Welcome to part two of the Cheap Birthdays series (or birthdays on a budget of you prefer something that sounds less miserly 
). Yesterday I threw out a couple of ideas or party location. Now let’s look at some inexpensive decorating ideas, which are especially necessary if your location lacks some of the wow factor. If your child wants a theme party, try and steer them to themes such as monster trucks as opposed to Transformers. Licensed goods always cost an arm and a leg. If they insist on a specific theme, think of ways to recreate it with your printer, artistic skills and their existing toys. Also talk to other parents, they may just have that Transformers plastic tablecloth left over from a party they hosted in past.
Balloons
Kids love balloons, especially the under-five crowd. Helium can get expensive, whether you buy a ‘party-tank’ or pay someone to inflate them. If you must have helium filled balloons, consider getting enough to give each guest and the birthday child one balloon. Tie them to the chairs or use them in a centerpiece, which you later disassemble to give the guests their balloons. Another option in balloons on sticks. Blow up balloons the old-fashioned way then tape them to the end of a wooden skewer or straw. While they don’t float like helium balloons, kids still enjoy them and they are less likely to loose them outside. You can also get large bags of balloons inexpensively. Cover the floor with them and the kids won’t care if they float or not!
Streamers
Call me old-school, but nothing says let’s get this party started like colorful crepe paper streamers. A single roll is enough to decorate most rooms, but with the rolls costing around 50 cents each at party stores grab two or three theme appropriate colors. A standard design is to twist two colors of crepe together and make swags reaching from the center of the room to each corner. You can also tape a balloon to one end of crepe and tape the other end to the ceiling so the balloon dangles over the guests. You can swag it on the walls, drape it over chairs or decorate door ways with it. Streamers are the ultimate tightwad festive decoration.
Bunting
Bunting is much more attractive than streamers, but it does require more work then just plunking down some change at the store. The simplest way to may bunting is to cut small pennant-shed triangles from colorful paper with decorative-edge scissors or pinking shears. Staple the short sides of the triangles to a length of ribbon and drape the bunting around the room the same way you do streamers.
Tablecloths
You can make any room say party with a theme-appropriate table cloth. For an alien or space theme use aluminum foil to cover the table (and doors, walls, etc). Cheap sheets from the thrift store can be used with a variety of themes. Paint roads on the sheet for a car or truck party or paint castles or fairies for princess party. Another option is to use butcher paper to cover the table then present the guests with a few crayons. They can decorate the table covering themselves between actvities.
What are some ways you have decorated a party room inexpensively? Let us know in the comments!
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