This is really important though. It is, I promise. You don’t want to have to pull out the credit card out on your wedding day because you spent caterer money on knickknacks for the tables.

So how do you stick to a Budget?

1. Post it! At the tippity top of binder page one, or smack in the middle of your kitchen cork board, or where ever it is that you’re looking all the time when planning this event, should be that big ol’ final number. Write down that max number that you can spend and put it in bold. When you buy something, subtract it from that number and post in bold the remainder. When you see that number dwindling quickly, you’ll think a little more carefully where you’re spending your money.
2. Prioritize! This is really 1a. Think about what is really important to you, and spend the money there. Be careful though, because if your most important thing is having Rock Biscuit play your party (British 80’s hair band who loves cookies), but their fee eats up 75% of your total budget, you might have to think again. You still need someplace for Rock Biscuit to play.
3. Don’t Nickle Dime Yourself! It’s really easy to buy 6 vases because they’re exactly what you imagined and they’re only $7 each, but really you need 14 of them and maybe they’ll get more in next week and… (fill in your justifications here). Have a plan when buying things. Don’t buy them unless they have enough. Don’t buy 200 little favors at $4 each (forgetting that that is $800 before tax and shipping!) before you think about what the caterer will cost.
4. Pick a theme and stick to it! People often get stuck in a whirl wind of ideas. There are so many ideas, colors, DIY projects, magazines! It is easy to start buying stuff before you really have your ideas whittled down to one clear core figurine (weird image? I don’t know, it makes sense to me.).
5. Don’t fret, Be patient. It’ll still be there next week (whatever it is) or something better will be right in its place. Sometime you buy something because its kinda pretty and kinda what you’re thinking of, but you better get it now because what if it isn’t there when you decide it is perfect? Don’t worry. Here is more than enough stuff out there that you can find the perfect thing. And spend money where it will really count.

 Have you purchased anything extravagant or silly? Are you glad you did it?

It’s the thing that no one wants to talk about or think about, yet it’s the most important thing when planning any event. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a Holiday party, a wedding, or a birthday party for your five year old. The first thing you need to do is set a budget.

I know this sounds harsh, and way to business-y for something that is supposed to be fun. The truth is, though, spending more money than you mean to is a great way to just ruin any chance you might have at fun! Likewise, the best way to actually have a good time at the event you’ve spent so much time planning is to budget (oh yeah, and stick to it!).

So sit down with a calculator and start making some lists. What scale of event is this? How much money do you have to spend/ do you envision spending? How much are you willing to spend per person? For a five year old’s birthday, this might be $5 per person. For your ninety year old grandmother, the number might be higher! Regardless, be realistic. You may want a clown and a pony (Memaw ALWAYS wanted to ride a pony!) but if it’s between the pony and food, get the food!

What some tips on how to set a budget? Well, here you go!

• Do some research. Especially regarding weddings, but for all events, I find that people are really surprised at what professional photography costs, or what a catered event costs. Know the market for what you’re looking for. This is getting easier and easier with the internet. All kinds of companies can shoot you a quick quote so you know what you’re dealing with.
• Expect to pay for what you’re getting. It’s great if somewhere down the road, your buddy decides to gift you a wedding cake, but do you have any idea how hard those guys are to make? SUPER HARD! And it’s easy to forget the cost of someone’s time, when you aren’t the someone. Even your friends need to get paid. Maybe their mema is turning 90 and they have a party to plan!
• Don’t Do it Yourself! At least in the planning stages and UNLESS the party is at your house AND you’re used to hosting big parties AND it IS NOT YOUR WEDDING, do not, I repeat, DO NOT plan to do large chunks of your event yourself. Cooking, transporting, serving, heating, organizing, and cleaning up for 200 is a big big job. Formatting, buying the paper, printing, and mailing 250 invitations is a lot of work and can sometimes end up being more expensive than leaving it to someone who actually does that for a living. Plan on paying for it, and then if you do decide to, say, print the programs yourself, or make the favors, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the savings!

So, long story short, set a realistic number and stick to it!

Want even more great tips on creating a budget? Contact me at amandar@pourkids.com!

Next time…. Actually sticking to a budget!