Birthday Party Favors that Won't Break the Bank

Recently, I attended a birthday party that exceeded my expectations. I went to the party expecting the usual grandpa and grandma visiting and the usual cake and a few gifts; however when I arrived I found it was more fun than I expected. This mom really knew her stuff and while she didn't have a lot of extra money sitting around she found an affordable way to throw a fabulous birthday party and this included the wonderful birthday party favors.

Birthday party favors are one of the highlights for your attending guests and it sure was for us. A mere bag full of goodies was all it took to make us happy. Included in the homemade bag were juice boxes, fruit snacks, as well as a few candy treats. This is where you can save money. Luckily this birthday was around Valentines day so she was able to purchase after-holiday merchandise at sale prices! She had a heart theme for this birthday party which was very simple and did not include having to buy "Dora the Explorer" or "Thomas the Train" birthday supplies. The idea is that there are many many many holiday traditions that companies try to get us to buy into these days and that means that there will always be candy leftovers in those Walmart isles afterwards. Take advantage of the cost savings and work your theme around these after-holiday sales.

Another idea and cost savings tip for birthday party favors are homemade gifts. We are constantly looking for ways to keep our toddler busy during the day. One way to keep him busy and get things done is to put him to work. I'm sure any child will enjoy helping plan and put things together for his or her own birthday party. Ideas include paper oragami decorated with your child's coloring or with a special message, a simple mini scrapbook that can easily be put together (this can also be used for birthday party pictures so everyone can remember the special day), pet rocks painted as birthday clowns or other fun creatures, or a mini car storage box made out of a shoebox with a simple ribbon handle. The fact is that kids enjoy any type of gift and if it comes from the heart it will mean that much more. A bonus to that is that your child will learn how to do nice things for others even on days centered around him or herself.

Another idea for birthday party favors is personalized birthday cakes. At the birthday party we attended each child has his or her own little heart cake with their name frosted on the top. Her goal was to make them look like little conversation hearts and I believe she succeeded. How special for the kids to know that they were thought of as this party was planned! For most parties you are making a cake anyway, instead of making one big cake, have one bigger cake and then several smaller cakes as favors.

While birthday parties are lots of fun, the birthday party favors do not need to break the bank. Many people already have too much debt and the credit card companies love the extra money spent on birthdays, however we need to remember what is important and what is not. Personalized gifts or thoughtful gifts are just as appreciated if not more as the store bought birthday treats and they might just last longer than the ride home.