Happy Birthday! I have been selected to lead the Employee Birthday festivities at my company. This is so my thing. I was so excited until I realized all it entails. The first celebration came and I was so unorganized. I spent way too much money from our budget and knew that I could not do this for every person or our fund would be empty halfway through the year.
I wanted to make each birthday personalized and special for each employee without breaking the bank. What I decided to was to select only one or two packages of plates, napkins and cups in a theme that represented the employee. Then I bought in bulk a variety of solid color plates, napkins, cups and flatware. I bought enough to be used for about 4 different birthdays and just stored them away.
I also went to the local dollar store and bought some large plastic serving platters. I just keep reusing them time after time. I also picked up a couple of birthday party banners and other reusable cubicle decorations. To add a special personalized touch, I get a couple of balloons in the party theme.
We go with all white cake plates & cocktail napkins and get a brightly colored birthday themed paper cloth for the cake table. We get a large sheetcake , with the name/names of the birthday people iced on. Our budget is tight so we can’t spring for decorations, just a great cake. Yum.
You are so right to buy in bulk for the year. We get all our paper goods from a restaurant supply place and also picked up some plastic platters that look like crystal there. It saves a lot of money. You might need your company I.D. to shop at one of those places.
We have at least five different birthdays a month so we’ve simplified. In the middle of the month we have one birthday celebration for everyone. Each person gets a balloon for the cubicle. We serve cupcakes & cookies in the lunchroom which we decorate with streamers. Very economical.
Luckily everyone on my team is very reliable so we all just bring in one item – one person covers paper goods, another brings cake, veggies, etc. We reuse the decorations and pass around a card for everyone to sign. The key to this is having coworkers who do remember to come through with their promised supplies though!
Make a list before you start shopping, and go to a club store or a party goods warehouse for supplies & decorations in bulk. It’s only paper. Save your money for the cake, chips & dips, etc.
We do a rotation for who handles each birthday. It is easy that way and then one person isn’t responsible for putting them all together. We have about 25 people to account for so it is a lot to put on one employee.
Thanks for suggesting getting the theme paper goods in small quantities, the basic colors in bulk. We always seem to spend too much on the fancy stuff that gets thrown away after it’s used!
Love your Snoopy! You’re right about getting organized before you start to do things. A list and a budget are vital. If your office is small, consider getting a dozen real cake plates and washing them afterwards. Save a tiny tree-
I finally just bought all the paper goods and utensils in bulk at Costco one day. Should keep us covered for a few months as long as people don’t keep stealing them for their lunches!! I love baking so I always wind up using office birthdays as my chance to utilize my skills.
You’re going to go crazy trying to personalize each birthday celebration for your co-workers. It’s not like a kid’s party, with Superheroes and Princesses. Just stay with the balloons and solid color plates & napkins. And yes, always buy in bulk.
I love balloons and keep them up all week in my cubicle. Makes my birthday last a little longer. You should definitely organize the dates with a list of what you need and buying a huge amount of paper goods all at once makes sense. Less shopping to do!
Did you think of party lights for the birthday person’s cubicle? We have a few sets of lights that make the rounds for birthdays; red chili peppers, green cactus, and yellow happy faces.
It’s odd to read about birthday decorations and preparations. My boss, a dentist, doesn’t allow us to decorate. We do celebrate with a birthday cake that she treats us to during lunch hour while the office is closed.
Birthdays are a joy where I work. We sing Happy Birthday, take a group picture for our monthly newsletter, and feast on cupcakes & brownies. We don’t decorate but go all out on the treats!
You’re trying to personalize each birthday and that’s nice, but you’re going to burn out before the year is up. And then how will you top it next year? Stick to generic birthday paper goods & decorations.
We all chip in for cake & cookies but we don’t decorate. We have colorful plates & napkins, but no balloons or streamers. We’d rather spend on the cake.
Lucky for us the boss keeps supplies paper plates and napkins all year but we do need to get plastic utensils and anything else we need for parties. The only decoration we get is a helium balloon with lots of ribbons & curly streamers and tie it to the birthday girl’s chair.
Don’t overthink this. It’s not a kid’s party so you don’t need all the decorations, themed paper plates, etc. It makes the office look messy and unprofessional. If you have to have a party , confine it to the lunchroom, please.
I love our birthday parties at work. We have one once a month, with cards, balloons and lots of cupcakes, chips, etc. Get lots of colorful plates & napkins to keep on hand like we do. It creates good vibes, especially in the cold winter months.
It’s great you took on the task of setting up for birthdays. A lot of us have moved for work, we’re single, and the office birthday party is the only one we’ll have. Kudos to you for making yours fun.
I agree with you getting some birthday themed stuff and then a lot more of other paper needs in bulk.
Maybe you could get an additional discount if you purchased holiday themed decorations along with the birthday. We like to put up miniature flags for every national holiday.
To be both resourceful and dollar-conscious if quite noteworthy on your part. Congratulations!
Dunkin Donuts is our go to for celebrations. Box of Joe, box of donuts, done! It is easy, affordable and everyone enjoys it.
It is very considerate that you personalize to each employee. I try my best, but we have a big team and it can be tough to keep track. Sometimes I will just pick up a small cupcake or dessert specifically for that person and then just buy some chips or cookies for the bigger crowd.
I love decorating desks for birthdays. I keep a box of supplies on hand that we reuse as much as we can. You really can find great stuff at the dollar store.
I recently was handed the duty of party planner. The last one retired and did a great job. I have big shoes to fill.
I just send out an email to my coworkers a few days in advance and everyone brings what they can afford. We always keep a large supply of the plates and utensils and we have more than enugh food even if some people don’t participate.
Buying in bulk is the way to go- you save so much money and time.
I think buying a variety of colorful plates & napkins in bulk is the best idea. Very economical.We’re not kids, we don’t need themed plates, etc. for our birthdays. The cupcakes should be special. I’m all about the cake.
Paper decorations are getting expensive. I think I’d rather spend more money on the food and just have white plates. You could always get a balloon too, but no banners or lights.
One of my coworkers keeps a list of what everyone orders from Starbucks. he comes in with their usual drink for their birthday.
So you buy plates in a theme *and* solid colors to mix? For my office we like to spend a bulk of the budget on the food/drinks! We just buy bunch of bright, solid color supplies (paper products and decorations) and add a banner with the person’s name. The theme is always “great food” haha I am stealing the reusable platters idea — such a money-saver! It’s always a special day when there’s a little party to celebrate!
I like Doug’s idea about the string of lights for birthday decorations. Reusable, and not as expensive as getting balloons each time.
We get to have birthday cake in our break room, but no decorations allowed in the law office itself. The paper plates and napkins are cocktail size and birthday themed, so we don’t mind spending a little extra to jazz up the party.
Except for the month of June there’s a birthday every month in the office. We learned a while ago that buying all our paper goods and plastic ware for the year at the discount store made financial sense.
Remember, if you have helium-filled balloons at the office party or at any party, please don’t celebrate by releasing them in the parking lot after work. They are bad for the environment.
In my office we do a dinner each month to celebrate all the birthdays for the month (if there are any). It is really nice to get out and bond a bit.
We finally got some storage containers for leftover food too. There is always an abundance and we wrap it up for the next day so plastic containers were much better than going through tons of foil.
Our office usually does doughnuts instead of cake because we don’t have time to throw parties. More budget for sweets!
There is a whole supply drawer just for birthdays and celebrations. Paper goods, decorations, etc. Comes in handy and we continually replenish.
It is nice that your office goes out of their way to celebrate. At my office you only know it is someone’s birthday if they bring in their own goodies!
Love birthdays at work! A cupcakes & brownies are the best. Once a month we celebrate with all red paper plates that we get by the hundreds at a discount. We use them for the holidays as well.
Celebrating is the best!
Great ideas in the comments!
My office started a diet. Our birthday plans have changed to healthier options – carrots, celery, hummus, etc.
all i ever want for my birthday is a tray of brownies. triple chocolate, no nuts.
I love office party birthday cake. Gotta get my sugar fix and icing does the trick!
My office brings enough food for the whole building on birthdays haha meanwhile we are an office of 15. We have food for days and days! Can’t complain though 😉
there is a fantastic restaurant supply store just a few blocks from my office. we get the BESTTTT stuff there and at a fraction of the cost!
nothing says birthday like buying that employee a funko pop doll from amazon. find their favorite thing and it costs like 8 smackers.
Do a post about what present to get your coworkers! There’s so many birthdays in the office every year and I’m really beginning to be at a loss.
I don’t know what I’d do without the dollar store – so many great finds!