It’s nothing unusual to want to feel special on your birthday. It only comes around once a year, so it makes sense that many folks want the spotlight to be on them and them alone. So it can feel a bit peculiar when you’re forced to share the celebration with someone else. It’s even weirder when you have to blow out the candles on the cake on a day that you weren’t even born on. And if that keeps happening, well, it’s time to take some drastic actions.

Redditor u/NoBDayParty4Me turned to the AITA online community with a story about how she sabotaged her and her little brother’s shared birthday party. The teenager went about it in a very creative way, turning the spotlight on her younger sibling. However, she was still worried that she might have gone a tad overboard. Read on for the full story and people’s reactions to it.

Some kids can feel left out if they’re always forced to share their birthday parties with their siblings

Image credits: diego_cervo (not the actual photo)

A teenager revealed how she finally had enough and sabotaged her and her brother’s party in a very creative way

Image credits: Bellava G (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Kindel Media (not the actual photo)

Image credits: NoBDayParty4Me

The family was split on the teen’s approach

The teenager opened up about how she sabotaged the party, using her own funds no less. She switched out the cake, altered the decorations, and made sure that the entire party was focused on their little brother, instead of both of them.

“My brother was the only one that was completely happy about it, probably because this is the first time that he was able to celebrate a birthday that was his own and he enjoyed getting all the attention for himself,” the OP wrote.

However, not everyone was delighted by u/NoBDayParty4Me’s antics. Herparents got mad that she wasted a lot of time and money on the stunt. The upside was that this seemed to finally get through to them that joining both birthday celebrations into one big shindig might not have been the great idea they thought it was.

It seems clear why the parents did the joint party for so many years: they were being practical about saving on costs and time. However, this comes at an emotional cost. Namely, that neither kid might feel as special as they might like to.

Birthday parties can be expensive, but there are ways to scale back

Organizing parties is no easy feat. One survey found that, on average, parents spend around $400 on a party for their child. However, that sum can rise quite substantially if the family decides to go all out. If you manage to scale back, you might then have enough funds for a couple of separate parties.

Event planning expert Jay Tanner told ‘Reviewed’ that the best thing that parents can do is not stress out over what everyone else is doing. Parties shouldn’t be a competition. “I made a living off of birthday parties but, truth be told, kids love birthdays in the park with cake and pizza,” Tanner pointed out that simplicity can work wonders… and it can help your wallet out, too.

The event planning expert from Los Angeles noted that parents should consider splurging more on ‘milestone years,’ such as turning 5 or 10 years old. Not every birthday has to be bigger and fancier than the one before it! Modest celebrations are a perfectly valid option.

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According to Tanner, there are a few main areas where you can save some cash. The cake, for instance, doesn’t have to be overly elaborate. “A cake’s a cake! If you want to impress your friends with an expensive one, go for it—but kids just don’t care. Throw a plastic toy on it and call it a day,” she said.

Meanwhile, you can also cut back on food costs by keeping the snacks simple. You really don’t need a massive buffet with a dozen different flavors to keep everyone happy. What you can focus on, however, is picking out a main activity to keep everyone busy and entertained. That could be something as straightforward as a bouncy castle.

“You’d be surprised, even older kids like bounce houses. And they don’t have to be expensive. Parents love other parents who throw parties that send their kids home tired,” Tanner told ‘Reviewed.’

If you focus on the fun instead of competing with others, your wallet will thank you

Recently, Bored Panda got in touch with parenting blogger Samantha Scroggin, from ‘Walking Outside in Slippers,’ to hear her thoughts on budgeting for birthdays. “In my experience, kids are just as happy with simple birthday parties as elaborate, expensive ones. Kids just want to be with their friends and family, eat fun food, and open presents,” she told Bored Panda during an interview, earlier.

Parties that have bouncy castles and squirt guns work perfectly fine. Parents need to know when they’re trying to impress other parents and then actively scale back. “It’s up to us collectively as parents to lower the expectations for one another when it comes to kid birthday parties. We can do this by not trying to compete with each other, and really focusing on what makes our kids happy and is reasonable as far as money and energy spent,” Scroggin said.

Blogger Samantha shared some easy and practical tips to help save some money while organizing a birthday party if you find yourself dealing with an extremely strict budget. When it comes to prepping food, for example, the simpler—the better.

“Stick to easy foods for groups like pizza or hot dogs. Add in a veggie tray, some cut-up fruit, and chips, and you’re good to go,” the founder of ‘Walking Outside in Slippers’ told Bored Panda.

“If you can afford to rent a bounce house, that seems to go a long way. If not, coloring books and paints are great too. Parties at parks are easy and cut down on entertainment costs. Keep it simple, and that will help keep costs down.”

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Most people were on the post author’s side and thought that she was in the right

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However, some folks thought that the teenager might have gone overboard

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