It seems like children's birthday parties are rivaling weddings when
it comes to cost. But when it comes down to it, most children are
pretty happy with simple birthday celebrations. Here are five ideas for
keeping birthday party costs cheap -- without sacrificing fun.
When it comes to throwing any type of party, children's birthday
parties included, the time of day can make or break your budget because
of one simple little factor: food. If you have your child's party around
lunch or dinner time, it's assumed that you'll also be providing a
meal. Instead, try having your party just after lunch -- around 2 p.m.
You can easily get away with having just birthday cake and something
festive to drink, which will help keep you on budget.
The rule of thumb when creating your guest list is that your child
can invite one guest for each year old he or she is -- for example, your
5-year-old can invite five friends. This seems to be the magic number,
no matter what age they may be.
It's funny how a party for six of your child's friends can suddenly
turn into a full-blown bash of forty people once you start to consider
those children's parents and siblings attending as well! If your kids
are old enough, there's a simple solution to this: the drop-off party.
On the invite, note that the party is drop-off only, eliminating
lingering parents and siblings that also need food, cake, drinks and
favors.
Let's talk about
those party favor bags -- it may seem like they aren't costing much
because each little thing in that bag doesn't break the bank, but when
you start to do the math, it's easy to see that party favors are big
budget holes.
Instead of filling up goodie bags for favors, stick with one favor
for each child -- a new yo-yo or a container of sidewalk chalk --
whatever fits the theme of your party and your child's age best. Wrap it
up with a pretty ribbon and your guests are sure to be thrilled. Plus,
the other parents will love you for not sending home another bag of
little toys that will break in 10 seconds and end up in the garbage.
Decorations, simple is best
Think about it for a minute -- what's the only birthday party
decoration that your child is really interested in? Balloons! Forget
about all the other stuff to help keep this birthday party cheap -- the
personalized banners, custom T-shirts and fancy tissue paper pom-poms --
two dozen ballons go a long way when decorating and we promise that
your child will never miss the other stuff (even though you might!).
Balloons also double as great, inexpensive party favors as your guest
are walking out the door.
We certainly realize that all the rage right now with children's
birthday parties is finding the coolest venue in town and the appeal to
parents is high -- most parents would pay a fortune to not have to clean
up after a dozen 12-year-olds eating chocolate cake! However, if you're
truly looking to keep birthday party costs low, a party at home is the
best option.
Instead of the built-in entertainment of a bouncy house or gym full
of trampolines, play some super fun party games or plan a craft that is
both age-appropriate and fit to the theme of your party. Plan a pirate's
treasure hunt in your backyard or set up a beauty salon in your living
room -- even picking up supplies for these activities are sure to cost
less than a pricey birthday party venue.
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