My nephew is just entering his Harry Potter era right now. Wands, Hogwart's Express, all of it. And every time I picture throwing him a wizarding birthday party, I think of my sister.

She would love to give him that party. She does not have the time, or honestly the energy, to plan one from scratch.

That's the problem with kid's parties sometimes, isn't it. Somewhere along the way, a good party stopped meaning "the kids had fun" and started meaning "did it look like something off Pinterest." Anything less than fully homemade and awesome starts to feel like you failed, or, at least, didn't win.

I don't buy that. And I don't want my sister buying it either.

So here's what I keep coming back to. If I hand her a list, she'll run with it. Not because she's lazy, because she's busy, and a checklist turns "plan an entire party" into "check some boxes." And this party, she gets to pick what she has energy for, what she buys versus makes, how long the party runs, all of it. She's still the one throwing the party. She just isn't starting from a blank page or searching Pinterest for hours.

That's exactly what the Wizarding Party Kit is for. Decor, games, recipes, all figured out, so she gets to be the badass mom who threw her kid an awesome Halloween party, without the stress and financial burden that usually comes attached to "awesome party."

And if you're looking for more ways to keep dinner simple this season without it becoming one more thing to manage:

Wizarding Party Kit A whole wizarding Halloween party, already planned for you. Decor, games, and recipes, all figured out and ready to print. Get the whole kit for $12.99 - price goes up after Halloween! Look at the kit

Penny-Pinching Corner 🪙

A few things I've been doing lately to trim the grocery bill without losing flavor:

• Swapped broth for chicken bouillon. Saves a bit every time, and it's just as tasty.
• Skipped the Dijon mustard. Instead, I doctor up regular yellow mustard with a bit of horseradish, white wine vinegar, and sugar, close enough to Dijon that nobody notices.
• Block cheese over shredded. Cheaper, and it melts better anyway.
• Leaning hard into end-of-season produce, whatever's abundant at the farmer's market, or still coming out of the garden. Hello, cucumbers.
• Saving the pickle brine. My husband eats the pickles, then we reuse that brine on cucumbers, or I'll brine chicken in it before frying.

Got a money-saving trick of your own? Hit reply and tell me, I'd love to feature reader tips next week.

Nellie

1st. Street S., Stillwater, MN 55082
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