Frugal Birthday Parties: Entertaining Children (and Their Parents!) on the Cheap

A child's birthday party is indeed a day to remember. The quandary many parents face though, is how to throw a memorable and fun party for their child without breaking the bank. Here are some practical, easy, fun, and most of all frugal ideas to throw a birthday celebration that will leave enough money left over in your budget for a gift!

Whether you have a younger child or an older child, they may have already formed their own opinion of what kind of birthday party they want. However, that vision they have for their special day probably doesn't take cost into consideration so it is up to you to decide how much you are willing to spend. Once you have decided on what you are willing or able to spend, sit down with your child and brainstorm ideas together. When planning a party for a younger child or toddler, the most successful parties are often structured around what hobbies a child has or what they love to do for fun. The most cost effective birthday parties are ones hosted at either your home or a public place such as a local park. I am a fan of parties at home because weather isn't a consideration, and hosting a party elsewhere entails hauling all the supplies with you which can have disastrous results if the cake gets destroyed in the car or you happen to forget the balloons. Now that you have chosen the budget and location, the planning stage begins.

The easiest and most effective way of creating a birthday party to remember is to choose an overall theme. This is usually chosen based on what hobby, interest, or character your child is currently obsessed with. Does your son love pirates? Does your daughter want to be a princess when she grows up? This is where you will gain inspiration. Once you have chosen a theme you can begin to build the party around it. Keep in mind there are certain things both children and their adult companions expect at a birthday party. These things should be your priority, and you can add final touches if your budget allows for it:

Food and Beverages, including of course, the birthday cake: Be sure to include plenty of kid friendly, parent-approved food and drink. You can tailor this to your theme while only spending pennies more. For example, a fairy princess tea party for your young daughter could include pink lemonade with strawberry garnish served in plastic champagne flutes, clear plastic "glasses", or even thrift store tea cups, all which are very inexpensive. Ordinary sandwiches become princess-worthy when cut out with cookie cutters in the shapes of stars, hearts, and flowers and arranged on pretty pink plates. You can either purchase pink paper plates from the dollar store or find very inexpensive decorative "china" plates you can re-use later. The cake can be made from a mix yourself (they actually taste very good!) and decorated with fluffy pink icing, pre-made flowers, and you can place a tiara on top for extra flair (tiaras are very inexpensive at craft or party stores). Serve vanilla and strawberry ice cream with pink sprinkles with the cake and watch your princess squeal with delight!

Decorations, games, and entertainment: Decorations say party with a capital "P", and the children will also want something fun to do besides stare at each other or pin tails on various animals. A pirate theme party could include cut-outs you make yourself or purchase on the cheap of things like treasure chests, parrots, ships and eye patches. Balloons in colors of red, black, and gold help pull the theme together. You can plan a treasure hunt in your back yard, drawing and printing copies of a simple "treasure map" on the computer. The treasures your guests search for and find can be their party favors -- things such as eye patches, plastic hooks, or little craft store boxes as treasure chests (which are about fifty cents each) filled with a couple of dollars worth of shiny pennies (which looks like A LOT to a child! You could also rent a pirate movie or (take out one from the library) to play on your television with the sound muted to set the tone. Also keep in mind what you already have in your home that can double as decoration, games, or entertainment without you having to spend a dime! The aim is to think outside the box and to get creative, while not sacrificing fun or quality! For instance, for the princess tea party you could gather up all your child's Barbie dolls and stuffed animals, play make-up and dress up things, make it an attractive and inviting display and the kiddies will be begging to stay when the party is over.

Favors: Again, this has come to be expected at child's birthday parties but doesn't have to be a cause for stress financially. I mentioned the treasure chest favor idea in the previous section. Something like that would only cost around $20-25 total depending on the number of guests who attend. Something else to consider as a favor that also doubles as entertainment is a craft project. At the princess tea party for instance, children can decorate their own tiaras (or boys can decorate their crowns or knight lance) then take them home. At the pirate party you can give out bags of "pirate's booty" consisting of homemade granola with dried fruit and such, or a colorful box of chocolate gold coins as their treasure.

So you see, solutions to a child's birthday party can be both creative, entertaining and frugal. All it takes is a little creativity, a little determination, and a whole lot of fun! Happy celebrating!