We love to celebrate our kids and want to make their birthday special, but it’s hard to keep a budget (even using online discounts!) when you have to send invitations, rent a space, decorate, buy a cake, feed everyone, entertain kids, and then send them home with party favors. Here are a few ideas to make your son or daughter’s day special without breaking the bank.
Skip It or Go Small
We don’t want to rain on your proverbial parade, but most children who are very young won’t remember their birthday parties. Especially if you invite a large crowd, children younger than three may actually feel overwhelmed, miss nap time, and may end up having a pretty bad time. By skipping it altogether or having a smaller party with just the family, you’ll be saving money for when he is older and can really enjoy his party.
Make Your Own Cake
If you can mix oil and eggs with a baking mix, you’ll be saving yourself a ton of cash. On top of the savings you’ll get by spending a little bit of time, use Sam’s Club cashback and you’ll save even more! The hard part about making your own cake is usually the decorating. If you feel you have a pretty steady hand, you can use Michael’s coupons & deals to save you some cash on cake decorating supplies, or simplify and find little theme-matching figurines with online discounts at Amazon (and get cashback there, too).
Go for Home
Having your party at home saves you the huge cost of renting a space. Another advantage here is that you can take advantage of warm weather and host the party outdoors but have a safe rain location if you need it. Double the options without double the cost! We can help you with the details, too. You can get decorations for less when you shop and earn Target cashback, plus Overstock has a lot of supplies like paper plates and cups for great online discounts.
(DIY) Your Theme
If you have your heart set on a themed birthday, you can use Birthday in a Box. To save even more, you can forgo purchasing a kit for a theme and make your own! Have the kids dress up in costumes (earn Costume Supercenter cashback), and print off coloring sheets.
Give Junior a Choice
If you have an older child, an option might be to give the child a budget for their own party. Let’s say you give her $70. She may decide to spend $30 on pizza and movie theater candy for a few friends, $10 on having mom and dad make a cake instead of buying one at the store, and then $30 on party favors she really wants to give all of her friends. That way, instead of spending on decorations or purchasing super-cute invitations, you’ll know she’d rather spend money on her gifts for her friends.
Now that you know you can celebrate on a little less dough, we hope your kid has a special birthday!
Add your own birthday planning ideas to the comments below!