1st bithday party for my little girl....?!
1st bithday party for my little girl....?
trying to decide what to fix....going crazy...of course she has a cake, put what to serve the parents and not break my bank?
Answers:
Just try some snack food. Chips and dip and other types of finger food. A birthday party is not about the food but celebrating the passing of a year and growing older. Don't stress to much this is supposed to be fun
Make a nice lasagna and salad, cake and ice cream. That is what I would do. Have a nice party!
Maybe just barbeque if the weather's still decent.
I make shredded chicken and/or sloppy joes. Easy to make and clean up. Put them in crock pots, serve chips, any kind of pasta salad, cubes of cheese. Drinks- pop, fruit juices, or make punch.
Have a 'serve yourself' set-up.
Just finger food,or have a potluck....
I had my daughters 1st birthday this past sunday. we had a BBQ with hotdogs and hamburgers, some pasta salad and our neighbors brought some chips and dip. and of course we had the cake and ice cream. Plus, I made a really easy punch that everyone enjoyed as well.
1 gallon of tropical punch koolaid, a big can of pineapple juice, a 2 litre bottle of lemon lime soda (sprite, 7-up, whatever your preference is) and threw in a carton of rainbow sherbet cut into chunks along with some ice. it made like 3 gallons of the stuff and there was none left when everyone went home.
Cheap And Easy Party Food - Throw A Great Party Without Spending A Fortune
Here are some ideas and suggestions to help you save money on food when throwing your party:
***Finger foods are fun
Small sandwiches, chips, dips, and vegetable trays are relatively inexpensive and you won't need to bother with place settings and bringing out your best china. Simply supply napkins and small paper plates and allow your guests to serve themselves from an assortment of bite size goodies.
***Back to basics
Fruit and cheese are excellent choices for casual party foods that don't require fancy place settings or dishes. Buy fresh fruit in season when you are likely to find certain varieties on sale and fill your table will a variety of cheeses, crackers, and perhaps olives and nuts.
***Go Italian
If your party will be a dinner party where fingers foods are not appropriate, you can try spaghetti with garlic bread and salad, or you could find a good deal on pizza that you can have delivered. You will save time and it is quite easy to find a bargain on different types of pizza.
***Thrifty Thirst Quenchers
For party beverages, two-liter soft drinks and bottled water are inexpensive and very easy to serve. Provide ice and cups and allow your guests to serve themselves. Tea and coffee are cheap as is lemonade that you make fresh or from concentrate.
Your party does not have to cost a lot of money to be a huge success. Look for sales on the foods and beverages you choose and plan ahead so you will have time to shop around be fore you buy.
good luck!
appetizers and finger foods
At my son's last party I just served pizza to everybody. It's one of those things that just about everybody (kids AND parents) likes and it's inexpensive. I usually make my own pizza dough from scratch, but for this party I went out and bought 3 of those Boboli shells. You know, those are a LOT better-tasting than they were a few years ago, for some reason. I put pizza sauce (from a can) on all of them, plain shredded mozzarella on one for the picky eaters, sliced pepperoni on another, and for the adults, sliced fresh (water-packed) mozzarella and topped it with shredded fresh basil right out of the oven for a really easy pizza Margherita.
It's not haute cuisine, but it tastes good and can be done without taking out a second mortgage! A big salad, cake, and you've got everybody fed and happy, and YOU won't be so stressed-out and cranky you can't enjoy the party.
For what it's worth (you didn't ask about this and I don't want to be presumptuous), I'd keep the party as small as you reasonably can. The party experience is brand-new to your 1-year-old, and 1-year-olds get overstimulated easily. You'll all have a better time, your 1-year-old included, if it's not a huge production. Have fun.
1.Spaghetti, french breach, salad with Ice tea.
2.Sam Club or Costco's Pizza
3.Chicken taco's, rice & beans
when i had my daughters birthday party i had a bbq with just burgers chips and macaroni salad and it worked out great and it didnt break the bank by having to rent a place to accomodate the group or have a potluck in a park or something
If you do not want to BBQ or cook, I would suggest catering. It is not as expensive as you may think. I went to our local grocery store and ordered the cake, fried chicken for 25, potato wedges and pasta salad for under $75. I also picked up 2 containers of Italian beef with some french bread rolls which added another $20. If you are looking for REALLY budget friendly, I would say chain store pizza for all. Easy and they deliver. Most of all, make sure your daughter enjoys her special day.
Make some spaghetti it's cheap and filling...or some pizza
Party Games
A bean bag toss game. You can usually find fabric to match your theme at your local fabric store and it really doesn't cost too much to make. I did this game for my son's party that had various aged kids. We had the party outside so I was able to use chalk to make the circles that the bags were tossed into. If you have to have your party inside you could make some circles with some yarn. For young kids you could line the circles up and have them toss into each one successively, or for older kids you could stagger the circles and require that they make a shot into each one. This game is so versatile depending on the age/skill level of the party attendants. You can adjust the rules it fit the situation. You can even adjust the size of the circles. I always give a prize just for playing when dealing with young kids.
Buy two-three little (toys) presents and wrap them up a good number of times. Also have music on hand. Then seat the kids in a circle and have them pass around the presents while the music's playing. When the music stops have that child rip open the present as much as he/she can before the music goes back on. Keep it going around the circle till the present is opened. Then whomever opens the present all the way gets that prise. It's really fun! It's nice when you have two presents going around at the same time. It's a little hard to explain but you get the picture. I know all the children I've played this game with love it and it's wonderful for b-day parties.
Have a simple BBQ.
Are you serving the little ones something else besides the cake? If not, just serve the BIG people cake & ice cream too! It also depends what time is this party? Are you having it at your house or a park? If it's at a park the BBQ idea is great, if it's at your house get pizza & a big salade! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ONE!!