How much will YOU spend on your child's birthday this year?

Noah's Ark Workshop birthday parties average around $22 per child (you don't want those stuffed animals running around naked do you??) so I was taken a back when I read this blog post today:

... "'In San Diego, Jacqueline Jones recently rang in her fifth year
with a $1,000 mermaid-theme party. The fete, held at a community pool,
included a pinata, pizza, cake, juice boxes, customized goodie bags for
20 and a former beauty queen who arrived dressed head to toe as Ariel,
the Disney princess.'

$1,000 on a five year olds party. She goes
on to say “it’s worth it. A lot of my friends said I’m crazy, but I
mean, it’s for a memory she’ll have forever.”.   Obviously that
statement justifies it.   I don’t know how much the beauty queen cost,
but $1,000 is a little extreme for me.   Your daughter is 5 years old,
if you can’t come up with a party idea for a couple hundred dollars
that she will remember for the rest of her life then you obviously have
already set her expectations too high. " ...

Wow! $1000 on a birthday party. I've heard people spending more. To each his own I guess. Perhaps I'll contact this lady about hiring Noah's Ark workshops for her party next year???