How to Save Money on Children’s Birthday Parties

The days of over-the-top kiddie celebrations, which have become increasingly common in recent years, may be behind us, and that’s probably for the best. Gas is well over $4 currently, and a trip to the grocery store requires a stop at the bank first. The birthday celebration for your child is just another event that requires careful budgeting. Even on a limited budget, you can throw a fantastic party to commemorate this critical moment in a child’s life. By the time they reach the ages of 11 and 12, most children aren’t impressed by how much money they spend; they want to have fun.

Invitations, décor, paper goods, food, activities, party favors, and everything else that goes into throwing a grand birthday bash for a child all present chances to cut costs. You can throw a great party without breaking the bank if you choose the correct location.

Throw a party the old-fashioned way, right in your own home. If the kids are occupied and interested in what they’re doing, rather than running amok, they’ll do what you’ve planned. Confine potential messes to easily cleaned up materials like paper and art supplies. Limit the guests to a manageable quantity that can be accommodated in no more than two rooms. With some planning, it’s easily doable.

Make your own greeting cards on a computer, including invites and thank-you notes. Use the various free online clip art resources or the built-in one in Microsoft Word. For visual appeal, choose a kid-friendly font and some vivid text colors. Make the envelope your invitation comes in just as unique and memorable. Your child’s birthday party doesn’t need to be professionally done but needs to excite the kids.

Decorations for a party should create an atmosphere of good times without breaking the bank. They’ll spend no more than 30 seconds taking in your décor before moving on to the real reason they’re there: having fun. Use many bright balloons; instead of spending money on helium, fill them yourself and affix them to the wall with painter’s tape. Display a birthday banner on the wall, with each letter printed in a different primary color (or printed on colored construction paper and cut out). As a fun group activity, help the birthday girl make tissue paper flowers to hang around the party. Wrap the chair the birthday kid will sit in a while eating cake and ice cream with curly ribbon to make it look like a throne. Decorate the table with confetti, garden flowers, colorful autumn leaves, or sprigs of evergreens.

Plates and napkins with cartoon characters typically cost two times as much as those with solid colors. Use a rainbow of hues to create a celebratory mood. Use your colorful napkins to make fans, or roll them up and tie them with a striking bow made from various ribbon colors. Set the table for the girls with a large, colorful tissue paper flower. Create personalized paper cup labels by printing each guest’s name in a decorative font and bright colors, then embellishing them with clip art or a decorative border and trimming them to fit. Instead of buying cheap plastic cutlery, use your silverware.

The food isn’t why the kids are coming to your party. They don’t require a lot of food unless your party falls at mealtime, but they’re just there to have a good time. They also do not need a lot of sugar to get them excited. Keep it easy and cheap with soda or water, a massive bowl of red and green apples, and pretzel sticks. And save yourself the exorbitant cost of a store-bought cake. The most cost-effective option is to bake and freeze the cake without icing until just before the occasion. A cake from the grocery store will do in a pinch, costing you less than half as much as a bakery. When making a cake at home, you can get as fancy or casual as your time and skill allow. Anyone may make a cute birthday cake by writing the child’s name in icing and adding a few dots of icing in the shape of flowers using decorating tubes from the grocery store.

Don’t bother with gift bags. These will cost you at least $2 each, or $20 for a small party of ten, even if you only include candy and an inexpensive toy. Make your party a favor by taking digital photos of the kids wearing silly hats or posing with the birthday kid. Pick one DIY party project that guests may take home with them.

In addition to putting stress on your guests’ wallets, the traditional birthday present can be a waste of money. When cash is scarce, asking guests to spend $10 or $20 on gifts that are often worthless to the child and never utilized is ridiculous. Some of your invitees may find the extra $10 or $20 out of reach, leading them to respond with “no” since they can’t afford to attend. You could have everyone chip into a common fund and then utilize the money to give the birthday kid some great presents. Better utilization of everyone’s resources.

The event’s main attraction is kids’ birthday party activities or games. There are many games to choose from online, and many of them may be adapted to fit your party’s theme. Spend your energy and creativity here because this is part of the birthday party that guests will remember most. Spend the money you saved on not having to pay someone to come to your house to occupy the kids (because this is the portion of the party that gives many parents the willies) on buying their activities online (which is still cheaper than paying someone to come to your house to engage the kids). In terms of cost savings, you will still come out on top.

Have more fun on a budget. Your child’s birthday party isn’t just another day; it’s the kids enjoying a good time together and celebrating the birthday kid’s moment in the spotlight. It’s not the disposable tableware or the candy jars. Keeping this in mind makes it simple to limit the cost of throwing a party.

Birthday Party Games Lady, LLC provides complete and affordable birthday party game packages for children aged 6 to 13 that may be downloaded immediately.

Here are links to four downloadable party goodies that are free of charge to help parents cut costs. You can also use the new Good Gift Pool service to easily collect money from your guests to pool for the purchase of one or two beautiful gifts for the birthday child, providing you with another gift option for your celebration. Better utilization of everyone’s resources.

linda