Need help planning a Childrens Birthday Party On A Budget this year? Here are all the tips you need to create a fun but affordable Birthday Party for your child, from birthday invitations to affordable decor and food and drink ideas.
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Your child’s birthday is a special day and every kid looks forward to this day and celebrating it with their friends and family. As a mom, I want to make this the best and most fun day for them, one that they can remember and talk about for years.
I personally think planning a kid party is a ton of fun and I get to be creative while making all sorts of DIYs. My kids also love helping and decorating for their big day. But the only thing about these kid parties I don’t like is how expensive they can quickly get.
That’s why I started to better plan and track what I wanted to spend for each party and how to save on things, while still throwing a fun and cute birthday party. I’ve listed all my tips and tricks on we how we are able to have an affordable birthday party for our kids, while still making them special and fun!
This post shows you how to throw a birthday party on a budget, while still making everything look cute
How to Plan A Fun Children’s Birthday Party
On a Budget
Before going out and shopping for the cheapest party decor, sit down and make a list of all the items you need for your party. I’ve made a simple Checklist that helps me keep everything organized and also so I don’t forget things. You can download my list HERE, or write down your own. Don’t forget to include the following:
- What’s the birthday theme?
- How many people are coming? How many adults, how many kids?
- What food and drinks will you serve?
- What kind of desserts do you need?
- What kind of decor do you want?
- Are you doing an activity for the kids?
- Are you handing out favors?
1. Set a Realistic Budget
Before planning any birthday party, it’s important to know what your budget is. Once you have a set budget in mind, you can decide on how many people you want to invite, where you want to host the party, what kind of food you want to offer, etc.
2. Choose an affordable Birthday Location
Location can take up a big chunk of your budget when you’re paying to rent out a space. There are so many options on where to have a children’s party but many places like the bowling alley or the local dance studio aren’t cheap. The cheapest option is to do it in your yard, house (if you have the space), or maybe even a friend’s house. Other affordable options:
- Nearby beach
- Local park
- Neighborhood clubhouse
- Local firehouse (some have rooms they rent out)
- Local recreation center room
- YMCA
- Local church
- Museum/Zoo
3. Smaller Guest List
There is probably nothing more that determines how much you will spend on a birthday party, than the guest list. The more people you invite, the more people you’ll have to feed, the more plates and decorations you’ll need, and so on. I’ve seen people go by the age rule. For example, if your child is turning 7, they get to invite 7 friends. I think it’s a great rule if you really want to keep things small.
We’ve never really stuck by that rule because our kids are still pretty young, and for the most part, we only invite a few local friends and family. If I combine the girls’ birthdays, I invite more people, but still, try to not go overboard. When my kids were only in Pre-K, I did a lot of their parties during the week, since most of our friends were stay-at-home moms, and had time during the week. If you host a party on a weekend, chances are more people can come and might bring an extra sibling or significant other.
Now that my oldest is in Kindergarten, I let her invite a few friends, not the whole class though. Only the ones she really loves and plays with. You could even do an all-girls, or all-boys party.
4. Timing is everything
The best time to host your children’s birthday party is from 2pm to 5pm. Guests will most likely already have lunch and are heading home before dinner. Between lunch and dinner really is the best time, as you can serve snacks and desserts, but no one is expecting a full meal, which will save you a ton of money.
5. Go digital with Invitations
While receiving a physical invitation in the mail is exciting and cute, I suggest going digital. You can easily find a completely free invitation online, or a very affordable option on Etsy. I love designing our invites in Canva or Picmonkey (for free), downloading them as a pdf document, and just texting or emailing it to everyone on the guest list.
6. Start supply hunting early
When you start shopping for all your party supplies early, you will avoid having to order everything last minute or paying for overprized everything at a party store. There are many great sales throughout the year, where you can score amazing deals. The Target dollar section or the dollar store is also great for cheap party supplies.
7. Don’t buy themed party supplies
While Paw Patrol napkins are adorable, it is much cheaper to just buy plain blue and green napkins instead. The same goes for all other party supplies, you can get much better deals on any non-themed party supplies, especially at the dollar stores. Napkins and plates will be thrown in the trash anyway, so I would rather invest the money and personalize other things, that really stand out. Maybe make a themed paw patrol cake instead!?
I buy very neutral party supplies such as plates and napkins in bulk online, and then can reuse them for every party, regardless of what theme we are having that year. This way nothing goes to waste and I save a ton of money.
8. Upcycle party favors
I’m not sure about your kids, but mine come home with a ton of candy from school and kid parties throughout the year. Like A TON! While we let them have a few here and there, I save all the candy and cheap little toys that they will forget about anyway and use them to fill a Piñata for each party. They love the Piñata tradition for each birthday and it also serves as an activity for the kids and its fillings as favors. I use these little plastic baggies for the kids to fill in their candy:
9. Skip the goodie bags
This is such a controversial topic, but I personally think favors at the end of a kid’s party are unnecessary. Mostly because when we attend a party, I feel like my kids had a great time, we all got fed and most likely had way too much sugar anyway. The host already provided a great time for the kids, they provided food and drinks and I just don’t see why they need to then on top, provide little gifts for everyone.
But I know, many feel differently, so if you do feel like making good bags or handing out favors, here are some budget and candy-free options:
- crayons or coloring books from the dollar store
- chalk
- bubbles
- finger puppets
10. Make your own cake
If you are not a baker, buying a cake mix and pre-made frosting is totally fine and will save you lots of money. If your kids are old enough, they might even enjoy helping to prepare the cake.
Buying a cake from the supermarket can also be a more affordable option, add some extra decoration and a cute cake topper from Etsy.
I hope this gave you some fun ideas on how to throw an amazing kids’ birthday party, without going over budget. And, if you know some secrets I haven’t shared, please share them in the comments below. I’d love to hear them!!
If you are looking for more Activities to do with your kids, check out the following Blog Posts:
{ Fun Indoor Activity for toddlers (and Preschoolers) that they’ll love }
{ Cute Valentine’s Day Treat for kids }
{ Valentine’s Day Breakfast for Kids }
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