Shopping Party For my daughter's 10th birthday, we planned a shopping "spree" with her friends at the mall. We went scouting in advance of the date, choosing stores and planning a budget. We chose her favorite restaurant and arranged to have a private party area where we could be seated together. We provided the cake and the decorations, which were themed party accessories with shoes, lipsticks, purses, etc. I also included small brightly colored shopping bags to match the decorations at each place setting. The guests ordered from the children's menu, and grandparents and other adults ordered what they wanted. It was great not to worry about what kind of food to serve. The check was only about $70. The invitation: (purchased cards with the same girly theme) Every girl loves to "shop", And that we'll do until we drop. At 12:00 we'll meet for lunch Come along and join our bunch Macado's is the Spot We'll eat, and laugh, and shop a lot Then have your folks come back at 4:00 We'll all meet at Entrance 4.  The plan: You'll have to make sure your guests and parents understand the plan. There was a little confusion and some of he girls brought money to spend. At my daughter's party, we let the girls "shop" and we paid for everything. This was intended to provide them with a custom-made goody bag at the end of the party. Our stops included: The Dollar Store (1 item), a candy store (1/4 pound), Claire's Boutique (an item from the sale bin), The Icing (an item from the sale bin), San Rio (a Hello Kitty sale item). You can modify this according to your budget, but I spent roughly $5.00 to $6.00 per child. To my surprise, not all of them got something from each store. Be prepared: Make sure the girls understand the rules. We didn't leave the lunch until I explained mine - no running & stick together. You may want to have some back-up. As soon as I got in the checkout line to pay, they were ready to dash off to the next store. Be prepared for late arrivals and early departures. Because the party floated, I had to stay in touch with two parents by cell phone to arrange a pick-up and walk the girls to a meeting place. All in all, it was a huge success. The girls had a wonderful time doing something a little different, and it was surprisingly cheap!!