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Credit: B Boy

Happy Friday! Today is the final installment in the Cheap Birthday series, I hope you have all found some tips to inspire you next time one of the kiddos decides to get a year older.

Birthday invitations and favors fall into a single category in my mind, because neither is really necessary but both help set the mood for the party. You can always call and invite people, and favors are always optional. But I enjoy supplying both to our guests.

Invitations

Once again, you want to focus on the theme of the party when doing invites. Often dollar stores have packs of theme appropriate invitations available, but sometimes you may be out of luck or you may be trying to trim your party budget. A pair of scissors, some glue and some colored paper allows you to quickly throw together some invites. I usually cut the construction paper in half then fold each half in half to make a card. Decorate the front with stickers or glue on construction paper shapes. I once cut out a white and a red half circle and put them together to make a Pokeball (from the cartoon Pokemon). This was a simple invitation but it got the theme across well, so the guests knew what to expect at the party. Another option is to print invitations on your computer. There are many free templates available online plus some photo software comes with invitation options.

Gift Favors

Gift favors are the ones you hand out at the end of the party. Avoid expensive themed items. I purchase favors all year long when I see them on sale after the holidays. Gold and green kaleidoscopes from the Christmas section work well as telescopes for a pirate theme. Red-heart shaped candy is suitable for a princess party. Collect small items throughout the year. A handful of candy and one or two small toys are all that is required. You can also bypass the toys completely and instead make lollipop covers out of cardstock. Decorate a small piece of cardstock to match the theme, then fold it over the candy party of the lollipop. Staple the layers together on either side of the stick to secure it.

Activity Favors

These are the favors the kids make themselves. It could be a craft item or the leftovers from a craft activity. For example, the kids may paint with watercolors for one of the activities. Instead of one water color set and several brushes, give each child their own watercolor set that they get to take home after the party. Another option is to make a small costume item for the guests to wear at the party that they get to keep—princess hats, pirate eye patches, and magic wands are examples.

Favor Bags

Steer clear of the little plastic bags featuring licensed characters. Use plain brown or colored lunch sacks instead. I usually decorate the outside of the bag with stickers or I glue on cut-outs. For example, at the pirate party I cut squares out of old maps and glued them to the front of each bag then wrote each boy’s name in the square. Fold over the top of the bag then punch two holes through the front of the fold. Thread a ribbon through and tie in a bow to secure closed.

Also, remember to always set a budget for your party before hand. We have a budget of $25 for home/park parties and $50 for pizza place parties. Splurge on the parts your child enjoys most and cut back everywhere else.

I’d love to hear what you thought of this series. Would you like to see more series like this? Let me know in the comments!

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Credit: Trish Parisy

We’ve already covered location, food and decorations. Now it is time to entertain those little munchkins. There are two schools of thought on entertaining children. The first is to fill up every moment of the party with an activity so the kids don’t have a chance to get bored or out of control. The other school says to only choose one or two fun activities and let the kids have free play time for the rest of the party. I’m personally in the second school of thought, as I don’t think kids enjoy being herded from one game to the next for the entire party. If you have a lot of guests I guess you may need to supply entertainment to keep the kids busy, but we don’t throw big parties. A happy medium is to stage one or two games and have a couple of easy ones waiting in the wings just in case the kids get bored.

Crafts

Young children especially love getting messy but even older boys and girls enjoy crafts. Craft making doubles as both an entertaining activity and the finished item is the favor. Finger painting, making jewelry, slime, painting wooden cars and a large range of other craft projects are inexpensive for a group of kids. Choose a craft that matches the theme if at all possible. Encourage the kids to wear old clothes to the party or make art smocks by cutting holes for the head and the arms in garbage bags.

Pin-the-what?!

Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey is a classic party game. So classic that most kids have played it a thousand times by the time they are five. Instead of the traditional donkey, make your own version of the game to fit the party theme. You could pin crowns on princess or pin wheels on trucks. While older kids may not enjoy it, younger kids will.

A version we have played with older kids that they have more fun with is draw-the-tail (or whatever). We made a posterboard up for each guest with the basic shape of a pirate head (it was a pirate theme). The kids were blindfolded then had to draw the face on the pirate with no peeking. The results were hilarious and the boys had a ball.

Pinata

I love pinatas. I make simple ones for our parties around here. You stuff them with the some toys and inexpensive toys then make the kids earn their party favors by whacking it with a stick. What could be more fun? The simplest way to make a pinata is to blow up a large balloon. Mix equal parts water and flour in a bowl, then tear newspaper into strips. Soak the strips in the flour mixture then stick them to the balloon. Build up a layer over the entire balloon that is at least 6 strips deep. Let it dry for three or four days then pop the balloon. Decorate with paint or crepe paper. With practice, you can soon be making pinatas that rival the fancy store bought ones!

Outdoor Activities

Send the kids outdoor after cake so you can clean up the party mess without screaming banshees under foot. In summer, a large supply of water balloons sitting pre-filled by the back door is enough to get the party really started. In winter, snow ball fights are an option if you have snow on the ground. In any weather, a homemade obstacle course entertains the kids for the last leg of the party. Use old tires and other items laying around the house. The kids take turns running the course. If you have a stopwatch that adds even more fun and authenticity to the course.

There are plenty of activities to entertain kids with. Use your party theme as inspiration when deciding what to do. Tomorrow we’ll wrap up this series by covering both invitations and favors.

What are some forms of entertainment you’ve found to be successful? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

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credit: Christy Thompson

This part three of a five part series on throwing a cheap child’s birthday party. Today, I want to look at the food options. Personally, this is my favorite part of the party. I like to cook and I especially enjoy creative cooking. Food is also where I am most likely to go over budget if I’m not careful. If you are throwing your party at a pizza place, the only ways to save on food is to use coupons and handle the cake on your own. But parties at home and at parks allow you to up the wow factor without spending a ton.

Cake and Ice cream

One way to save on food is to throw an early afternoon party—the guests have already had lunch and they’ll go home before dinner. All you have to serve is cake and ice cream. The only sure-fire way I know to save on ice cream is to buy it on sale and keep it hidden in the freezer until party day.

With cake, on the other hand, it is simple to make your own. Frosting is the tricky part, but here is a tip that many home cooks are unaware of. You actually have to frost the cake twice. Place the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours once it has cooled. Then coat the entire thing in frosting. It will like have crumbs in it and will look like a rough job, that’s perfectly okay. After frosting it, return it to the fridge for another hour or so. Then, frost it a second time. This second coat of frost will go on smoothly, all the crumbs are already caught in the first coat. If you aren’t that artistic, use some dollar store toys or sprinkles to decorate it. Kids aren’t too picky as long as the cake matches the theme of the party in some way.

Pizza

If you do plan on serving a meal, pizza is the standard in kid party food. Make up a few home-made pizzas the day before the party and stick them in the fridge. Just toss them in the oven to cook on the day of the party. Another option is to make small pizza crust and pre-cook them the day before. Let the kids top them then heat and serve. Yet another way to make personal pizzas is with English muffins. Purchase them on sale or at a day-old bread store. Top with sauce, cheese and the desired topping then pop them in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Either make these yourself or let the kids top them.

Sandwiches

Most kids love sandwiches, and they are quick and easy to make. Make a selection of PB&J, turkey and cheese, or whatever else you fancy. Cut them into triangles and arrange them attractively on a trays. A twist on this is the roll-up. Coat a tortilla with mayo then top with meat and cheese (you can also use peanut butter and jelly). Roll it up then slice the roll into 1 inch pieces. You can hold the rolls together with a toothpick if you want, but I find they stick together pretty well on their own. Arrange prettily then serve.

Hot dogs

There are few meat products cheaper than the hot dog. Kids love them and they are quick and easy to make. Serve hot dogs on a bun, if you desire, or dress them up a little bit by making pigs in a blanket. Make a batch of biscuit dough and cut into rounds. Roll out each round slightly, top with cheese, then wrap it around the hot dog, pinching the edges of the dough together to secure it. Bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes.

Hopefully these give you some great ideas for your own party. Tomorrow we’ll be looking at ways to entertain your guest for free or nearly free.

What are some of your favorite inexpensive party foods? Let me know in the comments!

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Credit: Genildo Marcelo

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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credit: Karen Barefoot

It feels good to be back! Sorry for the lack of posting last week, I was getting my rear kicked by a cold. Hopefully the last of those cold germs protected me from all the ones I was likely exposed to at a birthday party yesterday!

Ah, yes, the child’s birthday party. It is way too easy to go overboard when celebrating the passing years. I have seen some pretty outlandish parties in my time, though. For example, renting out fancy hotel suites at a water park for several hundred dollars to celebrate a tenth birthday. A tad over the top!

There are four key components to a successful child’s party:

1. Location
2. Decorations
3. Food
4. Entertainment
5. Favors and invitations

Nail at least one or two of these and both your birthday child and their guests will have a great time. I’ll be looking at each one of these areas over the course of this week. Today I’ll start with location. You can’t have a party without a party place, after all!

Party at home

The least expensive place to have the party is at home. Keep the guest list small, a general rule is one guest per year of age, topping out at eight. There is no reason to invite the whole class, regardless of what the teacher tells you (honestly, she just doesn’t want to deal with whining. Hand out invites to the parents before or after school). I’ve found that boys usually have a core group of three or four guys they hang out with by the time they are seven or eight years old, and they are happy just inviting them. Girls usually have a larger social circle but still only have four or five close friends. If you don’t have room for a party though, you may need to move the fete somewhere else.

Visit a park

This is one of our favorite places to throw my oldest son’s parties, since he is a summer birthday. Most parks have picnic tables available, and all the entertainment is handled by the playground. Some of our local parks have splash pads, which are little water play areas, which makes them even more fun. Check with your park department, some cities require permission if you are having more than a couple families at the party.

That Pizza-loving mouse

You know who I am talking about. Big, grinning rodent that hawks pizza, arcade games and fun to our youth. Throwing a party through Chuck E Cheese and similar venues is not usually cheap, but you can save money. First, do not reserve the party and plan it through the establishment! Instead, show up early and stake out a table or two. Bring your own cake (most places allow this). Purchase pizza and drinks through the establishment, using coupons if possible. Many of these places have coupons available online. Purchase $5 to $10 in tokens and divide them out to the guests. This way, the party doesn’t cost more than $30 or so dollars, plus the tokens double as favors. If possible, plan the party for a weekday afternoon or evening—it is much less crowded.

Outside the box

Think outside the box for party establishments if you can’t have the party at home or at a park. Roller skating rinks are still around and often have inexpensive party packages. Small, kid-friendly restaurants may have inexpensive party packages, as well. Let the birthday child choose two or three guests then visit a pick-your-own farm. Your local community center or church may have a room you can rent cheaply to host the party at. Look at what is available to you locally and see if they offer party packages or group discounts.

Where are some of your favorite inexpensive party locations that are kid-friendly? Leave a note in the comments!

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