Birthdays and birthday parties are all about fun and memories. Not about budgets and saving money, right? But, why can’t you do both – create the great memories without breaking the bank! As you know, I have had several birthdays in my house recently. I would love to tell you that I’m going to share all of the things that I did to keep the birthdays and birthday parties at a reasonable price but that’s not the case. So I’m going to share some tips that helped me save money as well as some things that I learned along the way!
Plan Ahead!!
This will be the theme throughout! Planning ahead is key when preparing for a birthday party. And when I say ahead, I mean start planning the day after your child’s last birthday party! Write down a list of the things that you purchased for the party and some ideas for the next party. After a party is the best time to make this list since it is fresh in our minds – things that were successful, things that need to be changed, and new ideas that may have come up during the party!
Location
- Have the party at your home! If your home is not big enough, have the party at a family member’s house. Or maybe a friend’s house. For Cailynn’s first birthday (and second), we lived in a small apartment. It would have been impossible to have her party there. So, we had it at her grandparents house.
- If you have your heart set on having the party outside of your home, do your research and keep an open mind. If you have your mind set on a specific location, the price will be set. Look into a variety of options so that you can get the best deal.
Invitations
- Make your own! What a great way to get your child involved. Have your child help you create the invitations. Or, make the invitations yourself. My mother makes beautiful cards so, in the past, we have made the cards together.
- Look for deals, especially clearance items. This is where planning ahead comes in. Start scanning the ends of the aisles for invitations that have been clearanced out!
- Check for deals online! Take advantage of FREE photo card deals that pop up during the holidays. Rather than getting holiday cards, turn the photo cards into invitations!
Food and Cake
- Make your own cake! When I called to order an ice cream cake for Cailynn and Ellie, I was told that the total was $35!! I was shocked. So, I decided to try making my own and it turned out great!! Rather than spending $35, I spent just $7!
- Plan your menu a few months before the party so that you can look for sales on the items you will need. Cake and frosting were on sale a couple weeks before the party so I was able to stock up for less than $.50 each!
- If someone offers to bring something, let them. I had several people ask what they could bring and I gave them a few options.
Decorations
- Go easy on the themed decorations! It can get expensive when you have to buy cups, napkins, plates, etc that follow the same theme. If you want to have a theme, buy an one or two themed items and get solid colors to match.
- Look for sales, especially clearance! At the end of the summer seaon, you should find some paper products on clearance. Shop the aisles. I was able to pick up Ellie’s first birthday plates at Walmart on clearance about six months before her birthday!
- Blow up your balloons! Because I went to get balloons at the last minute, I ended up buying 3 balloons and spending $5! I could have bought a package of 24 balloons for $1.99. This is another item to look for on the clearance racks!
Party Favors
- Are they necessary? These bags are often filled with cheap items that get thrown away when they get home.
- Shop the sales and look for clearance items. If you decide to do favors, take advantage of sales so that you can get favors that will actually be used by the recipients. I have been able to get several card games (Pictureka and Monopoly) for $.25 or less. I have considered saving these to use as party favors when the girls are older!
- Instead of party favors, do a craft that the kids can take home!
The biggest thing to remember is that we plan birthday parties to create memories!
The focus should be our children.
Do you have any other suggestions on how to plan a frugal birthday party?
Heather is the author of Spectacular Savings! She is married to her best friend and has two beautiful little girls. She loves taking hew knowledge of couponing and helping others save while using her blog as an opportunity to give!.
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