So birthday time is rolling around again! Birthday parties can be really stressful for parents to organize and if they’re not carefully planned the costs can end up spiraling out of control. So what do you do if you want your child to have a fantastic birthday party but you don’t want to break the bank?
Follow these handy tips to create a great birthday party without spending a fortune.
1. Face Painting
What child doesn’t love to get their face painted to look like Spiderman, a butterfly, or even a zombie? However, anyone who has ever looked into hiring someone to do face painting will know that it can be expensive. One answer is to buy your own face paints and face painting “how to book. There are lots of books available that methodically show you how to create the most amazing painted faces and once you’ve tried it you\’ll be amazed at just how easy it is. You can even have hours of fun practicing on your hubby before the big day!
2. Be Entertaining
Probably thanks to the recent glut of celebrity babies and public interest in celebrities and their children, kids’ parties seem to be getting more and more elaborate, with expensive entertainers being hired. However, ask yourself which memory a child would treasure more an entertainer like a clown coming along and doing a few party pieces, or their own mum or dad organizing and leading the party entertainment. Instead of hiring entertainers, why not do it yourself? You could either learn a skill such as making balloon animals or simple magic, or you could research party games such as “pin the tail on the donkey’ or “pass the parcel” and keep your child’s guests just as engaged as they would be by a professional entertainer.
3. Make the Cake Or better yet, let the kids decorate their own cupcakes.
Of course, all mothers are supposed to be domestic goddesses, stirring the supper with one hand and sewing on a button with the other, but some of us just hate cooking and that means cakes too! When I say make the cake what I really mean is “assemble the cake’. If you’ve ever ordered a decorated cake from a retailer then you’ll know that it can seem ridiculously highly proceed when you consider what you’re getting. You can make a lovely cake yourself by buying a readymade sponge cake from a supermarket and then decorating it yourself. You can find icing, cake decorations and other items very cheaply and you can create something really special just by using simple shapes. You could even make cake decorating into one of your party activities by letting your guest decorate their own cupcakes.
4 . Re-Gift – Re-Use
Re-gifting is a bit of a buzzword at the moment and you can do it too for your kid’s party. When you are a parent of young children you often know lots of other people with young children. Why not ask around to see if any of your friends have any party leftovers like party poppers, party blowers or even party bags which they can pass on to you. They\’ll probably be glad to get rid of the clutter and you can repay the favor with your own leftover part stuff. It’s great to get support from friends when organizing a kid\’s party so it’s also worth finding out if any of your kid’s parents would be willing to throw a joint party. Organizing a party with a friend can often be less expensive because you can pool your resources.
5. Dollar Store Party Favors
Don’t spend money on expensive party favors when you make your own or buy some for $1 at the dollar store. They also sell cute party bags for favors, balloons, and other birthday party decorations. Also see below.
So if it’s nearly party time, don’t panic and take out a loan, try one of these tips instead to create a perfect thrifty party.
6. $ 5 Party Theme
Ask guests. to bring $5 In a Card instead of a gift or do a 5&5 party. The child gets two $5 notes. One to save and one to donate to a charity of their choice.
7. “White elephant” gift birthday party
With a $10 maximum budget have guests bring a wrapped gift and then people would draw numbers and take turns unwrapping a gift. If your number was next you could unwrap another or “steal” somebody’s unwrapped one (sometimes they didn’t do the stealing). The kids will have so much fun!
Ideas for Birthday Gifts
Ideas for Inexpensive Birthday Party Goodie Bags
Do a book swap ask each child to bring a book to exchange ** Frugal and Fun!**
Coloring book and some new crayons
Sand bucket with the guest’s name painted on it, and some stickers
Bubble gum machines with guest’s name painted on it
Soaker water guns especially when they used the toys for water battles during the party
Princess crowns or stuffed toy unicorns perfect for a Princess Tea Party
Pedicure sets with nail polish if it’s a sleepover spa party
Dinosaur sponges and figurines used in activities at the party, and those magic washcloths (with a dinosaur on them)
Large-size bubble wands/tubes of bubbles
Sidewalk chalk
Candy or other Treats
Art supplies
Cloth aprons from a cooking party
