Cheap Birthday Party Ideas to Fit Your Budget

Need tips for throwing a great cheap birthday party? What do you do then when you want to give your child a great party, but have to stay within a strict budget? These cheap birthday party tips and ideas will help you do just that.

With a little advance thinking, you'll be amazed at how inexpensive it can be to make things look stunning without breaking the bank

Ask Your Child First -

This is very simple, but some parents forget to do this one little thing before they even begin planning their child's birthday.

Before starting, ask your child what he/she exactly wants to do for the party.

Does he want a party?
What kind of party?
How many friends would he like to invite?
Who would he like to invite?

Just get a feel for what your child's expectations are. Of course, you should be in control of all of the decisions, but it helps the planning process to get your child's input first. What happens sometimes is that mom will start planning a party that is way more complicated than what the child even wanted in the first place. Why spend money on something that your child will not be interested in if you don't have to?

Utilize Friends

Learn to lean on your friends and family. If you know a friend or family member that can participate in your party rather than hiring someone, this is a more budget friendly option. Maybe one of your friends could do some face painting for you instead of hiring a face painter.

Also, think about friends and family that own businesses that cater to birthday parties. Usually our friends and family are more than willing to give us a discount on services. Even if they don't, it is a great way to help their business out and provide some great advertisement for them.

Printable Games are Inexpensive and Fun!

Instead of spending a fortune on games for the party, consider printing some games at home on your computer. This can save a lot of money over other purchased games.

Last minute party planning? No problem! Print great birthday party games right now!

Split the Cost

If you are just having a class party without a lot of family members coming, then why not have the party with another classmate that has a birthday right around the same time of the month?

Aren't we all going to be inviting the same friends anyway and don't we all hate it when we go to a party in the morning at the same place that we go to a party in the afternoon?

This sort of thing happened to our family more than once.

When my son was little, there was a little girl in his class that had a birthday very close to his. For a few years, our birthday parties would always be on the same day. I always wanted to approach the mom to share the party, but it just didnt work out. I think if both children would have been boys or both would have been girls, this might have worked.

If you can arrange this with another mom, this is a great way to stay within a budget and give a cheap birthday party.

Shop All Year

The single best tip I have for giving a cheap birthday party is to shop all year round.

I have trained my kids to be thinking about what type of party they want early in the year so that I can keep my eyes open for wonderful deals throughout the year.

I have saved a tremendous amount of money by shopping after holiday clearance sales for princess parties, Batman parties, Halloween birthday parties, etc.

I always hit the clearance section of our local party goods store for great deals on piñata stuffers, party favors, invitations, and decorations.

Shopping like this is like shopping with coupons, though. Always make a list ahead of time of what it is that you are looking for. This will eliminate impulse buying just because something is cute. If it doesn't have a purpose for your party, don't buy it no matter what the savings.

Cutting Back

If you have to cut back, consider ditching the decorations. Decorations are nice but honestly, I put up very few decorations at my kids' parties.

Our decorations include a happy birthday banner above the kitchen table (sometimes homemade), and a fun sign (prop) or two by the front door. If I can't make or buy the decorations inexpensively, then we don't have decorations.

Simple Cakes

One of my kids' favorite things to do when they were little was to hop off of the grocery cart and run over to the bakery department to look at all of the pictures of the wonderful themed cakes offered.

My kids have always loved these elaborate cakes. There is a bit of conflict here, because they only really are interested in the toys on top of the cake. I on the other hand, love to bake their cakes and can't afford the high price tag that comes with the store bought ones.

What to do?

I made a compromise with my kids when they were very young. We buy the cake toppers from the bakery, and I make the cake.

No, the cakes may not look as professional, but yes my kids love the cakes. Also, the added benefit to this besides the reduced price is that everyone gets to eat a homemade cake instead of one that might have been frozen up until the time of decorating.

This is a great way to help give a cheap birthday party and still provide that extra added touch of love with a homemade birthday cake.

Party Favors

I have been to some parties where it was very evident that a lot of money was spent on the goody bags for the guests. While the thought of this is much appreciated, most of the time it was filled with candy which was not appreciated by me as a mom.

One way to help your budget and give a cheap birthday party is to plan activities where the children make something that they can take home.

When you do this, the items that they make become their party favors. Just put a bag by the front door for each guest and as they finish their craft, have them place it in their goody bag.

This way, your guests still go home with something special from the party, but it saves you a little money on party favors. You can still drop a few pieces of candy in the bags if you want.

An extra added touch that doesn't really add an extra cost is to attach a little note to the bag that says, "You are a great friend! Thank you for coming to my party!"

In Conclusion

There are many things that you can do to give a cheap birthday party and stay within your budget. As in all things that save us money from meal planning to coupon cutting, it just takes a little time and planning.

A good rule of thumb is to always ask yourself, "Is this really needed?" If the answer is "no," don't buy it. Some of our best birthday parties have been the least expensive ones.