How to Plan Birthday Parties For Kids on a Budget

A child’s birthday party does not have to be an elaborate event. The best birthday parties are often the ones that are the least expensive to host. Parents tend to compete by trying to outdo each other when it comes to their child’s birthday party. The most important thing is to gather the child’s friends together and let them have fun playing.

• Keep the guest list simple by only inviting your child’s closest friends. Ask your child which friends to invite and offer to let a few of them spend the night. Make the party invitations by hand with your child instead of buying a pack of invitations. Let your child deliver the invitations by hand to save on postage.


• Have the birthday party at your home instead of an expensive venue. Use your backyard for the party and let the kids play some games with each other. Set up a volleyball net or buy inexpensive wiffle ball equipment and let the kids burn off some energy by playing a sport.


• Go light on the party favors. Do not buy party hats since most kids do no like wearing them or only wear them for a few minutes and then toss them aside. Put up a few streamers and use your computer to create "Happy Birthday" signs.


• Cook the food for the party yourself. Instead of ordering expensive pizzas, have a cookout. Hot dogs and cheeseburgers will be more than enough to satisfy the kids. Buy some inexpensive potato chips and other snacks for the guests to eat. Bake the birthday cake yourself and buy some ice cream instead of getting an expensive ice cream cake.


• Rent some movies for the kids to watch in case they tire of playing in the yard. Taking a group to a movie theater is expensive and the kids will be easier to control at home. Turn the lights off in the room and let the kids watch the movies on their own so they can cut up and have fun.