Birthday Party on the Cheap!

 

YES!!!

You can have a good party and be frugal all at the same time! It just may take some creativity…..and yes, somewhere down deep inside of you is your creative spark ……and if not, when all else fails- GOOGLE IT! or even better, Swagbuck it!

We recently celebrated my babies 2nd birthday. It was probably the smallest party I have had ever. I have to admit, I have always BLOWN WAY TOO MUCH MONEY …ahem…splurged a little on birthday parties! Yes, I am guilty or spending way too much, and always going overboard, but I have learned my lesson, and I can share with you tips to having the best party on the block, and still having a wallet with money!

First, of course pick your theme. Every party must have a theme!

Second, the invitations!

I am BIG on invitations. I think they need to be cute, they are the first part of your party that your invitees will see. Make it a hit! There is no need to buy expensive store bought or custom made. Make your own! Just look for paper that fits the theme, and print off a cute poem. I like to include a cute picture of the little birthday boy/girl!

We had a Dr. Seuss themed party. Here is the invitation wording that I used :

We’re Having a Party, it’s plain as can be, I want you to come celebrate with me
On this birthday, I will be turning 2
So come on over and meet all the Who’s
The Cat will be there with Thing 1 and Thing 2
Horton and Sam, and a fish, Red and Blue!
Come on over don’t worry about lunch
There will be Green Eggs and Ham to munch!

So get on your Who trains and start making Tracks
Meet us all at the Prairie of Prax.

We’re having a party, its plain as can be, I want you to come celebrate with me!

You do not have to invite EVERYONE! This is also something that I have learned the hard way. I was always afraid that I would hurt everyone’s feelings. Well, get over it is all I can say. Right now my kids are younger, so they invite family and a couple of friends. However, once they get older, they will be limited to how many friends they can invite. Anywhere from 6 – 10 is a good number of kids.

Time-

Try and pick a time that is NOT during a meal. Right after lunch, but before dinner. That way you do not feel pressured to feed everyone. Or just simply put on the invitation join us for cake and ice cream. That lets them know that only party foods will be served!

As far as drinks go, Sodas are NOT the way to go! Try saving up some milk cartons ahead of time, and making a few gallons of lemonade, tea, and kool aid. These are so inexpensive, while sodas are gonna cost an arm and a leg!

Goodies-

I always stalk the dollar stores, and Target’s dollar section! Whether I am planning a party at that time or not, if I see something that has potential of a birthday theme, then I snag about 10 of them. However, you do not have to give kids expensive goodies. And lets face it, most of that typical goody bag junk …trinkets get thrown in the trash anyway! Instead, this party go around, I recycled all of those glass jars from spaghetti and pickles, and made these!

It is just a glass jar, spray painted the lid, and layered marshmallows, goldfish, and M&M’s!  YUMMO!

( You could even take it further and cut a slit in the lid for a piggy bank, and paint the child’s name on the front!)

Decorations-

Of course balloons and streamers are always hits and room fillers. But you can incorporate your theme with making your own signs. In the past I have made banners that had pictures of characters, quotes, song lyrics, banners that named parts of the room, a 3 sided jail to stand behind and take your picture, and a cowboy to put your face in and take a picture. TRUST ME, I can NOT draw, but give me google images, a paint brush, and paint, you can come up with something!

For the Dr, Seuss party, I had signs to put coming up my driveway each with a different famous quote from a different Seuss classic, but unfortunately it was raining, so I did not get to put them out. I did put one on my front door that said a quote from the “Cat In The Hat” and had a picture of the cat printed from the computer.

Games-

This can be what makes the party! Think of games that go along with the theme! We have had pirate treasure hunts, sand pits to dig for gold, We helped Old McDonald find his lost chicken eggs..(easter eggs with candy inside) and we have played fireman bingo! ANY party, can have unique games that kids will enjoy. There is no need in paying for expensive entertainers!

CAKE:

Make your own! Simple as that! Take a class at your local Jo Ann’s or Hobby Lobby, or watch you tube. I took a class, but when I am making a cake and still need a new idea, I just search it on you tube and learn from watching someone else doing it!  I am a big fan of 3D cakes. I like for the cake to be more than just a square with plastic figures on it, The cake is always my centerpiece…so I kill 2 birds with 1 stone! Here is the cake I made for the Dr. Seuss party

SO, ON YOUR NEXT PARTY, BLOW OUT THE CANDLES, NOT YOUR BUDGET!

To see more Thrifty ideas, visit the  Coupon Teacher and Life As Mom.<–>

I disclose: There may be affiliate links in this post.