How to Throw a Cheap Birthday Party for Toddlers

Usually, toddlers aren't too hard to please. I can remember the times when my daughter would rather have a cardboard box or paper and crayons to play with besides the fact I had just spend a large amount of money on toys at Wal-Mart. So, it's fairly easy to throw a party for a toddler and not spend too much money, unless of course, you have it to spare. Here's a way your toddler can have lots of fun on his or her birthday and still leave you will money in your pocket. I've done this several times for my daughter and she loves it and has a blast.

Find a park in your town that you don't have to pay money for or reserve that has swings and other equipment. Some parks require payment and a deposit, but there are many that you may find that don't require this. Or if you have playground type equipment in your yard such as a swingset and other items, just do this at home! Kids love the park and they love playground equipment, so they are sure to stay busy while playing with friends.

Now that you have your location, you will need to make party invitations. Invitations can usually be found at a dollar store for $1.00 for a pack of eight. For me, one pack is usually enough because I generally just call people and tell them. This is probably easiest if you only have a few people that you will be inviting. Another idea is if you have a printer, just print some from your computer. If you don't have a program that specifically prints invitations, create your own. It's very easy and inexpensive.

Food is a key factor in birthday parties or any type of party for that matter. People who come are always going to expect you to have food. There are several different things you can consider for food and still come out cheap. I usually buy hamburger meat and take a grill to the park with me, and cook hamburgers. This is pretty inexpensive to me since all you will need to buy is a few pounds of hamburger meat, a few packs of buns, and condiments. Food probably wouldn't cost you more than $30.00 if you went this route. Fill a cooler with ice, and alot of fast food restaurants will do this for free, and fill it with juices for the children and a few can sodas for adults. Usually you can buy a 6 pack of juices for $1.00 at dollar stores. If you're going to have your party at home, and want to spend less money, make Kool-Aid. So, now you have the food covered.

Paper plates can be bought at dollar stores as well as cutlery. Most dollar stores have different varieties you can chose from that also come in different colors. If you're going to buy a table cloth, this can also be bought at a dollar store. So, almost everything you need can be bought for around a dollar with the exception of the hamburger meat, and the birthday cake. Speaking of birthday cake, you can chose to make your own, or buy one from a bakery. Since you are saving money by not throwing a party at a venue, you will have extra money to spend on the cake. But if you like to bake, making your own would be a good choice. If you're not going to have a cake customized, you can usually find a fourth of a sheet cake at local grocery stores such as Ingles or Publix for around $13.00 and the bakery will write Happy Birthday on it for free. To me, this is a very inexpensive way to throw a party with the bill coming out at no more than probably $65.00 and this price includes everything that you will need.