Disclosure: I am part of the BJ’s Wholesale Club Blogger Ambassador program. The following is a sponsored post. Although I was supplied products and/or compensated for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only recommend products or services I believe in, and use myself.
I have a confession.
I hate planning birthday parties.
Coming up with a clever theme, all the researching, organizing, Pinterest-ing and the feelings of inadequacy that brings! Then all the shopping, baking, goody bag making… it’s all too much for a lazy mom like me. I’d rather spend my time with the girls doing fun things like exploring the many Charlotte area festivals and events!
Not to mention I’m cheap! I know it’s less work, but I don’t want to spend the money to have a party outside of our home… $500 for an hour of jumping and 40 minutes to eat pizza and cake? No thank you.
We have our wedding anniversary and five birthdays that occur over a six-week period during the summer. In the past three years I haven’t managed to organize ONE party for my kids! So this year I PROMISED we would do one big party in August.
August was a complicated month for us and it swooshed by without a party in sight. At the beginning of September my 8 year old asked me when we were going to have the party and I said “Oh, we will plan something this month.”
Well, we were nearing the end of the month and I hadn’t made any headway on organizing a party. I began to feel very guilty so last weekend I agreed to throw a last minute party for my 8, 11 and 15 year old the following Saturday.
Nothing happened on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday because, as usual, life got in the way. Thursday morning came around and I started to panic. The girls had already invited their friends so it was too late to change my mind!
Then I remembered the Perfect Parties brochure I picked up the last time I was at BJ’s Wholesale Club deli department.
BJ’s makes it convenient to order deli platters, cookie assortments and custom-order cakes made exactly to your specifications. Browse through BJ’s Party Planning brochure, then fill out an order form in-Club — or download one to print and fill out at home — then, simply drop it into the kiosk at your local club. Your order can be ready for pick-up in as little as 24 hours!
I made a quick trip to BJ’s and stopped over at the bakery to fill out the Custom Cake order form (BJ’s offers hundreds of options for cake decorations, including incorporating your own photos, and there is never an extra charge for the customization or cake kits!).
Then I hopped over to the deli department to order the Classic Cheese Tray and Wellsley Farms® Entertainment Platter. (They also offer wings, meatballs, lasagna, and chicken Parmesan, among other items.) The order forms couldn’t be easier to fill out and I was in and out of BJ’s in less than 15 minutes… it would have only taken me 5 minutes, but of course I needed to pick up a few things on the way out.
I scheduled my order to be ready at 10 AM on Sunday (and it was!), which gave me plenty of time to grab the other party items I needed and get home to set up before everyone arrived at 3 PM. I picked up a veggie tray, rolls, crackers, chips, dip, popcorn, soda, water, and candy for the goody bags, plus a helium baloon kit, cups, plates and napkins. By using BJ’s monthly member coupon book and STACKING the in-store coupons with manufacturer’s coupons I saved over $45 on my order! (You can also print out coupons from their website!) I was in and out of the store in less than an hour with enough food to feed an army of hungry kids.
Using some supplies I had left over from a movie premiere party and a little creativity, I planned and executed a fabulous party in just 72 hours with NO SNAFUS! And you can, too!
Here’s my easy-to-follow plan to help make your next party simple and stress free:
The Lazy Mom’s Guide to Party Planning
Step 1: Decide on a date and invite people to the party
Step 2: Order party food at BJ’s Wholesale Club
Step 3: Get your kids to clean the house (good luck with that one)
Step 4: Pick up food and supplies at BJ’s and set up for the party
Step 5: Enjoy your party
Looking for more tips on how to throw a FUN party for multiple age groups? Check back next week for all the details!
Disclosure: I am part of the BJ’s Wholesale Club Blogger Ambassador program. The following is a sponsored post. Although I was supplied products and/or compensated for writing this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only recommend products or services I believe in, and use myself.
Bakery and deli departments are definitely a lifesaver when it comes to parties! It looks like you did a great job with the party in a short amount of time! 🙂
Oh my goodness, I love it! Party planning is so stressful, I need to see if there’s a BJ’s near me!
Looks like fun! I just had my baby’s first bday party last week!
Our daughter’s first bday party was SO stressful, these are great tips to make her 2nd easier!
These are great tips for less stress.
Looks like a fun party!
My kind of party! Great tips
The popcorn machine is too cute! And I love how you can get everything you need in one trip at BJ’s – – If only I could use these tips and apply them to my own parties, but this mom is famous for taking on way too much work when it comes to planning a party, haha!
I love BJ’s too. I just went and got some party supplies. I love that you can get everything you need there and at a good price.
I confess…hosting and entertain stress me out! I’m not good at it and I don’t enjoy doing it. However, sometimes it just has to be done, and this is a great way to plan a party! Thank you for sharing.