If you spend time on the internet as a mother, Pinterest and the Mommy blogs might have you worried that you need to throw an elaborate, expensive birthday party for your child. Luckily, this isn’t true.
If you’re on a tighter budget, you can throw your child a party that they will love and remember for years to come, if you get a little creative.
From party venues to decorations, there are lots of ways to throw a kid’s birthday party on a budget and still throw a great party.
Keep The Guest List Small
The more guests you have, the more expensive your party will be. More guests mean a bigger venue, more food and drinks, more party favors, and more entertainment.
Try to keep the guest list small. Instead of throwing a party for the whole class, ask your child to pick a shortlist of their closest friends and throw a much smaller party.
The money you save can be put into things like decorations, food, and games to make a themed party.
Have The Party At Home
If you have a smaller guest list, you might not need to hire a venue at all. Instead, have the party at home. Your child’s best friends can come to the house for food and games and maybe stay over a night.
A sleepover is a good excuse for keeping the guest list small too if some parents wonder why their child wasn’t invited.
If you do need a venue, you could look for local venues that tend to be cheaper, like village halls rather than large party venues.
Get Outside
If your child’s birthday is in the summer and the weather is good, take the party outside.
Pack up lots of picnic food and blankets to sit down and set up some outdoor games. Children love being outside and will have a good time just running around the garden or the park, at no cost to you at all.
Picnic food is often cheaper to prepare too, so you can make another saving there too, without looking like you’re being stingy.
Keep It Simple
Think about your own parties as a child. What do you remember about them? You probably mostly remember having fun with your friends and don’t remember much about the decorations or the food.
Children often have simple tastes and don’t need much to have a good time. Elaborate parties are more for the parents or the internet. Children are perfectly happy with a simple party, as long as they have their friends there.
Plan classic party games, serve simple, kid-friendly food like sandwiches and ice cream, and make the cake yourself. Keep it simple to save a lot of money, but still giving your kid a fun party.
You can keep the decor simple too. You don’t need to spend a fortune on themed decor. Balloons and paper streamers are affordable, but still look good. Buy them in your child’s favorite colors and you’re done.
