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Here is another “Your Turn” opportunity to help out a fellow Bargain Blessings reader. Rachel e-mailed me with the below question:
“My daughter is turning 5 years old this summer. I really want to be able to throw her a memorable party, but I already know that there is going to be little to no budget for it because my husband just got laid off. I was wondering if you or any of your readers might have some ideas for throwing a kid’s birthday party that is special without spending lots of money to do it. Thanks in advance!”
PS~ I am always so impressed by all of your well thought-out and knowledgeable responses to the Your Turn questions. Thanks for being the best readers in the world! 🙂 If you have a “Your Turn” question for the Bargain Blessings readers, send me an e-mail at bargainblessings (at) gmail (dot) com
Michele M says
I also did a tea party for my daughter’s 8th birthday. We asked the guests to bring dress-up clothes and had some on hand for those who didn’t bring any. I borrowed several “fancy” dresses from a friend. I froze tiny ice cream balls in mini muffin tins, had mini cupcakes, “tea”(juice) in tiny cups, etc. The girls dressed up and ate the snacks. We played simple homemade games and I took a picture of each girl all dressed up. For a craft, you could have each child decorate a cardboard frame to put her photo in.
Holli says
Summer Parties are easy, if the weather cooperates. My sister did a barnyard party one year, she got a box from an appliance store and decorated it as a barn for the kids to play in, her husband pulled a wagon with some straw in it for a hay ride, and everyone wore overalls or other farm clothing. Another year they did a water party (like someone mentioned). Borrowed slip and slides and kiddie pools, water balloons from the dollar store, and a hose. It was a LOT of fun on the cheap. There are so many party games you can do with household items outside.
Karen says
Hi. I did “theme” birthday parties for my children for years, from the time they were toddlers through about l4 years old. A great and free resource for ideas is your local library. There are numerous party planning books there, and they give you all kinds of ideas from themes, to games, to food, to decorating. I also took a 4 week cake decorating course at Michael’s Craft Stores, and have saved scads of money over the years by making my children’s cakes for all special occasions. They loved them, and they were WAY more special than buying them at a grocery store, as they fit the theme of each party and could be tailored to their favorite colors, etc. Pick your theme early, and it is amazing how you will begin to notice little favors and things that you can use to decorate, etc. when you are out shopping for your regular needs anyway. These theme birthday parties made some of our best memories as a family, and with friends as well. Have fun!
Rebecca M. says
I had an ice cream social for my daughters 3rd birthday and it was fun! Toppings are not that expencive, (crushed oreos, nuts, bananas, m&ms, sprinkles) stuff you already have in your house. I buy most of my paper supplies from the dollar tree but Ive noticed you can find pretty great prices at Walmart too. You may have to pay 50% more but you also get more of the product (plates,spoons) also you dont have to buy a cake cause you already provided desert! Also I stopped buying the caracter napkins and just use my everyday napkins. no one cares when they wipe there mouth with a party napkin vs the everyday ones .same thing with the plates and cups. we didnt even go finish a tub of ice cream (bought at sams) and we had over 50 people there, spent about $60 total. my bigest expence was the party bags, snack size candy is not cheep, we had a pinata to fill (that my sister made).
Tanya says
I second the Dollar Tree idea for napkins, plates, forks, spoons, forks, balloons,etc… cheap! You could rent a local park for free too. As far as the cake, see if anyone you know has cake decorating supplies that you could borrow to make a cake with great designs!
Jiya says
I love this site for birthday party ideas — https://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/ Target is great for party favors, especially when their Dollar Spot items go on clearance or after holiday clearance. My son had a dinosaur birthday party last year and the kids loved finding dino eggs (plastic easter eggs bought at 90% off after the holiday, with a little toy dino — $1 for a pack of 8 from the dollar store). I’ve also found great party favors from yard sales, ebay & thrift shops. My daughter is having a Diego’s Rainforest Fiesta party this year and favors will be beanie babies that I bought in bulk from ebay for about 70 cents each.
anne says
Check out Dollar Tree for party supplies–they have 20-pks of plates for $1, cheap napkins and silverware, and lots of birthday decorations for $1. If you want mylar balloons, they are $1 each at Dollar Tree–MUCH less than other places!
Audra says
If your child’s birthday is during a warm season, you could hold it in your backyard and most of the entertainment could be outdoor play. Maybe even turn on the sprinkler and tell everyone to bring swimsuits. If your daughter really likes a Disney character, google that character’s name and “coloring sheet” to see if you can find some printable coloring sheets.
I usually order a bakery cake because I don’t like baking, but you can save lots of money by baking your own…I have done cupcakes in the past because they are easier to serve, and also because my cakes tend to fall apart when I take them out of the pan 🙂
Have fun, good luck!
AMY says
My daughter is turning 4 this September and I’ve started doing a lot of the things Alison recommended. Target just marked down a ton of paper/craft supplies two weeks ago. I picked up princess party invitations, goodie bags, tablecloth, treats for the goodie bags, and a Disney Princess party book for 75% off. I also got some Crayola Color-wonder and glow boards for $3.24 each. Betty Crocker has some really cute cupcake “cakes” and regular cake designs that would be great for a birthday party.
Nikole says
Another comment about the tea party birthday- I used tea cups from the play sets we had and then I borrowed some from friends.
Sara says
The tea party ones are fun! My SIL did this for her daughter and bought tea cups from the are thrift store(s) so each cup was different and mega cheap. Then each guest got to keep their cup as the favor!
Nikole says
I love the idea of the tea cups being the party favor! I will have to remember that for my second…or third daughter!
nic says
I also did tea party I let the kids decorate tea cups as the activity… fun little keepsake…
Nikole says
I did a tea party for my daughter. We had apple juice and used marshmallows as the lumps of sugar. Then I made little finger sandwiches for lunch and cupcakes for dessert. I used several outdoor kid tables, lined them up inside and used one long tablecloth. It was fun!
Casey says
One way that we save a ton of money of birthday parties is by making our own cakes. When my daughter turned 1 my mom spent $30 on her cake. It was dry and totally not worth the money. Since then, we always make our own. There are always great sales and coupons for cake mixes and frosting. We now have a 1/2 sheet pan and some decorating tools. I use to get all stressed out because my cakes didn’t look perfect. Then after a few parties I realized that my kids think it is cool that their mom makes their cakes and they don’t care about perfection. I think it will be a good memory for them! 🙂
Sara says
You can consider doing an e-vite as well so save on printing and postage for the invitation. That method has become standard among my family and friends. Have your daughter choose 4-5 close friends with whom she really wants to celebrate and limit it to that so it’s small. I’ve heard of doing a pan”cake” breakfast too and it’s fun for girls because you do it in the morning, everyone comes in their jammies and you make a bunch of pancakes to stack (that’s the CAKE!) and decorate with strawberries and whipped cream for example, and just have whatever toppings might be fun. Then the favor is everyone gets to decorate a pillow case to take home. So cheap pillowcases from Ross or TJ Maxx and some fabric markers from Michaels (use their standard 40% off one item coupon) and you’re done! Or another idea is everyone gets to decorate their own cupcake and their favor is to decorate their own apron to take home. You can find those cheap at Michaels or JoAnn probably. Consider hand delivering thank you notes to save the postage and as an excuse to see your friends again. Good luck!
Eva Rosol says
I did a princess party for my daughter at that age and had two high school girls help. We painted nails, some toenails, make some ribbon barrettes, and for dessert we decorated cookies (easier at that age) and then ate those and I made a huge pot of mac n cheese and made kool aid and called it a fancy cocktail.
AMY says
Eva,
I love this idea!! I see a spa party in my daughter’s future.
Audra says
Cookie decorating is awesome! It doubles as “craft/activity time” and also dessert so you don’t have to plan an activity and also bake the dessert!
Alison says
Hi Rachel—I love putting together birthday and other parties but I also know the importance of budget so I try to find little ways to save here and there while still aiming for lots of fun and creativity. I’ve found lots of great ideas online for things like making your own invitations (this year, I saved up my Pampers points and got them free through Shutterfly). You can borrow party decor or re-purpose some things you already have. You can buy plain white or brown lunch sacks for favor bags and decorate them a bit (or have the kids decorate them) to make them extra special/cute. You can host the party at a time when you only have to provide a few snacks and cake, and not a whole meal. You can buy party favors after holidays (like Easter) for good discounts (check Walmart) that can be suitable for favors and game prizes. You can create your own games out of simple supplies instead of buying them (I used leftover fabric from my wedding, Easter eggs, old baskets and boxes, yarn, etc.). I like to keep my eyes open months in advance to get all the deals I can :-). Here’s a post about some of the ways I saved on my little boy’s first birthday party https://mudandsunshine.blogspot.com/2010/05/money-saving-monday-party-planning.html.