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Happy Birthday on the Cheap
Every year it seems that the birthday parties get bigger, more complicated and definitely more expensive. I love to see my children celebrating their birthday with all their friends and family at a party planned and held just for them, but it can get out of hand (and pocket) very quickly.
Holding a birthday party doesn t have to be so expensive you need to take out a second mortgage. You can have a great party, with fabulous decorations, for just a few dollars. Here are some of the things we do to keep our parties within our budget.
The Invitations
If you're going to have a party, you know you'll need to invite your guests. They'll need to know the date, time and occasion. There are great ways to do this for very little cost. The cheapest way is generally to make your own invitations. To do this, you can use wallpaper scraps, index cards, poster board or other sturdy material. You can be extra frugal and use the fronts of old birthday cards as invitations. Simply print the details on the back of the picture and voila! Individual and unique invitations. One of the easiest of ways is to use note cards. You can decorate the tops with wrapping paper, pictures from magazines, glitter, stickers etc. Another option is to use a computer program to make them, or to print them off the Internet. You can be really frugal and send an e-card as an invitation.
The Party Ware
Birthdays do not require a theme, but should you or your kids desire one, there are also inexpensive ways to create them. Look through books and magazines for ideas that you can replicate, then if you have a discount/budget party store near you, I suggest you take a look. Often you will find they are attempting to clean out old stock to make room for the new. When they are doing this you can find some really great bargains. If your kids are like mine, they have a lot of different interests. Last year, we had and an Fairy themed door hanging, purple napkins, Barbie plates and cups, with a Dickory Dock Birthday cake. And how did our birthday girl react to the mismatches? She absolutely adored the party array. She loved the variety and details of all the different things, and was pleased that she was surrounded with them! (I of course, was just as excited that she loved it and that it saved our family some money).
Disposable accessories can be expensive. Here are some options to consider:
Use your china or everyday dishes. Add some flair by using matching coloured napkins, cups, napkin rings, or party favors. (These can match the cake or other general theme ). Use cheap plain or solid colour dishes, and either use as is or decorate them yourself, (take care that what you use for the decoration is safe to eat off ). Generally, as long as you give options, kids are willing to negotiate. (For example, Tommy, you can have the $.50 ‘Popeye character plates, or you can have these yellow plates, that will look nice with your ‘Pokemon cake. ) Be sure to check the mark down sections of stores that sell party ware to find these deals. Dollar stores are another source of party ware bargains.
Have a party supply box. In this box I have enough cups, plates, bowls and cutlery and for 25 people. They are all different colours (blue, pink, green and yellow). And they were all really cheap 6 for $2 from Crazy Clints. I have picked up large plastic serving platters and bowls for $2 a piece from different dollar type stores and they are in the party box as well. As they are made of fairly sturdy plastic, they will last for years. I also put balloons, streamers, party favours, lolly bags etc into the box throughout the year. As I find them on sale, I buy them. This helps to keep the costs of parties down, and takes a lot of the stress out of planning them too.
If you don't have time to organise crockery, cutlery etc for your birthday parties, Party Kids is the place for you. They have ready made, themed party supply packs that are delivered to your door!
Tablecloths
This one area where there are so many different options and opportunities to be creative. A white linen tablecloth (read: single sheet) can also become a memento of a special party. Put out different coloured permanent markers, and ask guests to write a special message to the subject of the party. When the party is over, launder as usual and fold or roll it up gently and tie with a pretty ribbon. But really, tablecloths can be anything. Wrapping paper, pretty fabric, a sheet, a large curtain, a shower curtain (this one is waterproof, cheap, reusable and they come in such a variety of colours, and patterns), the only limitation is what you can't imagine. Have fun with this element, and try to be understanding if the inevitable spills and slops occur on your best cloth.
Decorations
If you have kids yourself, or interact with kids, you will have access to the best decorations possible. Little hands, and happy hearts, will enthusiastically help you bring life to the set up. If you would rather buy them yourself, think about buying plain colored or messaged streamers, banners etc. that can be reused. Some of the best traditions can begin with the presence of one $.50 Happy Birthday banner. Balloons and coloured streamers are a quick and effective way of decorating for a party. A pretty table centrepiece can be made by gathering five small balloons into a bunch. Tie them to a stick and then sit it in a small jar of sand. Add some curling ribbon and you have a lovely bunch of balloon flowers for your table.
Loot Bags
These can be simple sandwich bags, or more elaborate decorated and themed plastic bags. Or you can stamp and personalize a brown paper lunch bag for each child. Again, you are limited only by your imagination.
Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper can be an impromptu gift bag (bought cheaply or recycled from a gift you've received). Newspapers, the comics, tissue paper, or any kind of decorated paper works well. Personalized wrapping paper can be easily made, by cutting paper bags, and painting on them. Our family has made handprint-wrapping paper and stamped wrapping paper. We've also reused kid-type wrapping paper, and given it to older people who enjoy a good joke. What Great-Grandpa would not enjoy a roaring dinosaur bag, and what good-natured bachelor would not appreciate Teletubbie paper?
Greeting Cards
If you would rather make your own, you can use pictures and excerpts from books, magazines etc. and glue on to construction paper, or other suitable paper.
To be really cheap, and at the same time personalise the card to the highest degree, you can make your own paper. Take different coloured papers from the land of Misfit Paper (the recycle bin), and shred or rip them up. Put them into a blender and add just enough water to cover the paper scraps. Turn the blender on (any speed) and blend until the paper is well glopped together. Strain out liquid and lay on an old window screen (or other draining rack with very small holes). Let it dry overnight, and then carefully pick up the paper and observe your frugal masterpiece! (You can also add glitter, pieces of fabric or ribbon, dried flowers, spices and other bits of flair after the blending stage)!
If you would rather buy a greeting card, consider going to a discount store, or buying them when they are on sale, and stock up. You can also save by buying direct through catalogues. Kids' cards are less expensive than the celebrated deep thought cards that hardly anyone reads anyway.
So next time someone you know is turning 40, give them a kitty card that congratulates them on being …4!
Reuse
If possible, reuse heavier plastic ware that can handle washing. For unused plates, utensils, cups etc., why not just pack them up in a storage bag, and save for the next festive occasion? Carefully remove tape, tacks, and staples from decorations, fold, roll, or tie them up and pack them away. Save what you can of wrapping paper, and tissue paper too. You can iron out the wrinkles for the next use. Cut away tears and gobs of tape, and store it in an envelope or folder. If you don't have enough paper left for future gift-wrapping you can always use this paper for an upcoming craft you'd like to try.
The Gift
If the person you need to get a gift for is a child, you have so many frugal options, I could never name them all! If you have a dollar store, go to it, decide how much you want to spend and then put all the finds in a gift bag. The little one will have more fun pulling stuff out, and delighting over the lot of little things, you spent so little on. Kids also love things that are new to them, so don't be afraid to find nice hardly used toys at garage sales, and give them as gifts. Kids love to mimic our world, so fill a box, or bag (cheaply decorate of course) with lots of gaudy garage sale finds that they will love dressing up in.
And if the person is an adult, do some research. If this is a person you do not know very well, find out what hobbies they have, a movie buff, may enjoy a book of reviews, a history or behind the scenes look at one of their favorite movies. You can buy some movie tickets at a cinema they like to go to. Whatever they like, try to find a frugal way to exploit it.
If this person is someone you know very well, you can always make up the "coupon" book. Good for three hours of childcare, or good for one lawn mowing etc. You can also make a sentimental gift. If you care very much for someone, how about nicely matting and framing a favorite picture, poem, song, or event that happened in your own words. Sometimes, writing what you feel, and never say, is the best of gifts in the world.
As you enjoy the celebration of birthdays, I hope that these ideas have helped to give you some ideas and inspiration on cutting the cost of birthdays and birthday parties.
Holding a birthday party doesn t have to be so expensive you need to take out a second mortgage. You can have a great party, with fabulous decorations, for just a few dollars. Here are some of the things we do to keep our parties within our budget.
The Invitations
If you're going to have a party, you know you'll need to invite your guests. They'll need to know the date, time and occasion. There are great ways to do this for very little cost. The cheapest way is generally to make your own invitations. To do this, you can use wallpaper scraps, index cards, poster board or other sturdy material. You can be extra frugal and use the fronts of old birthday cards as invitations. Simply print the details on the back of the picture and voila! Individual and unique invitations. One of the easiest of ways is to use note cards. You can decorate the tops with wrapping paper, pictures from magazines, glitter, stickers etc. Another option is to use a computer program to make them, or to print them off the Internet. You can be really frugal and send an e-card as an invitation.
The Party Ware
Birthdays do not require a theme, but should you or your kids desire one, there are also inexpensive ways to create them. Look through books and magazines for ideas that you can replicate, then if you have a discount/budget party store near you, I suggest you take a look. Often you will find they are attempting to clean out old stock to make room for the new. When they are doing this you can find some really great bargains. If your kids are like mine, they have a lot of different interests. Last year, we had and an Fairy themed door hanging, purple napkins, Barbie plates and cups, with a Dickory Dock Birthday cake. And how did our birthday girl react to the mismatches? She absolutely adored the party array. She loved the variety and details of all the different things, and was pleased that she was surrounded with them! (I of course, was just as excited that she loved it and that it saved our family some money).
Disposable accessories can be expensive. Here are some options to consider:
Use your china or everyday dishes. Add some flair by using matching coloured napkins, cups, napkin rings, or party favors. (These can match the cake or other general theme ). Use cheap plain or solid colour dishes, and either use as is or decorate them yourself, (take care that what you use for the decoration is safe to eat off ). Generally, as long as you give options, kids are willing to negotiate. (For example, Tommy, you can have the $.50 ‘Popeye character plates, or you can have these yellow plates, that will look nice with your ‘Pokemon cake. ) Be sure to check the mark down sections of stores that sell party ware to find these deals. Dollar stores are another source of party ware bargains.
Have a party supply box. In this box I have enough cups, plates, bowls and cutlery and for 25 people. They are all different colours (blue, pink, green and yellow). And they were all really cheap 6 for $2 from Crazy Clints. I have picked up large plastic serving platters and bowls for $2 a piece from different dollar type stores and they are in the party box as well. As they are made of fairly sturdy plastic, they will last for years. I also put balloons, streamers, party favours, lolly bags etc into the box throughout the year. As I find them on sale, I buy them. This helps to keep the costs of parties down, and takes a lot of the stress out of planning them too.
If you don't have time to organise crockery, cutlery etc for your birthday parties, Party Kids is the place for you. They have ready made, themed party supply packs that are delivered to your door!
Tablecloths
This one area where there are so many different options and opportunities to be creative. A white linen tablecloth (read: single sheet) can also become a memento of a special party. Put out different coloured permanent markers, and ask guests to write a special message to the subject of the party. When the party is over, launder as usual and fold or roll it up gently and tie with a pretty ribbon. But really, tablecloths can be anything. Wrapping paper, pretty fabric, a sheet, a large curtain, a shower curtain (this one is waterproof, cheap, reusable and they come in such a variety of colours, and patterns), the only limitation is what you can't imagine. Have fun with this element, and try to be understanding if the inevitable spills and slops occur on your best cloth.
Decorations
If you have kids yourself, or interact with kids, you will have access to the best decorations possible. Little hands, and happy hearts, will enthusiastically help you bring life to the set up. If you would rather buy them yourself, think about buying plain colored or messaged streamers, banners etc. that can be reused. Some of the best traditions can begin with the presence of one $.50 Happy Birthday banner. Balloons and coloured streamers are a quick and effective way of decorating for a party. A pretty table centrepiece can be made by gathering five small balloons into a bunch. Tie them to a stick and then sit it in a small jar of sand. Add some curling ribbon and you have a lovely bunch of balloon flowers for your table.
Loot Bags
These can be simple sandwich bags, or more elaborate decorated and themed plastic bags. Or you can stamp and personalize a brown paper lunch bag for each child. Again, you are limited only by your imagination.
Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper can be an impromptu gift bag (bought cheaply or recycled from a gift you've received). Newspapers, the comics, tissue paper, or any kind of decorated paper works well. Personalized wrapping paper can be easily made, by cutting paper bags, and painting on them. Our family has made handprint-wrapping paper and stamped wrapping paper. We've also reused kid-type wrapping paper, and given it to older people who enjoy a good joke. What Great-Grandpa would not enjoy a roaring dinosaur bag, and what good-natured bachelor would not appreciate Teletubbie paper?
Greeting Cards
If you would rather make your own, you can use pictures and excerpts from books, magazines etc. and glue on to construction paper, or other suitable paper.
To be really cheap, and at the same time personalise the card to the highest degree, you can make your own paper. Take different coloured papers from the land of Misfit Paper (the recycle bin), and shred or rip them up. Put them into a blender and add just enough water to cover the paper scraps. Turn the blender on (any speed) and blend until the paper is well glopped together. Strain out liquid and lay on an old window screen (or other draining rack with very small holes). Let it dry overnight, and then carefully pick up the paper and observe your frugal masterpiece! (You can also add glitter, pieces of fabric or ribbon, dried flowers, spices and other bits of flair after the blending stage)!
If you would rather buy a greeting card, consider going to a discount store, or buying them when they are on sale, and stock up. You can also save by buying direct through catalogues. Kids' cards are less expensive than the celebrated deep thought cards that hardly anyone reads anyway.
So next time someone you know is turning 40, give them a kitty card that congratulates them on being …4!
Reuse
If possible, reuse heavier plastic ware that can handle washing. For unused plates, utensils, cups etc., why not just pack them up in a storage bag, and save for the next festive occasion? Carefully remove tape, tacks, and staples from decorations, fold, roll, or tie them up and pack them away. Save what you can of wrapping paper, and tissue paper too. You can iron out the wrinkles for the next use. Cut away tears and gobs of tape, and store it in an envelope or folder. If you don't have enough paper left for future gift-wrapping you can always use this paper for an upcoming craft you'd like to try.
The Gift
If the person you need to get a gift for is a child, you have so many frugal options, I could never name them all! If you have a dollar store, go to it, decide how much you want to spend and then put all the finds in a gift bag. The little one will have more fun pulling stuff out, and delighting over the lot of little things, you spent so little on. Kids also love things that are new to them, so don't be afraid to find nice hardly used toys at garage sales, and give them as gifts. Kids love to mimic our world, so fill a box, or bag (cheaply decorate of course) with lots of gaudy garage sale finds that they will love dressing up in.
And if the person is an adult, do some research. If this is a person you do not know very well, find out what hobbies they have, a movie buff, may enjoy a book of reviews, a history or behind the scenes look at one of their favorite movies. You can buy some movie tickets at a cinema they like to go to. Whatever they like, try to find a frugal way to exploit it.
If this person is someone you know very well, you can always make up the "coupon" book. Good for three hours of childcare, or good for one lawn mowing etc. You can also make a sentimental gift. If you care very much for someone, how about nicely matting and framing a favorite picture, poem, song, or event that happened in your own words. Sometimes, writing what you feel, and never say, is the best of gifts in the world.
As you enjoy the celebration of birthdays, I hope that these ideas have helped to give you some ideas and inspiration on cutting the cost of birthdays and birthday parties.