Birthday parties are on my mind right now. In a few weeks I celebrate my own birthday, followed one week later by my daughter's 3rd birthday. Because I hit the big 3-0 last year, my birthday party focus is entirely on my daughter. Mainly because I am going to remain 30 forever. Right? :-)
Here are a few ways that I can think of to stretch a buck on birthday parties:
1) If you are having a party at home, start looking for food bargains in advance. For example, I picked up a ham for dirt cheap after the holidays and threw it in my freezer to have for my daughter's party. Keep your menu as simple as possible. Save even more money and have a mid afternoon party where you can serve cake, drinks and a few light snacks.
2) Do what you can yourself. If you like to bake, make the birthday cake or cupcakes (easier!) and place pre-made decorations on top. Rather than paying to have balloons blown up, find a small tank and balloons at a discount store (party stores are usually more expensive) and do this yourself. Make or print your own invitations and thank you notes rather than ordering them. There are many things that you can do yourself rather than paying to have them done if your budget is tight or if you are trying to make room for something special.
3) If you want to have a party at a location, consider going to a local park (free!) rather than paying to rent a place out. (This tip is for those of you lucky enough to have warm weather birthday parties to plan!) Also check with your church or local community hall as they are likely to be much cheaper (or free) than other locations.
4) Seek alternatives to hiring out entertainment. Ask around to see if you have friends or family members who can assist with entertainment for free or at a fraction of the cost. Or do a craft rather than having entertainment. The craft could also serve as the party favor which will save you money on goody bags.
5) If you must do goody bags, keep an eye out year round for candy and trinkets that get clearanced out after the holidays or seasons. That way you will have these items on hand when your party rolls around. And of course, use coupons when you can. You can often get candy for free or very cheap at stores like CVS and Walgreens.
What are your best tips to save when hosting a gathering? I would love to hear your ideas!
Friday, February 6, 2009
5 Ways to Stretch a Buck: Birthday Parties
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Great ideas! Something that works for us is the use of dinnerware. I get the special theme plates for the kids. For the adults however I purchase a matching color but plain plates and bowls. They match but cost so much less!
Can you practice your balloon animal making skills and come to M's party? :)
Hi Marcy!
I wanted to share with you my son's Scooby Doo themed party last summer:
-We cooked hot dogs on the grill, and had chips and a few goodies like "Scooby Snacks" I got with a coupon, plus Kool Aid.
-Baked my own cake and topped with a Scooby Candle purchased from Michaels with my 40% off coupon.
-Did my own invitations with a pack of scooby stickers.
-Had the kids decorate their own "doggie bags" using stamps, stickers and markers on lunch bags. I later put stickers, granola bars and fruit snacks in them for a giveaway.
-For entertainment we got a couple of pounds of dry ice from an ice cream shop and poured water over it in a cooler to make fog, which the kids went nuts over. I also drew a large Mystery Machine on some butcher paper for the kids to paint, and downloaded some free color pages.
-We did a mummy dress up game where the kids used crepe paper to dress each other. You can use toilet paper too.
Although this sounds pretty lavish, it was probably the least expensive party we've ever had, esp considering it was also the largest since my son was turning 5 so we invited pretty much everyone we knew. Like you said, I planned ahead by watching the sales on the food, used coupons, and just spent a little time planning ahead.
Great suggestions, Marcy!
I've also found that our local Dollar stores have a great variety of paper party products. At $1 a pack, it's much less expensive than picking them up from party stores, and cheaper than big-box retailers even.
Birthday parties are expensive! I struggle with this 3 times a year. I had my two oldest at home last time but realized after I broke down the cost I was not saving much and it was a lot more stressful. We had my youngest at a public pool and it was under $100 for 10 swimmers, pizza, drinks, and churros. You just have to check out the options in your area and limit the party size as much as possible. This year my older two are turning 9 and we are doing sleepovers with 4 or 5 kids. Time to simplify things!
We just spent about $100 for my daughter's fourth birthday party, and that included her gifts. We used our National City debit (not credit!) card points to get a $100 Amazon gift certificate. We used this to get plenty of (read "WAY MORE THAN WE NEEDED") Backyardigans plates, cups, napkins, and decorations. We also got her several gifts with the balance of the certificate. In fact, we didn't spend a dime on gifts other than what we got with the certificate.
We ordered cake decorations from eBay. People there sell icing sheets in all sorts of character designs. I baked a cake from scratch (cheaper and a little healthier) and bought white icing from the bakery at my local grocery store. All I had to do was lay the icing sheet over my icing and pipe around it. I also used finger puppets to stick down in the icing to make the cake more 3D. My daughter LOVED it so much she stuck her finger right in the design before everyone arrived! :)
Food-wise, we chose pork roasts (on sale for $1.99/lb.) and put them in the crock pot with barbeque sauce (on sale for $1 a bottle). Cook for 10 hours on low, shred it, and place on inexpensive buns. Add the chips and Pepsi we picked up when CVS had the Buy-$20-get-$10-ECB deal going, and you have great party food!
I was amazed at how frugally we did her birthday party. And to be honest, we had more character-themed things this year than ever before. They were always "too expensive" before. Now I just know how to get them for nothing or next-to-nothing.
To reward ourselves and surprise her, we splurged $8.99 + sand weight for a GIGANTIC Pablo the Penguin Backyardigans mylar balloon. She was so excited that she squealed and danced. I'm glad that we could do that. And we were able to do it because we had saved so much on the other areas of the party!
allow others to bring a dish if they want (we have a big family and we are always willing to bring a bag of chips and salsa to someone else's party)
use digital camera and print only those you want to display or scrap (print at Ritz Camera on Tuesday or Wednesday for 5cent photos!!)
have kids stamp on brown bags for the goodie bags- way cheaper and the kids have fun!
one year we did not give goodie bags but instead I found cheap terra cotta pots and seeds at Target... I put those at each kiddo's place and then allowed them to decorate their own pot! instant party favor!
oh yea, one more... my girls decorated their own cake one year- put Polly Pockets on them... I use trucks for my son's centerpieces.... you can find what they really like by looking in their room :)
if doing a cookout ask the butcher for a deal on meat- late at night when he is putting it all away- he will gladly sell it to you then than have to repackage for tomorrow!
Forgo the themed plates, napkins, etc. completely. If you must use paper, go generic. That way you can use the leftovers at future gatherings!
Use e-invites.
If you feel you need a different tablecloth, get a solid color that you can reuse. We purchased a red vinyl cloth for a luau party that has worked well for Christmas and everyday!
Remember, kids just want to be kids. You don't have to have party bags or expensive activities/games. Just let them play!
Something I've always done is, the day before the party, I make 3-4 cakes ,and get ice cream and a few snacks. Then whenever anyone (even the neighbor)stops by we have a small party! sometimes its 5 or 6 different times! But its not expensive and the kids and my husband really feel special. By now everyone knows we do this its a very nice day.
I second the pool idea! We did my 7-yr-old's party at the indoor civic center pool in October. We played at the playground outside & had cake/ice cream in the pavilion. If the weather had been bad, we could have rented a room for $12/hr instead. Then we paid $1.50/kid for swimming. She's already asking to do it there again next year!
Excellent ideas! I have done some of them myself such as the cake and invitations. I usually try to have a mid afternoon party. The shopping for food specials in advance is a great idea.
We just celebrated my daughter's 10th Birthday. Instead of hiring an outside company to entertain the girls (5 of them). I hired my 15 year old daughter. She kept them happy, busy & wet (with giant water balloons) for $20!
Instead of cooking for the girls we took them to the Border Cafe. Kids meals are $2.98 & they get a choice of M&M's or Starburst candies. 11 people (6 kids, 5 adults) ate for less then $80, and I had no mess to clean up afterwards.
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