I threw a surprise party for my husband two weeks ago and boy, did it slam our credit card balance! Because the party was a secret, I purchased a lot of food and decorations that I normally would have made myself or skipped altogether. Oh, and did I mention it was PIRATE THEMED?

Would you spend $400 on a surprise party?

Here’s a detailed list of everything I purchased to pull off a surprise pirate-themed birthday party.

1. Food – $165

I catered the party because if I spent all day cooking for 20 people, my husband would ask a lot of questions. As it was, I told him I had invited one couple over for dinner to justify some of the cleaning and food shopping. We had several quarts of delicious pulled pork, chicken, and beef, cornbread, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw. The family sizes saved us a few bucks, but it was a lot more expensive that cooking all day. Almost everything got eaten so I didn’t over order.

2. Decorations – $131.63

I splurged on a pirate boat pinata, pirate themed necklaces, “gold” coins, red and black crepe paper, a treasure map that became a game of “pin the treasure on the map,” eye patches (which were not popular – too uncomfortable), and pirate tattoos. I also bought pirate plates, napkins, and cups. I almost never buy party decorations like this, and I didn’t feel like a Bargain Babe when ordering so many plastic decorations, but it definitely created a fun atmosphere that our guests enjoyed. And I price compared on Amazon and Party City for the best deals and shipping prices.

3. Booze – $46.85

I bought five six-packs of beer for the party. Luckily, we had enough rum, ginger beer, and limes to make Dark ‘n Stormy’s, my husband’s favorite drink. (To make one, fill a pint glass with ice, then add 1.5 shots dark rum. Fill rest of glass with ginger beer, which is not the same as ginger ale. Liberally squeeze lime slices. Enjoy!)

4. Candy for the piñata – $12.42

I overstuffed the pinata with starburst, chocolate kisses, mini-snickers, and more. The kids loved it! And so did the adults. 🙂

5. More Food – $65

Chips, juice boxes, mini sodas, plastic forks, cheese, grapes, watermelon, and more finger foods and items I wanted for the party. Definitely bought too many juice boxes and sodas as hardly any got consumed. I saved on bottled water by putting out a pitcher of ice water and cups.

6. Present for my husband – $0

Are you kidding me? I just spent $431 on his surprise party! He received a few presents on his actual birthday a few days before the party.

7. Stress of not being able to tell him – many gray hairs!

He never suspected anything. What really rocked was how everyone pulled together to help me make the surprise party happen. My sister encouraged me to throw the party, my friend Sue offered to pick up the food and planted the idea of a pirate theme, and my friend Emily came over two hours before hand to help me set up. Two more friends helped me get my husband out of the house for several hours before the party.

When he pulled up, we were whooping and hollering on the porch, “Happy Birthday,” and “Surprise!” He was so shocked, he took a minute to get out of the car. Then I handed him a drink and the party began!

Would you spend $400 on a birthday party?