I used all the extra supplies from my kids' parties and threw one for myself. It was a fun, inexpensive celebration.

The author threw herself a 'leftovers party.' Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel In my garage is a box of leftover party supplies from my kids' previous birthday parties. I had the idea to use them for my own party, and my friend worried I was selling myself short. As a single mom, I have to make compromises, and the party was a huge success. I keep a box in my garage for all my kids' leftover party supplies. It's where I put the spare princess table covers from my oldest's 4th, the lightly used Goofy Movie banner from my middle's 3rd, unneeded ribbons from my youngest's 1st, and much more. I save this stuff in case any of the kids want to repeat a party theme. But with three kids, and three birthdays per year, the box was overflowing. My first thought was to throw some stuff away (at least enough so I could fit the lid on the box), but looking through the old balloons, banners, and face paints, I got an idea. I always go all-out for my kids' birthdays. But my big "three-five" had just passed without much flair. Maybe I could empty the stuffed party box and Frankenstein together a belated party for myself that the kids and I could enjoy together — a "leftovers party." So I threw myself a birthday party with the old supplies. I had fun planning and throwing the party, and it got me thinking about how much time and money (or lack thereof) I invest in celebrating myself. The author used face paint and glitter with the guests at her party. Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel The kids get birthday bashes, and I get… whatever's left? When I first started pulling decorations out of the party box, I was proud. Not only was I going to finally celebrate myself, but I was also being thrifty, eco-friendly, and cleaning the garage. Win-win-win! But when I mentioned the idea to a friend, I could tell she didn't like the plan. She thought I was selling myself short. "You put so much into throwing your kids great parties," she said with a shrug, "I'm worried you think you're unworthy of the trouble, or investment, of a 'real' celebration." At first, I was a little offended. But maybe she had a point. Maybe celebrating my kids with big parties, then celebrating myself with a box of unused supplies, wasn't the cool, clever move I thought it was, but proof that my life had been engulfed by motherhood. Suddenly, this carefree, silly event felt like a test. Was I throwing this party because it was really what I wanted? Or because I didn't want to go to the trouble of planning and paying for something bigger? The author's kids helped her decorate with party supplies from their previous birthdays. Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel I remembered that a few months before, I wanted to go out to dinner and see a movie, and thought I'd invite some friends and call it my birthday celebration. But when the time came to organize it, I worried the outing would be too much work. I'd have to get a babysitter, pick a movie and a restaurant, get tickets, make reservations, and coordinate it all with my friends. Plus, getting a sitter for three kids costs me $30 an hour, which adds up fast when you factor in dinner, drinks, a movie ticket, and some popcorn. So I dropped the idea. Maybe I was, indeed, selling myself short: Swapping what I really wanted to do for something that didn't require as much energy or money. I put the party idea on ice. I started noticing when I put myself last For the next week or so, I started taking note of when I put my needs in the backseat. One night, I wanted to order sushi for dinner, but I knew my kids wouldn't eat it. So I made pasta. I saw a cute shirt that I almost bought for myself, but then decided against it. Why buy myself another top when my oldest desperately needs new pajamas? I started to realize: my friend was right. I was putting myself last. And I realized that, while my little ones are my world, if I didn't make some space for my own wants, I was going to burn out. The author's kids enjoyed her birthday as much as she did. Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel And yet, as a single mom of three, it's hard. I'm not rolling in free time or extra money. I want to have fun and make memories but I've still got to be creative and budget carefully. Sometimes, that means throwing myself a party with stuff I found in my garage. A leftovers party was a perfect balance of celebrating myself without blowing my budget I ended up going forward with the "leftovers party," and my kids helped me decorate. They loved seeing stuff from their birthday parties, and we hung ribbons from the door frames, put up a big Goofy Movie poster, and decorated the counter with plastic floral covers. I invited neighbors, mom friends, and their kids. I used leftover face paint on my guests' faces (mostly the kids, but some of my grown-up guests wanted painted flowers and glitter, too!), and I gave out the extra party favors hiding in the stash in my garage — tubes of bubbles and lollipops for all! It was a chaotic, colorful, and budget-friendly shindig. And you know what? I had a blast. After the party, my daughter looked up at me with her unicorn face paint, her mouth smudged with cupcake frosting, and asked, "Can we have a leftover party again next year?" I laughed, tossing some food-smeared tablecloths into the trash. "We'll do it again whenever the party supply box is overflowing," I said. "But for my next birthday, I think I want to go bowling." Read the original article on Business Insider

The author threw herself a 'leftovers party.'Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel In my garage is a box of leftover party supplies from my kids' previous birthday parties. I had the idea to use them for my own party, and my friend worried I was selling myself short. As a single mom, I have to make compromises, and the party was a huge success. I keep a box in my garage for all my kids' leftover party supplies. It's where I put the spare princess table covers from my oldest's 4th, the lightly used Goofy Movie banner from my middle's 3rd, unneeded ribbons from my youngest's 1st, and much more. I save this stuff in case any of the kids want to repeat a party theme. But with three kids, and three birthdays per year, the box was overflowing. My first thought was to throw some stuff away (at least enough so I could fit the lid on the box), but looking through the old balloons, banners, and face paints, I got an idea. I always go all-out for my kids' birthdays. But my big "three-five" had just passed without much flair. Maybe I could empty the stuffed party box and Frankenstein together a belated party for myself that the kids and I could enjoy together — a "leftovers party." So I threw myself a birthday party with the old supplies. I had fun planning and throwing the party, and it got me thinking about how much time and money (or lack thereof) I invest in celebrating myself. The author used face paint and glitter with the guests at her party.Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel The kids get birthday bashes, and I get… whatever's left? When I first started pulling decorations out of the party box, I was proud. Not only was I going to finally celebrate myself, but I was also being thrifty, eco-friendly, and cleaning the garage. Win-win-win! But when I mentioned the idea to a friend, I could tell she didn't like the plan. She thought I was selling myself short. "You put so much into throwing your kids great parties," she said with a shrug, "I'm worried you think you're unworthy of the trouble, or investment, of a 'real' celebration." At first, I was a little offended. But maybe she had a point. Maybe celebrating my kids with big parties, then celebrating myself with a box of unused supplies, wasn't the cool, clever move I thought it was, but proof that my life had been engulfed by motherhood. Suddenly, this carefree, silly event felt like a test. Was I throwing this party because it was really what I wanted? Or because I didn't want to go to the trouble of planning and paying for something bigger? The author's kids helped her decorate with party supplies from their previous birthdays.Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel I remembered that a few months before, I wanted to go out to dinner and see a movie, and thought I'd invite some friends and call it my birthday celebration. But when the time came to organize it, I worried the outing would be too much work. I'd have to get a babysitter, pick a movie and a restaurant, get tickets, make reservations, and coordinate it all with my friends. Plus, getting a sitter for three kids costs me $30 an hour, which adds up fast when you factor in dinner, drinks, a movie ticket, and some popcorn. So I dropped the idea. Maybe I was, indeed, selling myself short: Swapping what I really wanted to do for something that didn't require as much energy or money. I put the party idea on ice. I started noticing when I put myself last For the next week or so, I started taking note of when I put my needs in the backseat. One night, I wanted to order sushi for dinner, but I knew my kids wouldn't eat it. So I made pasta. I saw a cute shirt that I almost bought for myself, but then decided against it. Why buy myself another top when my oldest desperately needs new pajamas? I started to realize: my friend was right. I was putting myself last. And I realized that, while my little ones are my world, if I didn't make some space for my own wants, I was going to burn out. The author's kids enjoyed her birthday as much as she did.Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel And yet, as a single mom of three, it's hard. I'm not rolling in free time or extra money. I want to have fun and make memories but I've still got to be creative and budget carefully. Sometimes, that means throwing myself a party with stuff I found in my garage. A leftovers party was a perfect balance of celebrating myself without blowing my budget I ended up going forward with the "leftovers party," and my kids helped me decorate. They loved seeing stuff from their birthday parties, and we hung ribbons from the door frames, put up a big Goofy Movie poster, and decorated the counter with plastic floral covers. I invited neighbors, mom friends, and their kids. I used leftover face paint on my guests' faces (mostly the kids, but some of my grown-up guests wanted painted flowers and glitter, too!), and I gave out the extra party favors hiding in the stash in my garage — tubes of bubbles and lollipops for all! It was a chaotic, colorful, and budget-friendly shindig. And you know what? I had a blast. After the party, my daughter looked up at me with her unicorn face paint, her mouth smudged with cupcake frosting, and asked, "Can we have a leftover party again next year?" I laughed, tossing some food-smeared tablecloths into the trash. "We'll do it again whenever the party supply box is overflowing," I said. "But for my next birthday, I think I want to go bowling." Read the original article on Business Insider