5 Affordable Birthday Party Tips
With five boys I have done my fair share of birthday parties. It is always something I have enjoyed.
When I only had one child, it was easy to get carried away and spend too much.
As more children came along, and all of our boys have birthday parties within a 90 day period, I have learned how to throw a fun party on a strict budget.
Here are my five core tips for throwing a birthday party on a budget
5 Affordable Birthday Party Tips
Backyard or Party at the Park– some of the best birthday parties are at home in back yards or at the local park. We love renting a pavilion at the local park for $20 and having the party there. Celebrate with water play games, simple scavenger hunts and fun activities for kids that cost nothing to create. Offer affordable food ideas that are delicious but do not break the bank.
Dollar Stores and Dollar Bins– search the dollar bins and dollar stores for fun and creative party favor gifts for the kids. Party favors can add up quickly. Just because you’re buying on a budget does not mean you are getting “junk”. Be intentional. I love to find things like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, stickers, fun pencils, sand pails and more in the dollar spots. These make the perfect party favors. Pair 2-3 items together and you’ve got an awesome party favor. One of my favorite combinations is a sand pail and bubbles. Kids love this! You can also find great party supplies here as well- cups, plates and plastic ware that match your theme or party colors.
Make it Yourself– I want for my kids to remember our birthday parties as something I used my own hands to create. I love, love, love making the invitations by hand from scrapbooking paper and supplies. And making the cake and cupcakes myself has always been a tradition. I love finding affordable printables online (less than $5) to make simple and fun favors and thank you’s for our guests. It is truly what I love! (Forgive some of these older posts linked below with pictures before I used a DSLR camera.)
- Best Homemade Cupcake Recipe Ever
- Homemade Buttercream Icing
- Homemade Chocolate Buttercream Icing
- Kids Party Food Ideas
- Homemade Lego Party Favors
- Lego Candy Cupcake Toppers
- 10 tips for making homemade birthday invitations
Remember that you can also send birthday invites online. I have done this before and Evite is a great way to do that. Perfect for families who love organizing and coordinating digitally!
Simplicity– spending $500 hosting a birthday party does not mean anything other than the fact that you spent a bunch of money. Sometimes simplicity says so much more. I have been to so many birthday parties that are just over the top. It starts to feel like a content. Don’t fall into this trap. The party is about celebrating your child. As you plan each element of the party keep that as part of your focus. Ask yourself, and I doing “xyz” for my child or to impress my friends? I love these tips for planning a birthday party on a budget.
Make Memories– I have so many fun birthday memories with my kids. We loved the year we decorated the cupcakes as an activity at the party. The year we did Olympic games in our backyard and the rewards were made of construction paper with yarn and we played tug of war and the bean bag toss. Celebrate Express has some fun birthday decor ideas as well. Right now you can get 30% off your first order.
Giveaway
Evite and Sandra Lee are giving away a $2,500 ultimate party! This giveaway runs until June 30th and we are helping promote the giveaway by sharing great party planning ideas and tips.
Go here to enter to win!
How do you celebrate and throw birthday parties for your kids but manage to stay on a budget? I would love to hear your best tips!
More Birthday Party Ideas:
- First Birthday on a Budget
- 9 Ways to Throw a Birthday Party on a Budget
- Homemade First Birthday Invitations
- Super Hero Birthday Party
- DIY Lego Juice Boxes
This post is sponsored by Savings.com. Please feel free to read my disclosure here.
These are some great ideas. With two summer birthdays in our home, not to mention friends and family, I will putting these tips to use soon.
Birthday parties can be so expensive these days, thanks for sharing these great tips! I love evite too.
Great tips! And you are so right about the birthday party contest point. My daughter’s birthday is in September, and I’m already planning and getting wrapped up in all of the decor on Pinterest. Thank you for bringing me down to earth. It’s about her, not me. And I need to keep it simple. She’ll only be 2; she won’t remember it anyway. 🙂 I love searching through the Target dollar bins for favors. They’re the best!