Retail Bootcamp is a series that will teach you step-by-step basics to saving money on Retail for yourself, home, gifts, holidays, etc...
In March we've been talking about ways to save money on Birthdays Parties: Birthday Gifts and Paper Products / Decorations / Invitations / Thank You's. Today we'll be talking about how to save on Cakes & Food.
Plan ahead. Buy food when it's at rock bottom prices and use coupons. You can find coupons in your Sunday newspaper inserts or on websites like Coupons.com. Some of my favorite websites I follow for learning about matching up sales, coupon and deals for all my Grocery needs are
Becentsable and
Money Saving Mom. These sites can help you cut your grocery budget drastically. (
Becentsable also has an online Coupon Workshop.)
Don't feel like you have to feed everyone. Have a party mid-morning or early evening, indicating on your invitation that Cake & Ice Cream will be provided. Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves for some big event. Trust me, the kids won't remember! If nothing else, just do small homemade snacks that will keep you in your budget.
When it comes to the Cake, you can save money several different ways:
- Make your own. Again, use coupons for all your supplies. Don't worry if it's super fancy. Just ice it and embellish with toys or trinkets. (I'll never forget when my daughter told her cousin one year in amazement, "Look what my mommy made for me!" A priceless memory.)
- Rent or swap cake pans with friends. We have a local store that will let you rent a molded cake pan. It's an easy way to find new ideas. I've used the same cake pan to make a football cake, surfboard, and the base to a sale boat.
- Sam's Club and Costco usually have 1/2 sheet cakes for around $15. They're huge and freeze well.
- Buy a plain cake and embellish it.
- Call a bakery and ask if they have any "mistake" cakes or one that wasn't picked up. Perhaps they'd sell it at a discount.
- Use Cupcakes, instead of a cake. Last year, we had a Cupcake Birthday party. Each child got to decorate their own cupcake. It was a huge hit.
CHALLENGE
Be creative and don't put so much pressure on yourself for the "perfect" party. Plan ahead and watch for sales and coupons. Stock up when you can. Think ahead about themes and cakes so you don't spend a lot of money last minute.
REMINDER
Check back
every Thursday afternoon for our
Retail Round Up, which is a huge list of printable mall and store coupons you'll need for your weekend shopping! BTW - Have you checked out our new
"Retail 101" ebook?
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