Kids Birthday Party Cheap
Ehow has some great tips on how to throw a bday party cheap
you want to throw your child a fun birthday party but don't have a lot of money to spend? With a little bit of organization and a lot of creativity, you can plan a fun, memorable birthday party for your little one while spending very little cash. The key is in making lists.
Difficulty:Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
Pen
Paper
Computer (optional)
1
Decide on a theme for your child's party. This might not seem that important, but it will help make a lot of other decisions easier.
2
Decide on a day and time for the party. This will determine how much food, plates and silverware you'll need. The best way to save money is to have a cake and ice cream-only party between lunch and dinner. If you choose to have a party during what's considered a normal eating time, your guests will probably expect you to feed them (which can be costly).
3
Make a list of all of the people you'll invite. Use this number to plan for several other things. Don't forget to include parents if they insist on coming along or are invited.
4
Make a list of all of the things you'll need. Include items such as the cake, invitations, games, prizes, goody bags, decorations, plates, napkins, silverware and cups.
5
Go through your list and figure out how many of each thing you need and how you can accomplish it while spending very little money. Break down each item and make lists to help yourself plan. Make lists of what you'll buy and make. For items you're making, make a list of supplies.
6
Using the number from your list from Step 1, figure out how much cake you need. If you have the supplies to make it, bake your own cake. It saves a lot of money and allows you to get creative with how you decorate it. Make a list of what you need to bake the cake: for example, two 9-inch round pans, cooking spray, cake mix, frosting.
7
Figure out how many invitations you need and then make your own invitations. There are lots of ways to make invitations using simple shapes cut out of construction paper and glue. If you choose to make your invitations, make a list of the supplies you need for this. You can also print invitations with various themes from the Internet (see Resources below). If you want to save money on paper and stamps, you can send out an email invitation. There are lots of websites that offer free online invitations (see Resources below). Many of the websites will even help you plan your party! If you choose not to mail or email invitations, you can always call friends and family on the phone.
8
Make sure you plan age-appropriate games. If you have a lot of space, you can plan physically active games such as "Duck, Duck, Goose," "Musical Chairs" and "Simon Says." You can also make your own games, such as "Pin the Tail on the Donkey (or the character from your theme)" by drawing the character on a large piece of poster board and making the tails and out of construction paper. If you want more low-key games, make a birthday party bingo game by printing boards from your computer filled in with different words or pictures that go along with your theme. Then print out the words and pictures, and cut them into tiny pieces of paper that you can draw out of a bowl or hat. You may also want to plan games where everyone is a winner, such as a pinata. See Resources below for website suggestions for homemade games . Remember to make a list of the supplies you'll need if making your own games. Prizes can be inexpensive items from the store or homemade treats. Make sure you have enough prizes for the amount of games and winners you'll have. If the party is for small children under age 5, you may want to consider having enough prizes for all of the children. Make a list of what you'll need for prizes.
9
Come up with goody bags. They can be whatever you want them to be. You could bake cookies and send each child home with a few. It can be as simple as putting some pieces of candy into a plastic zipped bag with a sticker on it. Another idea in place of candy or food is giving out books or coloring books and crayons. Books are practical gifts that can be used over and over. You could get some balloons filled with helium before the party and use them for decorations and then send each child home with a balloon. The key is to spend very little money, but to make sure each child walks away with a special little something. Make a list of what you'll need and how many for the parting gifts.
10
Find decorations, plates and napkins at a dollar store. A lot of times, those items are cheaper at a dollar store than if you buy them at a party supplies store. You could also buy them in bulk and save the leftovers for future parties. If you don't want to spend any money on those items and you own enough, you could use your own silverware, cups, plates and simply throw them in the dishwasher after the party. You can make a lot of your own decorations with construction paper or by printing coloring pages from the Internet for free (see Resources below). You could also print pictures of your child from your computer and tape those up around the house. Make a list of the supplies you'll need if you choose to make your own decorations
Thanks How to Plan a Cheap Children's Birthday Party | eHow.com
