Birthdays on a Budget

Our baby just celebrated her 2nd birthday and it got me thinking about how big birthday celebrations have become. People spend hundreds of dollars on birthday parties, and if you can afford that, all the power to you! But I think we need to take the pressure off ourselves to put on such elaborate birthday parties. I remember growing up with modest parties but I never felt I lacked anything. I would have a few friends over and we would play games. Mom always made poutine for us at our parties. We'd eat cake and open presents. It was a great time.

So I wanted to write a little post about throwing a birthday party on a budget. Here are a few tips...

Have the party at your home. Renting facilities to hold your party is a really big cost. I know having a bunch of kids in your home can feel overwhelming, thinking about all the cleaning you'll have to do after. But a lot of facilities require you to clean up after your party anyways. If you're worried about not having a large enough space at home to accommodate all your guests, think about downsizing the invite list. If you are anything like me, you are already overwhelmed with all the stuff your kids have, do they really need so much more? They aren't going to suffer from fewer presents. And if they have a set number of friends they can invite, it really gets them to consider who they value spending their time with.

My next tip is picking a theme for decorating. Going with a color theme is cheaper than picking a novelty theme like a cartoon or video game. Some of the main stream kid shows are easy to find decorations for but other themes require special orders for party supplies. Going with a color is simple and allows you to easily find decorations and supplies. Or you can make your own! The banner, garland, plates and party hats I used for my daughter's party all came from the dollar store. It cost me a total of $5!! 

Tip number 3! Make your own cake instead or ordering one! There are so many ideas on Pinterest for you to choose from. This tip also works really well when you follow my theme suggestion of working with a color. A simple 2 tier round cake is always classy, and its super easy to frost it with the color of your party theme!

Don't get me wrong, some birthdays are milestone numbers and I think it's 

 Ok to go all out once in awhile, but I don't think it's necessary for every party, every year.

It doesn't take much to make our children feel special. I truly think all the fancy decorations are really more impressive for the adults, the kids rarely notice that stuff. Keep it simple and take the pressure off your self, and off your wallet!

Cheers!