How many times have you been to a fancy birthday party and found yourself wondering how the host managed to afford the party in the first place?
With careful and purposeful planning I manage not only to throw my birthday child a fun party but also an affordable party, too.
As a mom of 5 kids, I’ve learned to bring creative when it comes to birthday planning.
Last week I shared the first 5 tips for planning a fabulous (& cheap) kid’s party. You can see those tips here!
Here are the other 5 tips for planning a fabulous (& cheap) kid’s party.
6. I don’t buy party favors.
Maybe I’m old-fashioned but I don’t send my kids to a birthday party and expect them to get treats.
For our parties, the party is the treat and there is almost always something to take home from the party that the child made or used.
For our Cupcake Wars party, my mom sewed each girl an apron and the girls took home all of the cupcakes they made.
For the Spa and Salon party the girls got a manicure, hand wax, pedicure, and their hair styled…all by either their moms or my friends. They loved it and I had all the products already making it a very cheap and fun party.
The one exception to this is we have done a piñata and the candy inside was the party favor (but I got it on clearance and fit the theme of the theme).
I love providing experiences over stuff so part of our parties almost always include that the kids get to do or make. The possibilities are endless and many times you can do projects with items you already have or buy really cheaply.
7. Instead of having a birthday cake, make cupcakes and let the kids decorate them.
This has been a fun way to not only give the kids something to eat but also something to do! I like to make chocolate and vanilla cupcakes (or whatever the birthday child requests). By doing so, the kids have a variety of cake flavors to choose from. I also have different flavors of frosting (canned frosting works if you aren’t into making your own) to be creative and use their favorites.
8. Have the party at your home.
By having the party at home you will save money by not paying someone else to host it for you.
Please remember that kids don’t expect a spotless house, they expect a fun party!
If you are lucky to have kids with birthdays when it’s warm you can have it outside! Living in the country, kids love to come play outside, run through a sprinkler, throw water balloons, slide on a slip ‘n slide and pet the cats.
9. If having the party at your home doesn’t interest you, have the party at the park!
One of the great things about having the party at the park (which we’ve done several times for our kids who have warmer weather birthdays) is that there is no cost to have the party there. I didn’t rent the pavilion (several of our parks don’t have pavilions but some do), and gathered a few picnic tables and set up the party. Simple and easy!
Another advantage of the park is that when you are finished, you throw away your party stuff in the trash and you are done cleaning up!
I love that by having a party at the park I don’t have to worry about the entertainment! If you need something else besides the playground, a cheap piñata is easy and so is sidewalk chalk, bubbles, hula hoops and flying kites.
10. Think outside the box!
What makes your child really happy? Is it going fishing? Having a water balloon fight? Hiking? Tea parties?
This is your child’s birthday, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you spend $50 or $500 as long as your child had fun (and it doesn’t take $500 to have a great party).
Don’t be afraid to ask friends to help if you want to have the party at your home or the other children’s mom. Reciprocate the help! You might make some new friends, too!
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