Throw An Awesome Kid’s Party & Not Spend A Ton!

OK, it’s birthday time again and you’ve barely paid off the credit card from the last bash. Armed with steely resolve, you swear you’re not going to spend too much on your kid’s party. Yeah, right! No, really! With these simple tips, you can throw your little angel a rock-star fabulous kid’s party with only a few benjamins left in the bank! Here’s how:

Make Everything Do Double-Duty

Multi-purpose items are key! Make every aspect of your event work double time by having centerpieces double as favors, favors act as place cards—even the food can be part of the playtime at a kid’s party when you offer activities such as cupcake decorating, backyard campfire marshmallow roasting for s’mores, and cookie baking.

Create Crafts Rather Than Buy Favors

Children LOVE craft projects and they couldn’t be easier and cheaper. Dollar stores are the perfect place to pick up things like feathers, pipe cleaners, stickers, glue, sequins, and construction paper as well as items such as flip flops, visors, plastic tote bags and buckets—all accessories that are great for decorating! Pinterest offers TONS of craft ideas.

Find an activity appropriate for your age group and let the craft result in a gift each child gets to take home as a party favor. If you live in a “weather” area, you could even have kids bring over their own rubber boots and bedazzle them with paint and glitter.

Enlist Help From Other Moms

Depending on how many people are coming, consider dividing up the attendees into event teams: one for décor, another for food, beverages, games, set-up and clean up. Every Mom knows that kids end up with way too many toys and junk after birthday parties. So, why not round up “mom” friends you know well and have them put their “gift money” towards the party itself. Even $10 and a little cooking time goes a long way!

[Party Goddess Note: This concept is similar to neighborhood moms getting together once a week to swap food so that each family has a different meal each night without having to cook it. With this swap system, moms can divide and conquer neighborhood kid’s parties in exchange for help when their darling’s rolls around.]

Create A Budget Matrix

Use an Excel spreadsheet (or a calculator) and actually add things up! Seeing figures in black and white ahead of time makes it much easier to nip and tuck. That way you can stay within budget and get creative with what you’ll need to pull off your best bash ever!

What are your best ideas for throwing kid’s parties? Let us know in the comments below!