What could I do for my 14th birthday with my friends ?

Get your hands on a wide range of popular music (online radio) and see if you can find a cheap speaker system for your PC (a laptop would be better) that has a small sub-woofer. (That way you can turn it up.) Nice cheap ones are usually hiding in large numbers at donation centers, yard-sales and thrift stores. Turn the music on so everyone can hear, but keep it low enough for everyone to talk. When all the guests have arrived and the conversations start to die, crank up the music!!!

You NEED video games! If you don’t have a recent console system like Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 (Wii is the best party gaming system), hit the stores and see if you can find a self-contained system that will hook up to your biggest TV. I saw a cool one at Walgreens the other day that was basically Guitar Hero for those not willing to pay 50 bucks. It was just 20 dollars and just looked like a plastic guitar. On closer inspection it was a self-contained Guitar Hero game with 12 songs. It wouldn’t be much, but it would make for a great entertainment factor. Feel free to ask around and see if you can borrow a Wii for the day. (Just take care of it.)

FOOD! Cheese Squares, Summer Sausage, Fake Crab wrapped in Bacon with a little toothpick in the middle! Get creative and get someone you know (like an aunt or grandparent) who loves to cook. Don’t get plain potatoe chips! Get BBQ, Cheddar, Salt & Vinegar and try for the baked ones as they keep longer while exposed to air! Chips are a great filler (gets them full), so make sure you get a couple bags of each because a chip-less party leaves hungry partiers and NOBODY likes that! Don’t focus too much on desert because it will just make people grumpy and too hyper. (You’re dealing with kids around your age and you all have plenty of energy already, lol.) Definitely get pizza. Cheese, Pepperoni and Hamburger tend to be the biggest sellers. I would absolutely make sure you have more cheese than the other two for those that don’t like your topping choices. You need to have other options, though, like a few vegetables, with some good dip, a salad, and hot-dogs and hamburgers for those that don’t want pizza. If you limit choices for those that don’t want pizza, you’re going to have hungry, grumpy guests.

Other than the video games, which will only occupy a few people and probably not for more than 15 to 45 minutes at a time, you need to have some fun games that don’t end up making everyone feel lame. I’d suggest trying to get your hands on a big trampoline (again, you’ll have to ask around if you don’t have one). If you have a swimming pool, open that up for everyone. If you have a lot of guys coming, its likely they will get bored faster than the girls. See if you can get your hands on a portable basketball hoop. This shouldn’t be too hard to find, just ask around until you find someone willing to let you borrow it. Make sure you have more than just one basketball and a good bit of room for them to move around. For some more game ideas: http://www.party411.com/gameguide.html - just try to stay away from the kiddy games - nobody is going to want to play a game that makes them feel like a child.

Always have a backup plan for if the party starts to die before it should. How you do this is up to you, but I would hold back on telling people about a few things you have available for fun. A great one (if its warm enough where you’re at) is to buy a bunch of water guns (these are cheap and available at any dollar store), just remember to get both little and large guns and have a water-gun fight. Store these in the back in a box already full of water and when you see things getting slow, get everyone outside, pull them out for everyone to see, grab a gun and spray somebody that’s in a good mood and has a good sense of humor, while screaming something like “WATER WAR!!!” The epic water-gun battle should soon commence. You may want to tell a couple of friends about your plan so they’ll join in right when you grab a gun. If you don’t have an outside hose, buy one or just put down some towels for everyone to run in and fill their guns up at the sink. It may be useful to let everyone know they MIGHT get wet before they come to the party. That way they’ll dress appropriately.

As far as decorations go, get a bunch of tape, a couple streamers in your favorite colors, and put them up all over the place. Get a couple bags of balloons at your local market and have the store blow them up with helium. Don’t let them sucker you into buying them per balloon. Buy your bags of balloons first, THEN blow them up. Place the ballons randomly around the house, and bunch of a few of them together and attach them to your mailbox and everywhere around the front and back of your house. That way, even before they come in the front door, they know they’re walking into a serious party! Sometimes its cool to put the streamers up at every door-way (short of the one everyone will be using when soaked) so its like each room is a secret party.

The rest is pretty much up to the level of excitement everyone has and your willingness to perform as a hostess. Parties can be great or they can be a total flop, but if you come up with a few surprises and work the crowd (moving from person to person, starting up conversations and keeping the positive attitudes going) you could be dealing with the party of the year, with very little money involved!

Have fun!