Guest post from Liz of Catholic Deals
I know that many frugal families save money on birthdays by keeping celebrations very small and low-key. That is the perfect choice for some families, but our family really enjoys throwing bigger celebrations.
Each year I plan a themed birthday party for each of my children and their friends. We really enjoy coming up with creative ideas together to plan a celebration based on their current interests.
I also love that party planning is what most excites my children about their birthdays, and gifts are a much lesser focus.
However, we do not have a huge budget for birthdays. In fact, my oldest 3 children’s’ birthdays fall within two weeks of each other, so that makes keeping a small budget even more important.
If you also love planning big parties, you might be interesting in some of the ways we “go big” for very little!
Party at Home
In my community, many children’s parties are held at outside venues, such as gymnastics studios or bounce houses. These parties cost several hundred dollars, often without including food.
One of the biggest ways that I save on our parties is to have them at home. We have a small home, but we have been able to make many sizes of party work with a little creative furniture moving or by using our yard.
If you cannot use your home, there are some low-cost alternatives. Perhaps a relative or friend would be willing to host the party for you. Also, investigate free or inexpensive venues, such as playgrounds, state or local parks, and craft stores.
If you have your party at home or at one of these low-cost venues, you free up the majority of your budget for the party supplies!
Use What You Have
If you are planning a party that is themed around a child’s interests, you probably have much of what you need to decorate already in your home.
Princess party? Line your mantel with her princess dolls and tiaras and hang up tulle and jewelry from her dress-up bin as garlands. Sports party? Put his baseball cards and team paraphernalia on display.
Also think creatively about what else you might not need to buy. Does the party really require plastic silverware or can you just use your regular forks? Can you use decorations or party goods left over from another party? Can you use supplies from your regular craft stash for party activities?
Plan Ahead
For the items that you do have to buy, try to plan ahead as much as possible. My children and I are usually day-dreaming about party themes up to six months in advance. The advantage of this is that I start to keep my eye out for good deals on anything that might work for the theme. I have found many favor bag and décor items on clearance this way.
Also, I typically place an order from an online party store, since I have found them to have the best deals. I order everything for all three of the children’s parties at once in order to get free shipping. This would work even for parties that are more spread out, as long as you plan ahead.
Use Your Everyday Frugal Strategies
By this I mean, use coupons, sales, and cooking from scratch! As mentioned above, I always make sure to get free shipping for any online orders. I also buy a lot from craft stores like Michaels using their 40% or 50% off coupons. Party City also offers coupons occasionally.
For food, if you know your menu well in advance, you can shop sales and use coupons just as you would with your regular groceries.
Making your own cake is also a huge money saver, and there are so many easy ideas on Pinterest that do not require super cake decorating skills.
Focus on the Essentials
Most importantly, spend your money where it will have the biggest impact and mean the most to your child.
For instance, I have found that all the kids really look forward to favor bags, so that is something I make sure to include. However, children often eat very little at parties, so I generally hold them at a time when I can serve only snacks and cake.
I also often use email invitations, using the money I would have spent on paper invitations and stamps for something else.
Remember, the point of all your work is not to meet some arbitrary standard or have a Pinterest-worthy party, but to celebrate your child and make a little birthday magic together.
Liz McGuirk lives in Northern Virginia, with her husband and four children. She blogs about “Savings for the Catholic home” at Catholic Deals.
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