Celebrating a child’s birthday can turn into a real budget-buster. However, it is possible to have a fun and enjoyable
birthday celebration without spending a lot of money. Here are some easy ways to cut down on the cost and not the fun when planning your kid’s birthday.
1. Save Money by Celebrating at Home
The first thing you can do to cut costs when celebrating a birthday is to avoid throwing the party in a restaurant or hired play area. Instead, with some planning and creativity, you can easily celebrate the birthday at home with minimal fuss and maximum fun. Mark off an area for the birthday party. It can either be the family room or the dining room, or if you have the luxury of a lawn, take the party outside.
2. Rope in Friends to Help with Games and Servings
Hiring entertainers can be an expensive affair. Instead, request friends or hire a babysitter to help out with entertaining the little guests with party games and activities and also, with serving the food and drinks. Also, stick with inexpensive and easy-to-play games such as Simon Says, Pin the Tail, Musical Chairs and Passing the Parcel.
3. Inexpensive Party Décor Ideas
To give your home a special party feel, you can use things you already own and decorate the party area. Here are some easy-to-do ideas:
- Choose a color or character theme for the party and then, get started.
- Turn a plain white or pastel colored tablecloth into a party one by sticking on ribbons in your theme color all along the edges.
- Make centerpieces out of sugar cookies or homemade tissue paper flowers.
- Use cute kiddie bowls and cups to hold candy and confetti and place them around the room.
- A piñata can be a great attraction and you can find some inexpensive ones at an online party store such as Birthday in a Box.
- Make your own party banner with some chart paper, paint and colored paper. Add a photo of the birthday boy or girl for a personalized touch.
4. Bake Your Own Birthday Cake and Save Big Bucks
If you, like me, thought that baking a novelty or pretty cake for a child’s birthday is a mountain you’d rather not climb, you’d be pleasantly surprised. I had the opportunity to review Jessica Fisher aka FishMama’s eBooks on cool cakes for kids and adults, alike. Both Pretty.Cool.Cakes and More Cool Cakes are filled with recipes and how-tos to make a Dora cake or a Tangled one or a Bob the Builder cake and lots more. You’ll save a ton of money and enjoy a great looking and yummy birthday cake easily.
5. Limit the Birthday Party Guest List
Finally, one of the easiest ways to have a manageable, cost-effective yet fun birthday party is to restrict the guest list to a child’s closest friends. Inviting the whole class wouldn’t only tire you out but chances are the birthday boy or girl would end up spending maximum time with his closest friends. So, play safe and sensible and keep the guest list to a minimum.
Simple party planning tips like these would help you throw a party that is high on fun and low on cost and effort. For more on birthday party planning without the stress, check out these cool online resources for birthdays that are high on fun and low on fuss.