Sweet 16 on a Budget

Throwing a sweet 16th birthday is not easy, especially when the competition is on. These days, teens want more than just a backyard bar-be-que, cake and ice cream. Not to mention the MTV's My Super Sweet 16 boats all types of kids having super expensive, to die for parties. Although these parties are to die for, they are not reasonable at all for the average Joe or Jane on a budget.

What type of Party Can I Have?

You may wonder what type of party you can have on a budget, but the answer is what ever kind you want. The idea is to think big with little money. Just about any theme you decide can be done with budget in mind. For example if you wanted to have a "black and white" party, You can make home made invitations by getting black card stock paper from a local print store. This may cost anywhere from $8 to $12, then type up the invite on your computer in a nice font with bold letters. Cut the card-stock in half's or quarters and paste the invite centered on the card-stock. Add stickers, ribbon, beads or anything else to add flavor to the invitation. Hollywood parties are the same concept, cut card-stock into stars of what ever color you desire, and paste your invite to them, sprinkle with glitter there you have it.

Many of your local dollar stores have party supplies. Purchasing any table cloths, napkins, and favors for decorations there can save you a lot of money. Also, stores like party city or other party stores will have red carpets, top hats and other themed products for under $15.

What do I serve a Bunch of Teenagers?

Depending on the type of party you are going to have, finger foods are a great filler. If you will be having an actual lunch/dinner, by putting out appetizers and other little finger snacks you wont have to serve as much per plate. Spaghetti, fried chicken, sandwiches, and taco bars are great ways to fill up teens. Remember they will probably be doing a lot of dancing. If there will be no meal, then small things like meat, cheese and crackers, taquitos, chips and dip, veggie trays, fruit trays, and lots of candy will do.

What Activities Should be Done?

Remember we are dealing with 16 year old's, pin the tale on the donkey and duck duck goose are definitely out. If the party is at night, a great way to make fun is black lights, fog machines and/or glow sticks if your budget permits. If not glow sticks or glow necklaces are a must have. A dance contest is fun, and you can set up a judge table and make it like MTV's Americas best Dance Crew, or Fox's So you think you can Dance. Giving away king sized candy bars or movie theater passes to the winners are nice incentives for the kids to participate too.

Other activities that can be fun for teens are the wall of fame, by having a large white sheet tightly pinned to a wall and each party attendee writes notes on it for the birthday boy/girl. Once it is filled up use it like a back drop like when the celebrities go to events they always take a red carpet photo against a back drop. This is simple and can be done with things you already own. If you own a gaming system, setting up a game room for kids to play video games like guitar hero or dance dance revolution will keep the kids occupied. Remember you don't have to have too many activities like you would at a child's birthday party because teens will want to hang out talk, and dance more than anything.

How Much Should I Spend?

This is entirely up to you, but a good party can be thrown on a budget of $150. If you have more to spend, that's OK too, but you may still want to seek things that are on sale. A good way to maximize your sweet 16 party is to budget accordingly before the month of the party. If you know you will be throwing a sweet 16 party in August, start to budget for it in May. This gives you at least three months to save up.