Don’t feel like you have to invite EVERYONE!

If your budget is small, keep the party small. Just because little Mary had the ENTIRE school class at her birthday party, doesn’t mean you have to. If that’s what your child wants, and you’re happy and able to do so then go for it, but if the budget doesn’t allow it or your child actually doesn’t even want their whole class there, don’t do it. It’s perfectly fine to just invite the besties, and actually most of the parents will secretly cheer to have one weekend absent of a birthday party!

Combine (if you can)

Many hands make light party work, so if there is another child in the class, or a friend or relative who’s child has a similar birth date, why not combine and host it together. Share the spend, share the work, share the clean up (and share a bottle of wine later on when it’s all over)

Sharing the costs might also put something like this unreal mega slip and slide from Busy Bouncers in the budget. We tested this one out last summer and it was a HUGE hit. The price is around $240 for five hours of fun.

Busy Bouncers 2Outsource anything and everything you can afford.

If you can’t bake a cake…..buy one. If party games are your idea of torture…..hire a kids party entertainer. If the thought of 20 kids making a mess in your house sends shivers up your spine…. have your party at a venue and leave clean up to them! For Winnie’s last birthday we hired a kids party DJ and she was fantastic. 2 hours of dancing and party games and she helped get all the kids together for photos and cake time. Then once she was over, she packed up and everyone got the idea that party time was over. Cost me $200.

If you’re not a baker (like me) sometimes the cost of buying all the ingredients necessary to make a birthday cake can cost more than buying one. Give your local bakery or cake shop a call and ask them for their cake prices. Our local bakery is really reasonable. Our last birthday cake cost $25 and I just popped some decorations on top.

Our $25 underwater cake

Our $25 underwater cake

Prepare some games/activities

There’s an endless list of party games you can prepare that will either cost you nothing or very little at all. Egg and spoon race, the freeze game, limbo, pass the parcel, three legged race, musical chairs kids are always fun. And you don’t need to have extravagant prizes a Freddo Frog, a sheet of stickers or a wrist band is fine!

Or if you’d like to offer some more structured activities these Sand Art and Plaster Painting Party Packs from Kidsplay Crafts are really affordable and also great because each child will get to take home their creation.

sand-art-party-for-10-sml-800x532


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