frugal & festive parties!
It’s hard to pick a favorite, but my daughter loved last year’s “Amazing
Race” birthday party in Sugar Land Town Square…perfect for a pre-teen!
Here’s a quick “how-to-do”:
* Choose a pedestrian friendly shopping center like a town square or a mall.
* When each child arrives at the party, they will reach into a hat to find
out which team they are on. We had 2 teams of 4, so my husband and I could
each chaperone a team.
* My two teenage boys sat in a central location and gave out the
“challenges”. Each team had to return to this central location, prove they
had completed the challenge, and then they would receive the next
challenge. We made sure that each team received the challenges in a
different order, so it was impossible to tell which team was in the lead
until the very end! The first team to complete all the challenges wins!
Now…you’ll have to tailor your challenges to your shopping center, but
I’ve given you the ones I came up with just to get your creative juices
flowing!
#1.
The invitation itself was worded like a challenge…
Meet at the birthday girls’ house at 1600 hours, 3 days after April Fools’
Day. It will be an amazing party with an optional sleepover ending at 1000
hours on Sunday. Required gear: comfy shoes for the race + sleeping bag &
pillow for the sleepover.
#2.
* Put the party hats on.
* Find a stranger & give them a hat
* Sing “Happy Birthday to Ashley Kate” with the stranger!
* Have your leader record it.
* Note: The party hats were included in the challenge envelope.
#3.
* Count the number of chairs outside of Starbucks.
#4.
* Go to Japaneiros restaurant & order one of the following: ika frita
(fried squid), chuka (seaweed salad) or kappamaki (cucumber roll).
* Split it 4 ways & eat every bite!
* Note: The challenge envelope had enough money to cover the cost of the
food.
#5.
* Go to Jamba Juice & order a double shot of wheatgrass, split between 4
tiny cups
* Drink up!
* Note: The challenge envelope had enough money to cover the cost of the
food.
#6.
* Go to Sweet & Sassy and each person on your team must get a free glitter
star on the tip of their nose.
#7.
* Buy something with a smiley face on it that costs less than $2.
* Note: The challenge envelope included $2.
#8.
* Choose one member of your team to put a blindfold on and reach into the
“special bowl” to get out exactly $2. (This was a bowl full of cold
spaghetti and change!)
* Use the $2 to buy an edible Easter treat for me!
#9.
* Go to Fuzzywigs & pick out your 3 favorite colors of M & M’s.
* Use 3 separate bags & buy exactly $1 worth (before tax) of each color.
* Don’t eat the candy.
* Make sure to bring back the receipt.
* Note: The challenge envelope included enough money to cover the cost of
the M & M’s.
#10.
* It’s party favor time!
* Go spend $20 on party favors for the other team.
* Remember, there are 4 people on the team.
* Note: The challenge envelope included $20.
#11.
* Find a store that will give you a free sample.
* You must bring the sample back to me!
#12.
* Unscramble this word: OSIWEOZS
* Now…go to that store & come back and tell me what color the door knobs are.
#13.
* Walk up the stairs to the top of the city parking garage & shout “Happy
Birthday Ashley Kate” when you reach the top. I must be able to hear you!
#14.
* Put on the silly glasses & go ask a store clerk to give you a big
shopping bag.
* Note: 4 pairs of silly glasses were included in the envelope with this
challenge.
#15.
* Find a red telephone booth & have your leader take a picture of your
group next to it.
* Note: Make sure each team chaperone has a camera or cell phone camera.
#16.
* Find the following words: Imperial Sugar, Houston, New York City
somewhere in Town Square.
* Take a picture of each word.
The team that finished these 16 challenges first won a prize. Next, we
returned home for pizza and a couple more challenges!
#1.
* Use the M & M’s that you bought earlier + the items in the basket to
decorate a birthday cake. We’ll vote for the best looking cake, and then
we’ll sing Happy Birthday to Ashley Kate and enjoy both cakes…yummy!
#2.
* This challenge is not a team challenge…it’s for anyone who wants to give
it a try.
* Find the piece of bubble gum hiding in the pile of whipped cream on your
plate. Once you find the bubble gum…be the first one to blow a bubble!
P.S. – your hands must stay behind your back!
* Note: We had a small prize for the winner.
~~~
This party requires a lot of advanced preparation, but I promise it’s FUN,
FRUGAL (about $100 including prizes, food & favors), and FESTIVE!
by: Kristl, http://www.TheBudgetDiet.com
The Budget Diet is a diet for your wallet…not your waistline! You'll
discover new money saving tips everyday to help you slim down your daily
spending! The Budget Diet girl Is not a financial planner or an
accountant…just a mom that knows how to live the good life on a budget!
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