideas, pretty please everyone!?

Well what does your daughter want? At 12, I'd be leaning towards giving her a budget and having HER do most of the planning, with guidance and some suggestions from you.

Do you have a pool? Pool party = instant entertainment/activities.

 

[elgerber]

When I was 12, we were totally content watching movies in the basement with a few bags of popcorn and cans of soda... But I've always been a movie lover. Maybe you can employ your daughter to help plan the party within budget constraints? "We have x amount of money so if you want activity1 at your party, we'll have skip buying ice cream... or we can do activity 2 if we don't send home goodie bags"

My dd too, at that age, was content to have a slumber party, with no structured activities. I bought pizza for everyone, then we had cake and ice cream, and maybe a couple snacks. Honestly she got so much candy for gifts, that was all they snacked on. Then they played video games, and watched movies till the fell asleep. Donuts are served for breakfast. Turns out to be a darn cheap party for me.

 

[HeatherC]

Sleepover! Very cheap. Order pizza, some soda, and later let the girls either....make their own sundaes or if you have a firepit, have a campfire and they can make s'mores. Bedtime they watch a movie and hang out painting ther nails.

Under $30 easy. They will have a blast.

OR

If you have a tent, they can camp in the backyard.

 

[preb]

Sleepover for sure. Movies, pizza, popcorn. We did mud masks at my DD11's party last year. CVS has a large tube of clay/mud mask stuff for like $6.99. We also did "musical manicures", where the girls sat in a circle and passed nail polish (that we already had) in different colors and when the music stooped they had to paint one nail that color. They had so much fun we did manis and pedis. They decorated frames from the dollar section at michaels with scrapbooking stickers that said things like "BFF" and "friends forever" and we took a picture of all of them with their mud masks on and that was their takehome gift. Oh, we also found sleep masks at claires on sale 10 for $10 that she gave them out. All together the party was less than $50, including food.

 

[StephMK]

I have a love/hate relationship w/sleepovers but they can be a good budget option. DD11 had one in March - we had pizza & cake. They decorated cupcakes & I found frames on clearance in Target #1 spot. $.25 each & they said friends across the frame. I took their pic & sent it to Walgreen's 1 hr developing. The girls went home w/decorated cupcakes & a framed pic as their "goody bag".

DD got a babycakes cupcake maker for Xmas so they used that to make minicakes. The hardest part was just changing out the frosting colors in the decorating tube.

There is also a cute sleepover cupcake decorating idea - decorate them to look like sleeping girls in sleeping bags using candy & marshmellows on top of a cupcake.

Other than decorating cupcakes, they watched movies & played wii. We still have an old box of dress up & dance costumes so they dressed up & made up dances. Easy! Fruit & donuts for breakfast.

 

[zoemurr]

all my 12yr old really wants is to stay up all night and watch movies.

Not sure what your budget is but last year I rented a limo. I hid trinkets all over town and gave them clues as to where we needed to go. It was on a weeknight so the price was very reasonable.

One of her friends had an "Iron Chef" party. They split up into 2 teams and were giving a mystery ingredient. (I think it was pepperoni.) They had to make a meal from it w/other ingredients they had in the house. The girls loved it.

If they are a fun/active group of girls some Minute to Win It games would be fun. We did this for DS last year and are doing it again. It was a huge hit. We have the whole thing on youtube if you would like the link.

 

[sk!mom]

My DD just celebrated her 15th birthday. She did dinner out with a large group of friends- not budget- but then had her best friends sleep over after the dinner.

They called it a "chocolate" sleepover. They love to cook so I just had the ingredients ready. They made chocolate fondue, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and smores. Then they laid around watching "Chocolat" with Johnny Depp, talking, laughing, and just hanging out until about 5:30 am. They were back up about 11 and they made chocolate chip muffins and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Everyone went home around 1:00. They packed up all the leftovers to share at school during their advisory period the following Monday.

 

[luvmy3]

You say she wants a home party, did she say what she wanted to do? My dd has always been happy with sleepovers, watching movies, eating pizza, popcorn and other junk food. Since dd's birthday is in the winter, we have never had the option of doing something outside so the girls have just done make-overs, jewelry making (using cheap materials from craft store), decorating T-shirt (again, cheap from from craft store).

 

[ceecee]

Take them out to eat (or order pizza if there are a lot of girls). Take DD out to rent movies and get a lot of snacks and breakfast and they are set. At that age you don't have to do anything, they can fiqure it out on their own. DD and her friends love to have a fire in the firepit and watch the stars...DH lights the firepit and they do Smores. They were out there for hours one night with the ipod for music and they just talked.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Have a camping party.
Pitch a tent in the back yard for a sleep over. Have some BBQ hot dogs chips and soda. Cake and ice cream.

Let them play flash light tag, cards, truth or dare and be kids. Show them how to play light as a feather stiff as a board.

In the morning have some pancakes and call it done .

 

[badblackpug]

Sleepover! Order some pizza (papa johns always has online deals) get dome soda, and a cake. You can always rent $1 movies from redbox, and some cheap ($1) make-up from www.eyeslipsface.com for make-overs.

 

[luvdisney00]

Making tee shirts
make your own pizza
cupcake decorating
decorate frames and fill with pictures taken at the party
Onr year I bought wooden jewelry boxes at dollar tree and they painted them and glued on gems.

 

[englishteacha]

I'd say a b-day party for a 12 year old girl is easy! Slumber party! Pizza, cake, movies, makeup, get some board games out (my middle schoolers LOVE Apples to Apples). Way fun, way cheap. Heck, I'd love a slumber party with my best friends and I'm turning 31 in a couple weeks!