These days parents dish out hundreds of dollars to celebrate a birthday that their one-year-old will never remember. I get it though, it's a celebration for the parents as much as the child. With sites like Etsy, and inspiration from Pinterest, it's very easy for those cute decorations to get expensive. So how do you throw a super cute party without breaking the bank?
Pick a theme early:
I know that this is hard to do with a child any older than one, since they change their minds daily, however, if you can, pin down what you want to do so that you can start looking for cheap items to go with your theme. For Little Man, we had two or three themes we thought of, and made a final decision on dinosaurs when we saw that Target had napkins, banner, invitations, and table clothes 75% off. We got all four (and multiples of everything but the banner) for about $7!
Don't buy everything on theme:
Once we had the napkins, table cloths, and banner on theme, we could just buy solid color plates and cups to go with the theme, without it actually having dinosaurs on it. This way I could buy large quantities for a fraction of the price it would have cost, had I bought 4 or 5 sets of 10 plates. Make Your Own Cake
I have a cousin who got her little girl's cake for $35. It was beautiful and professional. If you have a friend who will make a cake at cost or at a discount, then I say go for it! Even when using a box cake mix it can be difficult to assemble, and to make it look professional. (I normally like to make things from scratch, but it was just too much on my plate to add making a cake from scratch to it). This is one of those things that although spending $10 to make a cake vs. sometimes buying it at $50-$100 is much cheaper, it can be one of those 'worth it' things for all the trouble it is to make. Thankfully, I took basic cake decorating classes as a teen, so I quite enjoy making my own.
Other Tips
Make your activity be your favor: Making sure you thank your guests for coming, has become something that can be expensive. What I decided to do for Little Man's party, was print out free coloring sheets and let the kids color and take it home. I also put dinosaur toys as cupcake toppers, and let the kids take theirs home with them.
DIY:
Pinterest has a lot (and I mean A LOT) of diy inspiration for birthday parties. So much so, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Since it can be so over whelming, I have one more tip:
Don't Do Everything
Breathe, it will be okay if you don't have the greatest, and most on trend birthday party. Although I did a pretty elaborate party this past year (for me at least), Little Man will have much smaller parties until his big birthdays (5, 10, 13, etc.). Even though I spent around $70 on his party, and feel great about it, it can be a lot to spend (especially if you have several kids!). Kids remember the experience and spending time with their friends more than if you had the trendiest party of the year. Do what your budget and family can do. Sometimes that means no party at all. In those cases, there are ways to make your kid's day special for free.
How do you save money on your kid's parties?
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