Ideas wanted for 13th birthday for dd

[CruiseBoundnKY]

Hey budget buddies! I need some ideas. I'm pre-planning (as I always do) dd's 13th birthday in February.

I really want to either A. Make it really special for her or B. Get her something really special and grown up

Ideas???

She doesn't have a ton of friends. I'd say maybe 4 of 5 good friends and 1 BFF. We live in KY, so it will be cold then. I'm really over BIG family parties and prefer not to go that route.

Thanks in advance.

Karen

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I'm like you too, always pre-planning the birthdays LOL
My middle DD is going to be 13 too in October but sadly I'm tired of throwing her parties (until the 16th one) so we're going to go low-key with this one. She can have two friends over and my inlaws will be here for dinner. Plus one day near her birthday I'm going to take her to get a pedicure since she always talks about the only one she ever had at someone's party.

If your DD doesn't have a locket, maybe that's something you could give her for a lasting memory. Walmart has 14K ones around $30. Then maybe you could have her and her friends go for a mani/pedi day?

How do they grow up this fast?

 

[MrsPooh]

I had this same situation. My dd's b-day is at the end of January. She had one bff and four other close friends.

She decided to have a sleep over party with her friends. I allowed her to plan movies, music and food just like any other time she has a sleep over.

I wanted the party to very special for her so I planned a few surprises. I decorated outside with balloons and a b-day sign.

The big surprise was that I planned a very beautiful looking candy buffet without her knowledge and surprised her with it. Since it was for a small number of girls I was able to purchase some more expensive chocolates and treats to go along with the other candies. The centerpiece was a cupcake display with custom decorated cupcakes (I've taken decorating classes).

She and her friends had never seen anything like it before and they LOVED it. It was, without a doubt, the party they all remember and it was just a little extra work and expense.

I hope you can figure out something that will be great fun for her.

 

[ceecee]

My girlfriend rented a limo to pick up her daughter and three friends up at school, then they went to the mall and had manicures and she had ordered decorated cookies for them at the food court. We just had some of DD's friends over for a sleep over and went bowling (they had pizza there). I let her decide and that is what she wanted. Another of DD's friend's rented a hotel room and they went swimming for her 13th.

 

[Desnik]

I have this same dilemma! My DD will be 13 the end of Jan. and I really wanted to do something special. I offered to take her to Disney, just the 2 of us for some mother/daughter bonding and she turned me down! I offered a big party, she said she'll wait for her sweet 16 for that. Last year we had a party/sleepover with all her friends, so she doesn't want that again. I am curious to see the suggestions you get cause I am at a loss! I do like the renting a limo idea!

 

[semo233]

The cheapest and best party I ever threw for my daughter was a mall scavenger hunt party. I was sceptical at first because I didn't want 12 year olds running around the mall, so I made the rules for the game and each team would lose points if they didn't follow the rules. They included no running, always being polite and respectful, etc. The team would lose points if they did not follow the rules and the Personal Shopper was responsible for them.
My DD invited 6 friends + DD = 7 girls. 2 girls per team and my DD rotated between teams for each challenge.
I had my mom, my sister, my 20 yo niece and a friend help me. Each team had a "personal shopper" (a.k.a.: chaperone). The Personal Shopper kept score for that team.
They had 3 challenges to meet and 20 min to complete each one.
Each challange included 10 items to complete or get and the Personal Shopper used their cell phone to take any pictures for proof.
In between each challange they had to meet back in the food court. After challange #1, they ate pizza. After challange #2, they had cake. After challange #3, they watched DD open presents and we announced the winners of the scavenger hunt (they won $5 Starbucks Gift Cards each).
All told, it cost me about $100, half of which was the pizza. If you did just cake and drinks, it would be a lot less.
The invitations were designed to look like a credit card offer you would get in the mail. I even laminated the credit card and stuck it on the paper with rubber cement to easily peel off. The credit card included the invite's name and party info, but looked like a credit card.
Do a google search on a mall scavenger hunt to get ideas for the challanges. Each challange included $3 and instructions to either purchase their personal shopper their favorite coffee, buy the ugliest pair of socks for the birthday girl or purchase the best gift you can for $3.
Several of my DD's friends even copied the idea and had Mall scavenger hunt parties through the following year! It took a lot of planning, but was LOTS of fun!

 

[pantherlj]

Well, since you mentioned special and grown up and that she doesn't have a ton of friends, one thought .... find a hotel in the area with an indoor pool (maybe something like an Embassy Suites) and let her invite her BFF. They can sleep in one room, you on the sofa bed. They can have fun swimming in the pool in the evening and/or the next day. And Embassy suites does a full cook to order breakfast at most places. Maybe room service for dinner, a movie on demand.

I found a no cancel rate for Embassy Suites recently for $100 (that's why I mentioned above LOL)

 

[Bren's Mom]

I started going to the spa with my mom when I was 13. Depending on your budget, that might be fun. Pick a nice day spa, make appointments for everyone for pedis or facials, the girls have fun in their robes, etc. And then go for a nice lunch or dinner.

 

[boltfan]

We just redecorated my daughter's room for her 13th birthday...only planned on spending $250, but actually spent $500. Did it in black and white with a Paris theme. She loved it. The other idea was to do a "spa" day. Take her and a couple of friends to get mani/pedi's. And as someone said before, the hotel room with pool is popular in our area for jr. high girls. The love staying overnight..makes them feel grown up!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We do parties though the age of 10, then at 13 we do the hotel sleepover/pool part and then a sweet 16. So far only DD15 has had the hotel party but iot was a huge success and her sisters can't wait for theirs. I got a suite at Homewood Suites, the weekend was cheaper then the weekdays, so I paid under $100. It included full breakfast. The room had 2 rooms, I slept in one and the girls in the other. We had pizza delivered to the pool, they swam most of the night, we made sundaes with 13 different toppings, they wathed a movie and then in the morning they swam again. It was a great party. She actually asked this year if she can do it again for her 16th instead of the bigger party, fine with me it was pretty cheap and very easy.

 

[trying2photo]

We are also in Kentucky and my daughter's birthday is in November so it is cold. One year we took her and some friends and to Embassy and then to a Japanese Hibacchi and the girls loved watching them prepare the food.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Oh yes, we did the hibacchi one year too, it was a big success too!

 

[zoemurr]

do you have a vacation near then? We rented a limo on a Wed morning and it was a cheaper weekday rate.. I think it was about $150. I ran around town the day before and left small packages. We stopped at DD first and got donuts and hot chocolate. Another small gift shop hid trinkets I purchased for them to find in the store, I left hair stuff at our hairdressers, chocolate roses at our grocery store, we went to the Dollar Tree and they each got $1 to spend on another girl (we drew names). Then he dropped us off at a restaurant where they had balloons ready at a table for us. I had them take a photo at each place. Depending on your budget they could stop and get their nails done, (my DD isn't very "girly") or you could end at a movie theater. My DD had her friends sleep over the night before.. bad idea 'cause they were pretty wasted. All the small shops I went to were happy to help me. I gave them rhyming clues to help them find where they needed to go.

Fun though.. and no clean up.

 

[Diabolicdesire]

I wish DD was done with the party thing, ugh. She turns 13 next month and had the idea she wanted a huge bash. Southwest was having their 39 dollar fare sale so I told her drop the elaborate party idea and we'll go to NYC. We have lots of family there so not as expensive as it sounds with the cheap fare and not having to pay for a hotel.

she did still want to do something with her friends so I told her she can invite 6 friends to have a movie night at one of our friends apartment complex theatre since they can reserve it for free. We are now up to 16 invited with 3 staying the night :sigh:

I guess I'm just a pushover, lol. Still not a major production since I just have to provide food and snacks.


Gift wise my daughter wants a new phone. Is dying to go to a spa. She wants a facial but that'll have to wait for Xmas. I've already picked up her gifts through out the last few months. She's getting Dancing with the Stars for Wii (got last Black FRiday) I got her some lotion and stuff from Bath and Body works(picked up during an awesome sale ) I'll make a cute basket with them and I had ordered her a name plate necklace off of EBay that I'm sure she'll love (she has an unusual spelling of her name so rarely gets anything with her name on it

 

[Diabolicdesire]

do you have a vacation near then? We rented a limo on a Wed morning and it was a cheaper weekday rate.. I think it was about $150. I ran around town the day before and left small packages. We stopped at DD first and got donuts and hot chocolate. Another small gift shop hid trinkets I purchased for them to find in the store, I left hair stuff at our hairdressers, chocolate roses at our grocery store, we went to the Dollar Tree and they each got $1 to spend on another girl (we drew names). Then he dropped us off at a restaurant where they had balloons ready at a table for us. I had them take a photo at each place. Depending on your budget they could stop and get their nails done, (my DD isn't very "girly" or you could end at a movie theater. My DD had her friends sleep over the night before.. bad idea 'cause they were pretty wasted. All the small shops I went to were happy to help me.

Fun though.. and no clean up.

Very cute idea!!!

 

[jacksmom]

My ds turned 13 last Feb and we took a long weekend trip to Charleston, SC! He loved being able to get away for his Bday and it was a great family trip! Lots of history learned easily! His favorite was a Ghost walk tour! He has already asked if we can go back for his birthday this year!