Alright so today’s mess was all about getting helium for my nephew’s birthday party balloons. Didn’t wanna spend a fortune at those party stores, you know? Places near me charge insane amounts just to fill a few balloons. Figured buying a whole tank online might be smarter for next time. Here’s how that hunt went down.
The Dumb First Try
Started simple – just googled “cheap helium tank”. Bad idea. First few pages were totally useless. Either super sketchy sites I wouldn’t touch, or those big box stores charging way more than I expected. Saw one small tank listed for like eighty bucks! Forget that. Realized I gotta dig deeper.
Tank Size Confusion
Okay, so lesson learned: gotta know what size I actually need. Had no clue! Knew I had about twenty or thirty balloons to fill. Looked it up: turns out those little 8.9 cubic feet disposable tanks claim to do like 30 balloons. But everyone online says it’s a big fat lie. Maybe you get fifteen decent ones if you’re lucky. Knew I needed something bigger – maybe the 14.9 cubic foot ones?
What I needed:
- Enough gas for at least 30 balloons
- Disposable (ain’t got space for a big refillable cylinder)
- Decent price, obviously!
Discount Digging
Changed tactics. Started looking for specific discount party supply places online. Also checked the big warehouse club sites since they sometimes have deals for members. Scrolled through a bunch of pages, comparing prices like crazy. Some places had okay prices on the tank itself, but then they murdered you with shipping! Like twenty bucks extra! No way.
Found one place offering free shipping if you spent a certain amount. Almost went for it, but their tank price was a few dollars higher than others. Then I spotted a coupon code box while checking out at another site. Tried a generic “HELIUM10” just for kicks. Holy smokes, it actually worked! Knocked off ten percent instantly.
The Actual Order & Wait
Okay, hit add to cart. Picked that 14.9 cubic foot tank – figure better safe than sorry. Put in the discount code, double-checked the final price including tax. Seemed legit. Paid and got the confirmation email. Then came the worst part: waiting.
The estimated delivery window was kinda wide. Five to seven business days. Kept checking the tracking link like a crazy person after day three. Nothing. Then it finally updated saying it was out for delivery on day six. Dude dropped it off right on the porch late afternoon.
Unboxing & First Impressions
Box was lighter than I thought! Got it inside, opened it up. Tank itself looked fine – no dents or anything scary. Came with like a dozen balloons too. Nice bonus, I guess? Had the little nozzle thingy attached already. Instructions were basic but clear.
Used it for the party just yesterday. Filled thirty solid latex balloons with no problem! Even had a tiny bit of gas leftover to mess around with a few extra. Boom. Did the job.
Total cost? Got it for about fifty bucks after that coupon and free shipping. WAY better than renting or filling elsewhere. Shipping time was slow, yeah, but ordering ahead saved my wallet. Don’t wait till the last minute!