Planning a Budget Friendly Birthday Party for Kids

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My mom asked me just the other day when it became popular for children to have a birthday party every year. Obviously, the milestones are important but these days it seems most kids get a party of some sort every year (mine included). I love when my daughter’s birthday comes around every May because it gives me a chance to pick a cute theme while spending a little extra time and money focusing on her and the importance of May 16th.

To me, birthday parties aren’t just about spending time with friends – as much as we love doing that – but more about making memories with the people who mean the most to us. This is something my husband and I decided long ago was important to us as a family. We agreed that instead of spending money on “stuff” to give each other, we wanted to give fun memories and experiences (including but not limited to lots of time spent at Disney World).

This year as our daughter turns three, we decided there were some key ways to save money while also planning a great party.

  1. Find a free venue. This is essential to saving loads of money. Some places we considered: Our house/yard, the neighborhood swimming pool, our favorite playground, any outdoor park like the Arboretum on main campus or Hickory Dickory. I realize this may be harder for birthdays in colder months (I guess I’ll find out more about that when my son turns one next January) but works really well for spring/summer/fall birthdays.
  2. Ordering/sending digital invitations. I will admit I should attend Christmas Card Rehab if there exists such a thing. I thoroughly enjoy wasting hours designing our Christmas cards every late fall and spending entirely too much money having them printed from Snapfish, Tinyprints, etc. However, this year I went a different route for these birthday invitations and it saved us so much money. Once my daughter picked her theme (pink Paw Patrol), I went on Etsy and found a pre-made design which I purchased for about $8.50. I sent the designer her name and all the party details. The invitation was sent to me within 2 hours, and was perfect. I had hard copies made to hand out and mail to friends in addition to sending some via text and Facebook. I ultimately decided to have them printed via Vistaprint for about $0.09 a piece. I have since found that Walgreen will do same-day printing for about a third of that price (when we ran out of the original prints and had to get more ASAP). I was very pleased with the Walgreens and the Vistaprint results. This is exactly how I’ll be doing our Christmas Cards this year and suspect I could save as much as $50 or more. Save on stamps by hand delivering as many invitations as possible. This was a fun task for my daughter as she loved seeing her friends open their invitation in person and explain to them every character pictured on her invite. (She was just super upset she didn’t get to keep all forty of them for herself.)
  3. Spend money on some specific decorations, but not all. I realized pretty early into motherhood that children don’t really care what the plate they are eating on looks like. One way I am saving money for this party is by purchasing solid colors that matches the theme-ing for the simple things like table clothes, plates, cups, and extra balloons. I am saving over $50 by purchasing only a few key Paw Patrol items (some large balloons, birthday cake, favors). There will still be plenty of Paw Patrol around to know that’s what my child loves, but most of the things that will end up the trash are going to be cheaper supplies that no one will miss in the end.
  4. Cupcakes vs. Custom Cake. I am actually shocked at some of the money people spend on custom cakes. One of my friend’s informed me she spent $150 on a cake for her son’s first birthday party. I couldn’t help it – my jaw hit the floor. I understand wanting to have a Pinterest-worthy party but I can’t imagine dropping that kind of money on a cake people will eat for a few minutes then be done with. (In her defense, because I know she’s reading this, the cake was AMAZING and GORGEOUS…) There are a few very reasonable options I have found after some research. I have enjoyed multiple Publix cakes for different occasions over the years. They have done a great job with the last two birthday cakes I’ve purchased. They were custom cakes in the sense I took in a picture of what I had in mind and worked with a baker to come up with something they felt comfortable doing and we felt comfortable paying for. They even have a deal where if you purchase a sheet cake for your child’s first birthday, they supply a complimentary smash cake. We purchased an additional smash cake for a photo session for $9.99. Compared to my friend’s cake, we saved about $100 on the cake alone. This year we are having cupcakes with solid icing and I purchased Paw Patrol cupcake toppers to put onto each one. It makes the cakes feel personalized, at a much lower cost, including the cake toppers ($20 for 40 on Etsy). Other pros to cupcakes include zero time spent cake cutting (no large cake knives floating around is always a benefit), ease of transport, and a multitude of  available flavors to select from. That last pro is possibly the biggest perk when it comes to a herd of picky toddlers looking for a sugar high.
  5. Ask your friends. Believe it or not, most toddlers like a lot of the same things. I can think of at least two Paw Patrol parties we have attended in the last couple of years. I found myself reaching out to my mom friends who threw similar parties in hopes I could borrow or purchase some of their leftover décor. You’d be amazed how much people have left over that’s just hanging around their house. It helped me out not having to buy everything brand new and it helped them Marie Kondo their leftover birthday supplies (and who doesn’t love that?). Moms helping moms is ALWAYS a plus.

Whether your budget is $100 or $1,000 you can create a party environment that will be enjoyed by all ages. I hope these tips help you cut a few corners on money, but not on fun!

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Hanna Lamb
Hanna Lamb was born and raised in Memphis, TN. When she moved to Auburn for college in 2006, she never looked back. She now calls Auburn “home” where she resides with her husband Jake, daughter Addison (2 years), son Fitz (newborn) and three dogs, Balou, Daisie, and Sprocket. She received both of her degrees from Auburn - a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science in 2010 and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. Her hobbies include momming/surviving, running half marathons, traveling (mainly to Disney World), hanging out with family and friends, reading, and of course, watching as much Auburn football as possible. War Eagle!