PPP Day 11: Let's Talk Money

   

    This is a not-fun post, but it is really something that needs to be addressed before we go any further. Party planning is wonderful, as is throwing parties, but it is not a free hobby. I won't say I would never consider being a professional party planner, because I don't know the mind of God, but I will say this: you would have to pay me * a lot * to do something like this! I do it because I love the person-otherwise there have been some moments that I would have needed some serious cash incentives to carry on.

     I have learned everything by trial and error-and budgeting hasn't been any different. It isn't fun to talk money, but it can make or break a party. And I don't mean that you need to spend wads of cash! But you do have to have a plan, and there has to be some give and take. I have thrown many parties for people who aren't family (there have even been a few that I don't know that well) and it would frustrate my husband to no end if I spent thoughtlessly, since parties are a fairly regular occurrence in my life.

1. Set a target budget. Some things to consider are: Will you have to buy any new tools? (Things you can reuse but are more expensive like punches, dishes, etc.) How many people are you planning on? What parts of the party are you responsible for? Are you hosting solo, or are you only taking care of a part, like decor? Are you planning a meal, or just snacks?

     I usually am in charge of everything, except the food. If it is a smaller party, 5-8 people, I will plan on spending between $25-$40. If I was providing the food, I would bump that number up by at least $15, definitely more if I was planning a full meal. If it is a larger party, I will usually figure between $50-$100,for 10-20 people, although I am very grateful to have a sweet friend who works with me who basically splits the cost. That number doesn't include food, either. As the size of your party increases, you will have to increase your budget, obviously!

2. Find ways to cut costs. I will talk more about this later, too, but for now start to think about how you can save money. Can you borrow items? Can you use a coupon at a craft store, or wait until an item is on sale? Hobby Lobby is very consistent with their sales, so pay attention and it will be easy to know which weeks ribbon is 50% off, and which weeks its scrapbook paper! Can you ask someone else to be in charge of a certain part (favors, bringing food, party games) so that you can share some of the cost?

3. Decide on what elements of your party you are the most concerned with. Is it having fabric tablecloths? Is it using real dishes? Is there an item on Etsy you have had your eye on? Purchase those things first, but be willing to "cut corners" elsewhere. I suggest that you pick your top three items and work from there.

4. Make sure you allow yourself some wiggle room. Set your budget a little on the low side, so that if you find that "perfect" thing, you won't have to say "no" because you have already spent your wad. And if you don't find anything extra, you will have saved yourself a little cash! I would say, aim to spend 80% of your number- mine is usually a range, like above. If I am planning $25-$30, I will allow myself to go up to $35 without feeling guilty.

5. Don't tell yourself that a better party is directly tied to more money. You can have a fabulous party for $25, but you have to be smart about it! You also have to be willing to put forth a lot more time and effort than it would take to just buy everything.

6. Start your planning early. It will be much easier to watch for sales, and find good deals and thrifted items, if you have more than a week or so. Also, it will allow you more time to network, asking people to help out, or borrow items.

7. Don't stress! You can do this, no matter how much, or how little, you have to spend.

It will actually put your mind more at ease once you have decided what you are spending. If you need a better idea of what things will cost, go on a window-shopping trip. Scope out the cost of paper, and fabric, tableware and food. I have bought enough scrapbook paper, embroidery hoops and wreath forms that I have a pretty good idea, but if you don't do this often it will be worth your time to go on a fact-finding mission without committing to purchases. 


So make a list of your party elements (if you need a reminder, see my list here), put a number beside each item, add it all up, and you have a starting point budget. You can pat yourself on the back-one of the least fun party tasks (but one of the most important!) checked off!

This is Day 11 of "31 Days of Perfect Party Planning". See the rest of the posts here.

Linked up to "Thrifty Thursdays" at Living Well, Spending Less.

Fashion Finds

This is absolutely my favorite time of year to shop. From now until the end of January (even until the beginning of February for some stores) you can get some of the best deals on....well, on almost everything! I have written about my love for after Christmas sales before, but I thought it might be fun to share some of my actual deals.



I am unsure as to why anyone would pay full price for fleece at Old Navy. I purchased both the brown half-zip and the blue vest for $5 each. (I bought them on different days.) They both fall under my "if it costs less than lunch at McDonald's, it is worth it" rule. I figure I will eat lunch and it will be gone, so if I don't mind spending $5 on that, I shouldn't hesitate to buy clothes that I will get a so much more use out of! The flowered shirt underneath the vest is from the Lucky store at the outlet mall. It was originally $59 (I don't know anyone who would pay that) but I snagged it for $6.50! I was happy to find they matched each other- although it is hard to see how cute the shirt is in this photo.

I bought these two sweaters today. Dillard's was taking an extra 50% off their clearance. That made each of these sweaters $5! I thought that was a great deal, considering that they were each originally priced over $25. I am especially fond of the eggplant boyfriend cardigan. Purple is my favorite color and I am really liking that style. The cream one- another poor photo, I'm sorry!- is one of the swing style ones, and it will be cute with a long sleeved shirt underneath.

Charlotte Russe has become one of my favorite stores. I like that it is not quite so casual, and once things go on sale they have some of the best deals! I bought all the tops in the photo above (minus the oatmeal long sleeve tee- I layered that under the peach top) for $20. Each one was on sale for $5 and they sent me a coupon for $5 off (seriously consider joining the email lists of the stores you like, almost all of them send coupons, even if it is not frequently, so it is worth deleting all the junk emails that don't have them to get the good ones)-so I got two tanks, the purple 3/4 sleeve top, the paisley drawstring top and the peach embellished tee for $4 each! Their sizes are a little funny sometimes- the paisley shirt is an extra small- but if you are willing to try things on, you might find something you like for a price you will love!

Obviously, $5 has been my price point lately. I think getting 9 tops for $40 is a pretty good deal. I am also happy because I will be able to use the peach tee, purple top, cream sweater and tank tops almost year-round. That is a big selling point for me. I like to be able to layer (or un-layer) things to make extend their usability. Now, I am on the hunt for some new jeans, I am hoping I will be able to find some soon!

So what do you think? I have been toying with the idea of having some regular "features" to post about when spiritual inspiration isn't striking. Would you be interested in reading about my good deal finds, or more about fashion? Since I have such an abundance of readers I want to make sure I am appealing to everyone.:) If those things aren't your cup of tea, is there something else you would rather that I post about regularly? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheapskate Complaints

I don't consider myself to be overly frugal. I do think that I try to be a good money-manager, but I have a long way to go in that area. There will always be people who do a better job than I do; and always people who waste more than I do. I was over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and she posted on the differences between being "cheap" and "frugal". I do not take offense at the word cheap, and I like to consider many of my purchases to be frugal. However, she did point out that cheap means "stingy or miserly", so I guess if you go by actual definition, it is an insult. I tend to think of cheap as gaining something you paid less for than its actual value. That seems to be more the definition of "frugal". In that vein, the majority of the clothes I buy, and many other things, do qualify me as frugal. I will say, some of my pet peeves are cheap people. Some of my top "cheap" people gripes are:

1. People who collect Halloween candy for their infants (3 months or less). If you offer them candy and they accept it, that is one thing. But to ask for candy "for the baby" who won't even be able to eat it in 6 months is ridiculous! We aren't fooled, we know who will actually be consuming those treats.

2. People who don't chip in equitably for a gift, but want equal recognition. If everyone is giving $5 and you only give $2, that is wrong. Cough up the other $3-it won't break the bank, or don't give at all. On the other hand, don't expect money for common courtesies. If you are eating dinner in my home, don't demand that I reimburse you for the soda you brought. Think of it as a hostess gift.

3. Re-using gift bags until they are trashed. I routinely re-use gift bags. Especially baby shower ones! However, if a bag is wrinkled, torn or otherwise "used" looking, I pass. I have received several gifts in seriously used looking packaging. Why not just skip the gift wrap and add a bow? Try harder to keep it nice, or don't re-gift it.

4. People who manipulate the system. If you can use coupons and get something for free, terrific! But don't try to bend the rules (example: stacking coupons at stores where they do not do that). Also, people who would be irate if they were overcharged, but don't try to rectify it when they are undercharged. Be honest- many times I will tell a clerk that something I purchased cost more and they will just tell me not to worry about it. I have been honest and still received the lower cost.

5. People who use old carseats. If you are poor, I am sorry. You can get good deals on new carseats. I am not talking about dirty carseats, but the really old ones. I saw one the other day that had to have been at least 7 years old. That is not safe. Carseats have a 5 year expiration date for a reason: they are constantly updating the safety standard. And they wear out! Find a good used one from a friend, ask your church for help, get one from the hospital. I am sure they have charities for this type of thing. It is too important to not use caution!

6. People who lie or deceive to get a better deal. Don't say your 12 year old is 10, just so they can eat off the kids' menu. Don't pretend you have someone with you so you can get an extra free sample. Don't eat 3/4 of your meal and then claim there was a problem (when there wasn't) so you can get it for free. Ugh!

7. People who don't tip on a service for what is it worth versus what they paid for it. If I get my hair cut at the salon academy I tip on what I would normally pay for that kind of haircut ($30) instead of the $12 I am actually charged. I still get a good deal! Also, if you are at a restaurant and you split a meal, pay for a tip based on the cost of the whole meal-not just half. Your waiter had to do just as much work as for two meals, even though you ate less. You will still save money (and calories!).

Do you have any pet peeves about cheap people? I know I will think of more, but these are the ones that came to mind. Frugal is good; cheap, I guess, is just rude!

P.S. Due to an abnormal amount of spam, I've closed commenting on this post. Please leave some comment love on a different one if you are a real person. Thanks!

The Case for (After) Christmas (Deals)!

So, as everyone probably knows, much of what I know about being thrifty I learned from my mom. When I read this article today(see it here) it made me laugh out loud. It is all about shopping the after Christmas sales for more than just Christmas decor and gift wrap.My mom has been doing this for years! And it forgets to mention all the other things that will be on sale like, the special "two for one" or free sample sets of cleaning supplies, hand soap and razor sets that will be on sale. Especially if you have the patience to keep checking back after the new year. I have long purchased many health and beauty items at after Christmas sales. Last year I got Swiffer dusters for such a great deal that I paid to ship them home to myself and still saved money.

And the article's author really didn't give enough attention to the great prices on clothes this time of year. That has more to do with the fact that everyone is dragging out their spring attire, but here in good ol' CO we have at least three more months of winter-if not more! I have paid 97 cents for sweaters and shirts in the end of January. And still had plenty of time to wear them, not even considering that I will still be the same size next year! I don't even waste my time usually shopping when things are only 50% off.

This year, I have to agree with the article on this point, it looks like stores were more prudent with their stock. I don't know that I will have the success with 90% off like I did last year. We purchased an artificial tree for $1.92 then! I also got plain, red, green and even white bows at Hobby Lobby for 19 cents for three, too. Last week, I bought a few things there at half-off and it was slim pickings. However, I have to say that I am holding out, I already told Joel that if it isn't at least 75% off then we won't buy it... and I am thinking I am not the only one!

All this to say, if you have only been shopping the after Christmas sales for gift wrap with snowmen on it, tree lights and ornaments, then you are missing out on some of the best deals out there. January is the best time of year for many things, clothes, toys, household supplies, paper goods, and health and beauty items. So get out of the seasonal item aisle and grab some deals! Thanks for the good advice, mom.:)

Lent Came a Little Late This Year

So, I realized that I had a little shopping problem. My answer: a fast. I know, it seems kind of funny to fast buying clothes but I wanted something kind of dramatic. I think I have the cutest kids ever, so of course, they deserve the cutest clothes. Well, they don't have to have quite so many. My sister is always so generous to hand down all her daughter's things to Josie. Carson has picked up things from Gideyon and Mark both. And of course, Grammy adds to the supply! So it is not like they ever "need" anything (besides shoes, which they both outgrow at an alarming rate!). Also, I have a tendency to "reward" myself by buying new things for me. So, I decided, before it turned into a clinical dilemma to do something about it. Hence, the clothes fast. For the last 2 1/2 weeks I haven't purchased one item of clothing. Not a shirt, pair of pants, jacket, dress, not even a sock! It has been good. It has helped me to realize that we have more than enough. It has helped me to be a little more creative with my own wardrobe. I was especially tempted weekend before last because I was attending PWOC conference and I love to have a reason to get something new! I am sure I personally could make use of some new things, since I only have two pairs of jeans that look decent. But, it is making me realize that I use the word "need" far too loosely! The kids, of course, are doing just fine. Carson has no snowpants, but thankfully it hasn't really snowed. Jocelyn, if she stayed the same size, would be fine for a few more years. (Okay, okay, so she is so much more fun to shop for than Carson! Matching hairthings, cute dresses, fun colors...)

Anyway, I still have another week and some to go. My fast officially ends on Friday, November 13th. But, already it has taught me something important. Just because it is a "steal", and trust me thanks to my mom's fine tutelage I find plenty of those, doesn't mean I have to purchase it. Sometimes it is better to make use of what you already have and be thankful that the Lord is so gracious.It feels good to "just say no!" sometimes. Trust me, my budget has certainly appreciated the reprieve...