Birthday Parties

sschwege

I was talking to my neighbor a couple of days ago and she was saying how expensive birthday parties have become.  She says she has started doing birthday parties once every three years because it ends up costing so much, she said like $400.  It was kind of depressing to listen to her talk about it.  I mean when I was a kid, you invited a few neighbors over or close friends, played some games, ate some cake and that was it.  Is this just the way it is now?  You invite the entire class or at least all the girls/boys from the class?  Plus then you are getting invited to everyone else's birthdays right?  So then you have to purchase gifts for everyone.  How do people handle this?  DD won't be in school for at least another year, but I'm just thinking ahead.