Early Planning

So it's after Christmas and now I am in full party planning mode. I have one birthday in January, one in March and two in May to plan for. So it's one party after another for me, the next few months. My first party will be a Under the Sea party for my 9 year old. I have found that the earlier start planning the more money you can save. I usually at least set a theme about 6 months or more before the actual party. I am lucky enough that my children do not change their minds about the party they want. The reason I do this is because it gives me time to look for the best deal for things and collect things as I find them. For example, I knew I would need Swedish fish for my Under the Sea party. When I found a Buy One Get One Free coupon, I was able to buy them at a discounted price. Also the party store was clearancing out Under the Sea products several months back and I picked those up at discounted prices to store until I needed them. Plus, my March party will be a treasure hunting party and I picked up some Reeces Peanut butter cups (which has gold wrapping) for my treasure for only $1.50 a bag. Not only am I saving money on my party supplies, but I am not forced to buy all at once, spreading out the expense. In my case this does mean I am "planning" several parties at once. This may sound overwhelming, but I am not planning all the details at once, just a basic theme. When I find something at a good price that will go with the theme, I get it then I work it in during the party planning process. I will be posting more details on my parties along with pictures after we have them.