If you have children with birthdays coming up then you know the stress of then begging for you to throw a party and you are not sure whether you can afford one. Every child wants to have a birthday party, but it can drain a lot of your finances and if you don’t have that budget, you might find yourself in dire straits over a party. 

It’s nice to be able to throw a party, and will do one even if your budget is smaller than you think. You could even have a party that is budget friendly that includes a personalized party food service; It all depends on how you shop around. So, if you want to throw a children’s birthday party without breaking the bank, we’ve got some tips to help you below.

• Choose a free location. Location is often the biggest cost when it comes to children’s parties, but you don’t necessarily have to have it in a software or a hall. There are plenty of open spaces and parks that will allow you to host a party in their picnic areas and public picnics are free to do. Opting for a free or a very inexpensive location to host a birthday party such as your backyard or a nearby reservoir or even the beach, will help you to bring the costs down. Always check if there is a reservation required or a shelter fee at the park before you book anything, but once you do it you’ll be able to see the difference in cost.
• Keep it small. Having a party catered doesn’t mean you have to have 100 people at the party. If you’re looking to keep your budget on track, try to resist inviting 5200 people! It’s as simple as that. The more people, the more food, the more supplies and the more party bags. A good way to do this is to make sure that your child invites the same number of people as the age that they will be turning. So if you have a child turning 10, then 10 guests is a great idea.
• time it right. The time of day you host the party will be a big factor in how much food you’ll need to supply. So, if you want to keep your costs low you don’t necessarily have to throw it over lunchtime or dinnertime. You could host the party between the time of 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM and just have some snacks on the table for those who want to have something quick to eat in between meals. A mid morning or mid afternoon party is also a nice way to post, and it’s an inexpensive time of day to get a venue as well.
• Go digital with your invites. Unless you have a dab hand at creating invites with cards and coloring pens, go digital and send out text or evites. A FREE Email service can help you to create and send as well as track your RSVPS. It’s a good way to do things if you want to make sure that you are not sending out pieces of paper that will only end up in the trash.

• Do as much of it yourself as possible. Apart from the catering, you could always buy a cake from the bakery or bake one, make the food and snacks for the parents and have the children’s food catered for, you could even make your own decorations, make your own invites and everything else.
• Planning advance. A good way to save money on a party is to ensure that you shop all year round. If you know that you have a child obsessed with a particular cartoon character, keep an eye on the sales for party gear, plates, cups at anything that is themed, and buy it while you can. If there are any leftover party supplies from other events you’ve had through the year, repurpose those as well. If you’re shopping the deals, make sure that the party bags are also shopped in the deals and you’ll be able to save some cash on the little bags the kids take home.
• Head to the dollar store. You do not have to have lavish decorations and displays for a party. Heading to the dollar store and making sure that you have a stick of super glue is going to help you to make your own balloon display. You can also buy balloons and streamers, paper plates and cups, utensils and even snacks at the dollar store which will save you a fortune. If you make sure you stick to solid colors, you can use the decorations again in future.
• Send out your invitations early. If you give parents and relatives at least two months of advance notice of a party with a reminder halfway there, you’ll be able to determine exactly how many people you are catering for and how many spots you are feeding. The reason you need to do this is because as soon as you know the number of people who will be there you’ll be able to plan for that with party bags and food. This is going to help you with your budgeting, and it’s going to help you not to overbuy.
• Keep the entertainment simple with games. The simplest of games like bubble blowing, eggs and spoon races, baseball, soccer and even games of tag can make a birthday party fun. You could also think of other party games like pinning the tail on the donkey, musical chairs and hot potato, freeze tag and Simon Says. Charades is also a very good game to play for a party, and all the kids, depending on their age, can get involved. If you have a relative who is excellent at making balloon animals, get them involved and see if they can help.
• Host a joint party. A good way to make sure you’re not overdoing it at parties this year is to have all of your kids have their parties at the same time. One large party is going to cost you less overall than three or four smaller ones.