Warning – Shouty, whingey alert!
If your child comes home with an invite to a party (assuming they haven’t lost it in the deep dark depths of their book bags), what do you do?
Me, because I like to think I’m a nice, courteous kind of person, I reply to say ‘yes thanks we’d love to come’ or ‘no thank you, we can’t make it’. I would then add it in to my phone as a reminder because I do have a history of forgetting parties until about five minutes before!
Not everyone would do the same though.
Last week was Miss Frugal’s birthday party and we invited 40 children (don’t ask), up until the Friday before the party weekend we had 1o replies. By the end of the Saturday we had another 5 and on the morning of the party another 2 replied.
So out of 40 people who’d been invited, only 17 people replied. So, to make sure that we had enough food for everyone who *might* turn up, I ended up catering for 40. I even made 40 party bags because I was worried that people might turn up and we’d run out!
On the day of the party, after much hair curling, nail painting, perfume spritzing and general primping, we carted the food and party bags along to the room we were using at the local Sports club. We got everything set up and waited to see how many people were going to turn up.
Out of the 40 invited, around 30 turned up, which was a great number and certainly more than enough people for Miss Frugal to have a fantastic party. But…. That means that 13 people came who never said they were coming and another 10 people didn’t come and didn’t let me know that their child wasn’t coming.
It would have taken them about 30 seconds and saved me both time and money!
Is it just me?
*Breathes a sigh of relief and feels better to get that out*
Michelle says
Just found your blog today, really enjoying it. My son had a Halloween party yesterday at our house a few people didn't reply until a couple of days before, one person didn't reply but turned up, one person didnt turn up, people turned up with siblings, and one person contacted me the day before saying they would let me know I replied that as I hadn't heard from them I let my son invite someone else! What is the matter with people it's just rude, made planning food, party bags and pass the parcel hard work, it wasn't even my sons birthday so no present was needed, it's his birthday soon and he wants to go to soft play, I will have to pay in advanced so might not even invite the unreliable ones.
Working Mum says
Not just you, I've blogged about this lack of manners before. I put my home phone, mobile phone and e-mail address on the invitations plus a please reply by DATE and still end up hounding people two days before the party to get a reply from them. Just bad manners.
Cass@FrugalFamily says
It is bad manners and you've given even more information than I did. I wouldn't care but it felt like my hand was going to fall off writing them all out!
PhotoPuddle says
Argh, thanks for the reminder, I do have an invitation to RSVP to. It's party season at the moment round here.
Cass@FrugalFamily says
same here – at least one a weekend this month!
Jacky Hills says
i had the same, ended up chasing parents around the play ground to try and find out who was coming, luckily i had far fewer to chase thsan you would have….its just rude isnt it!
Cass@FrugalFamily says
It is rude and I would never do it to someone. I may add a strongly worded request to the bottom of next years invites lol
Spicers1976 says
Nope it's not just you. It's so frustrating when people don't reply. I think it's good manners to answer personally. I do the same as you, a quick text to say yes or no and then a reminder in the phone and on the calendar.
Cass@FrugalFamily says
I think we're in the minority 😉