Child Birthday Parties on a Budget

I am the proud mom to an amazing, and very soon to be 10 year’s old, little girl, Maddie. Her birthdays are a day for celebration in our home, one I always want to make very special for her. If you don’t already know, then you will quickly find out when planning your first child’s birthday party, they can cost a fortune!

Since my daughter is turning 10, that means I have a decade of experience under my belt in planning fun, memorable and very importantly… affordable birthday parties. One piece of advice is to start planning early. Maddie’s birthday is in late February, we always start planning the first of January. That way, I know I have time to research, shop, and get the great DEALS!

All great parties start with a guest list and guests mean invitations. Don’t waste your gas on the trip to the store for those overpriced pre-packaged, fill in the blank invites. My suggestion would be to design your own and print with Overnight-Prints. If you aren’t a whiz with design programs, no worries! They have thousands of designs you can easily manipulate to make them your own, and then simply select your quantity. On the other hand, if you like to get creative, then you can design the invitations entirely on your own (how cool to have your child’s image on the invite!) and then upload directly. Once your quantity is selected you can simply sit back and wait for them to arrive in the mail.

Of course, no child’s party will get beyond the planning phase without a theme. From the tiny tots with Thomas the Train, Dora The Explorer, and Elmo, to the tweens who are all about Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and The Jonas Brothers and even the teens who love the Twilight Saga…you simply have to have a theme for the party. The theme will be evident in all of your details and you can keep it simple with just cups, plates, napkins, etc., or you can go all out with balloons, wall decals, and even specially designed candy bars(how fun!). Regardless of the theme you choose you will want to start your shopping at ShindigZ. You can even get ideas for your themes here. My daughter loves to browse the site to see what they have for different themes and it gets her involved in the planning stages also. This is the fun part, and a very fun site! Shop and get great discounts on your paper goods, games, even party favors, all without driving around town from party store to party store and saving money in the process.

Enjoy your child’s birthday and party with them. They all pass far too quickly so make them special and memorable, but with these tips you can also make them affordable. After all, you still have the all important gifts to buy too.