Who doesn't love a good party? I certainly anticipate any upcoming event we will be throwing with joy and excitement, especially when that event is one of our children's birthday parties. There really is nothing like seeing your child's eyes light up on his or her own special day and watching him eagerly wait for his guests to arrive for the big event. Party planning can be fun but later seeing an excessive number of charges appear on your credit card statement due to said event, is not fun. There are a plethora of companies willing to sell you the full-blown array of Dora the Explorer party gear, for example, often for a price that would make Dora sigh "Dios Mio." There are also countless venues that will rent you their facility in which to host your party if you would prefer to entertain away from your own home. Some of these are quite inexpensive, whereas others are on the pricey side. Regardless of what you decide to incorporate into your little prince or princess' party, the costs can quickly add up.
Two years ago, I was asked to speak on the topic of planning a birthday party on a budget at one of our Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meetings at my church. I often use the majority of the below tips when planning my own children's parties and have stayed within the $100-$150 range for each of these events. Granted, this will vary based on the number of people you have attending the parties and the areas in which you decide to splurge on something really special to both you and your child. But either way, let me reassure you that it is possible to throw an extra special party for your little one without having to take a line of credit out to do it. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~• Decide what you can afford to spend on the party. Stick to it. No exceptions.
• Pick an inexpensive location. Parks and backyards are great for warm weather and are often either free or very inexpensive to rent; inside the house or a public building (church, fast food restaurant with play land, etc.) are comparable for cool weather. There are also local venues in most areas that are kid-geared and quite inexpensive to rent. Mr. B's Cafe at Calvary Church of Souderton is a great example of one of those places in my area, for anyone who is local.
• Borrow whatever you can from friends or other contacts. This includes decorations, extra tables and chairs, tents, serving pieces, etc. The party will very quickly add up if on top of having to purchase the necessary party goods, you also end up needing to rent tables and chairs or buy a new punch bowl.
• Invitations: Handwritten, homemade or computer-generated invitations work well and add a personal touch to the party. If you like, you can even give them out by hand and save a few dollars on stamps. Or, if your child's friends (or their parents) all have e-mail addresses, consider using an online service such as Evite.com.
• Food: Try to make as much of the food yourself as you can, even if it’s not fancy. This includes the cake, if possible. Enlist the aid of grandparents and family members. Purchase any premade foods in bulk, and remember that kids are usually happy with inexpensive foods like hot dogs and pasta salad. Have plenty of snacks such as goldfish crackers and pretzels on hand, too. Also remember that homemade is not always necessarily the least expensive. Costso has a mean potato salad that runs about $7 or $8 for a huge tub. So, unless you are set on Grandma Pearl's homemade potato salad, this could be a less expensive alternative, and a huge time-saver.
• Beverage: Serve juice, punch or soda from large bottles, rather than offering individual containers or juice boxes.
• Games: Play classic games such as Red Light, Green Light or Hide ‘n Seek. For games with “props’, see if you can make any of the components yourself. Prizes for preschoolers are not necessary; if desired, consider offering a “service reward” such as allowing that child to pick their goody bag first, have the first piece of cake (after the birthday child, of course!), etc.
• Entertainment: Expensive, expensive! Consider having Dad or Grandpa dress up as Elmo if you need to have this.
• Make a pinata yourself instead of purchasing one. See www.e-how.com Fill it with inexpensive treats sold in bulk. Fruit snacks; individual portions of Goldfish, Cheddar Bunnies, etc.; and granola bars also make good fillers that are often less expensive than pre-packaged pinata filler assortments or other candies.
• For theme parties, choose a few paper goods to purchase in the (expensive) print and then fill in the rest with coordinating solid-colored paper goods. Same goes for balloons – pick one or two mylar ones and fill in the rest with less expensive latex ones.
• Try incorporating some items you already have on hand as part of the decorations instead of purchasing (expensive) party store decorations. Not everything needs to come from the party store so think outside the box and be creative! If your son is having a Disney Cars party, pull out those plush Lightening McQueens for centerpieces. Same for a princess party. Decorate the table with wands and purses from your daughter's dress-up stash.
• Use paper lunch bags as goody bags. They are least expensive in the natural brown color but white and other colors are still less expensive than buying premade goody bags or boxes. Decorate with stickers or rubber stamps. Or have the birthday child decorate them for his friends.
• Pick a few areas to splurge for those “must-haves” but watch your spending in other less important areas. Goody bags are not necessary if you will be doing a pinata for one of the activites since everyone will pocket some take-homes from that. Be sure to stay within your set budget!
• My favorite web sites:
- http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/ (hundreds of birthday cake ideas)
- http://www.orientaltrading.com/ (great for party goods, goodie bags, crafts, décor)
- http://www.birthdaydirect.com/ (great party supplies for less)
- http://www.e-how.com/ (how to do just about anything…literally.)
- http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/ (real life testimonies with ideas for any theme)
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