Have a teenager that wants to spend their birthday at the mall? We'll help you make it happen! Having a mall party doesn't have to cost you an absolute fortune. By using our guide, you'll give your birthday girl or boy the best day possible without burning a huge hole in your wallet.
Let's Go to the Mall!
Have your child pick two or three special friends for this party. Pick all the partygoers up, and drive them to their favorite mall. Give each partygoer an amount of money you're comfortable with, and set them free in the mall for two hours to shop and hang out. Have everyone meet back up at the food court for lunch, or go to a restaurant near the mall. If you want this to be a full-day event, you can take everyone to see a movie of your guest of honor's choosing after the shopping and eating is done.
Set a Comfortable Budget
You're probably worried about spending more than you can afford on this sort of birthday outing! Fortunately, you can set a reasonable budget for yourself while still allowing your child and their friends to have fun. If you want to manage your budget, give the guest of honor a little more money than their friends. It's understandable that the birthday girl or boy would have a little more cash to spend than the guests. For example, you could give your birthday kid $50, and their friends $35 or $40 each. This allows everyone to buy something without breaking your wallet.
For lunch, expect to spend a chunk of cash for everyone. If you want to keep it less expensive, stick to the food court. This should help you keep the total cost under $100. For the movies, reduce the cost by buying a large bucket of popcorn for everyone to share.
If you're operating on a very tight budget, ask your child's friends to pay for their own movie ticket or their own lunch. Of course, the birthday girl or boy shouldn't have to pay for anything! By having their friends pay for their own food or movie, you'll give yourself a better ability to give them money for shopping. Alternatively, forego giving your child's friends any money for the mall and have them pay for their own items. If you go this route, you should still pay for either their food or their movie ticket. Avoid having your child's friends pay for everything!