We’ve all been there. Your kid's birthday is coming up and they’re expecting something big. The problem is your budget doesn’t exactly match your kids’ birthday fantasies. Check out four simple ways below you can throw a great party on an air tight budget!
Host the Party at Your Home or Restaurant
If you're hosting a small party and plan to invite no more than 20 people, consider hosting it at your own home or at a restaurant. Venues make up the largest part of any budget, but you could save hundreds if you have enough space to entertain your kids’ friends in the comfort of your own home. Plus, when it comes to decorating your party, whatever you say, goes! Vendors can have limitations on hanging decorations from the walls or ceiling while others prohibit the use of glitter or confetti. You can’t have a kid’s party without glitter or confetti! If your home is large enough to accommodate your guests, consider a local restaurant that has a back room for parties. Restaurants may charge a small fee for use of the room but compared to the price of a venue it’s definitely worth it. Some restaurants won’t charge you any fees at all, but either way I would suggest tipping the wait staff well.
Cook & Prepare the Food Yourself Instead of Having it Catered
If you’ve opted to host your kids’ birthday party in your own home, you’ll still have to overcome the second largest part of your budget: food and refreshments. If you want to provide your guests with great food but don’t have the budget for catering, you may want to consider preparing the food yourself. While this will take up more time it will save you big bucks when it comes to your bottom line. To give you a good example, a simple croissant and deli meat tray can cost you an average of $35 and only serves 10-15 guests. That’s because you’re paying for the labor involved in putting all those sandwiches together. Cut out the middle man, roll up your sleeves, and make those sandwiches yourself and you’ll quickly find that you’ll not only save money, but it will feed a lot more hungry kids.
Make Your Own Party Decorations
If you’re crafty and find yourself with a little spare time on your hands, consider making your own party decorations. There are tons of DIY tutorials on Pinterest and YouTube that will walk you through how to make everything from streamers to balloon arches. You can use Microsoft Word or Publisher to make small thank you cards to jazz up your party favors. Another cool way to make your own decorations is with a die cut machine like Cricut Explorer. While I wouldn’t suggest it for a one-time investment if you already own one of these miracle machines you know they can save you a lot of time not to mention preventing carpal tunnel from cutting out all those signs. They have all kinds of designs you can download and use, or you can use your own design.
Checkout Your Local Discount Store
If you’re too busy to make your own decorations, then check out your local discount store where everything is only $1. Most people are surprised to find that these stores know how to get their party poppin! They almost always carry a huge supply of party decorations and supplies in different colors and themes. You might be able to get all the decorations you need for under $30!
Whether you're looking to go all out for your kids birthday or just keep it simple with a little bit of time and creativity you pull off a great birthday party for almost any budget. At the end of the day, what's most important is that you get to make precious memories with your child that will last a lifetime.
Lena Wright, owner of The Party Poppers is your go to Pinterest Party Mom. From Birthdays and Baby Showers to Retirement Parties she gets your party poppin' with her unique design style and hand-crafted decorations! Contact her today for help with your next party.
Publisher note: We recommend you just hire Lena and let her do all the work for you! She has great ideas and is very affordable.
Learn more about Lena and her business in our Money Making Mama Guide.
