At 8:30 last Saturday night, five girls in pajamas and matching fuzzy socks were lined up inside our front door watching for headlights, while Harper stood on the arm of the couch holding a peppermint stick like a microphone and declared it "the best party in the history of this house." The total bill for that sentence was $139.
Harper turned 11 on January 8, a Thursday. That was an office day for me and also, it happens, my two-year anniversary at the company, so we kept the actual birthday small: breakfast for dinner, her pick, and presents at the kitchen table. The party waited until Saturday, January 17. The rules were the same ones we use every year: at home, a short guest list and a budget, which this year was $150.
Why a pajama party and not a sleepover
Harper asked for a sleepover. We said no to the sleeping part. Our house is 1,480 square feet with one and a half bathrooms, and Ben and I both remember what we were like at 11 at two in the morning. So we offered a pajama party instead: everyone arrives in pajamas at 4, the party ends at 8:30 and everyone sleeps in her own bed. Harper countered with 9. We settled on 8:30, and she told her friends it was "basically a sleepover without the sleeping," which is accurate.
Six girls total, Harper plus five friends. That's the number our living room floor can hold under blankets, and the number of pizzas our oven can handle in two rounds.
The schedule
- 4:00: Arrivals, in pajamas. Fuzzy socks handed out at the door.
- 4:30: Sleep-mask decorating at the dining table.
- 5:30: Make-your-own mini pizzas on naan. Ben ran the oven.
- 6:30: A movie in the living room on every blanket we own, with popcorn.
- 7:45: Cake, candles and the song.
- 8:00: Hot chocolate bar.
- 8:30: Pickup.
The budget, line by line
| Item | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter-sheet cake, decorated | Publix bakery | $34 |
| Mini pizza supplies (naan, sauce, cheese, pepperoni) | Aldi | $22 |
| Popcorn and toppings | Aldi | $11 |
| Hot chocolate bar (cocoa, marshmallows, whipped cream, peppermint sticks) | Kroger | $14 |
| Fuzzy socks, six pairs | Target | $24 |
| Sleep-mask craft kit | Amazon | $13 |
| Balloons, plates and napkins | Walmart | $12 |
| Fruit and juice | Walmart | $9 |
| Total | $139 |
A few notes on the numbers. The cake had purple frosting and "Happy 11th Harper" in script. I ordered it on Tuesday and picked it up Saturday morning. A homemade cake might have saved $20, and it would have cost me a weeknight I didn't have. The socks were the best $24 we spent: party favor, costume and conversation piece in one. I skipped themed paper goods, which would have doubled the plates line for decorations nobody looks at after the first ten minutes.
The party money came out of the sinking fund we started in September, which has a line for Harper's birthday. Her present came out of the same line and isn't in this total. Between the sinking fund and the $150 cap, I didn't have to think about any of this in the January budget, which already has enough going on.
What she liked best
We asked at breakfast on Sunday, and she ranked it, because of course she did:
- The hot chocolate bar, specifically the peppermint sticks.
- The socks, which she has worn every day since.
- The pizzas, "because everyone made theirs weird."
- The movie.
- The cake, "which was good, but cake is always good."
The sleep masks came in sixth. One of them is now on Moose's bed, where he has been chewing the sequins off one at a time.
Ben's review was shorter. "Six girls, eleven pizzas, no smoke alarm," he said. "I'd call that a win." I'd add that we came in $11 under budget and Harper was asleep by 9:15. For a party at home in the middle of January, that's about as good as it gets.
