Make Your Own Decorations

Decorations for any party can get expensive. This is especially the case when it’s a child’s birthday. But you can save quite a bit of money by making your own decorations.

Using your child’s art can make colorful decorations. Your child can cut a variety of shapes out of construction paper and then decorate them with glitter or make colorful drawings that you can hang throughout the room to accent balloons and other party décor.

You can also create origami designs such as flowers or even cranes out of beautifully colored paper. Your décor is only limited by you and your child’s imagination, and your child will be able to show off their creations to their friends.

Make Your Own Invitations

Invitations can be pricey, especially if you are sending out quite a few of them. You can create your own on your computer, or you can have your child create personalized invitations for each of his or her friends.

Create Your Own Entertainment

You don’t have to spend extra money on a clown or other entertainment like a bounce house. You can create your own. For example, you can have a limbo contest or freeze-dance competition in your living room just by playing some music. If you have access to a video game console, you can play multiplayer games like Kinect Sports on the Xbox 360, which can be a fun way to add some competition and exercise.

If the weather is sunny, you can create an obstacle course or scavenger hunt in your backyard. A volleyball and net is a great way to get some exercise and keep the kids entertained. Get creative by making your own games or creating activities like a cardboard house-building contest.

Make Your Own Food

Ordering pizza for a large party can be expensive and catering is definitely not an option when you're working on a budget. However, you can make your own food. Create fun finger sandwiches with cookie cutters, or let kids decorate their own cookies with a cookie decorating station. Don’t forget to have some healthy snacks.

You can also save money by making your own birthday cake, which can be a better option than a store-bought one. You’ll know exactly what is in it and be able to limit additives and sugars while preventing the potential for allergic reactions.

Limit Guests

Have your child invite just a few friends instead of his whole class. This limits how much food you’ll need to buy and prepare, how many invitations you’ll need and how big of a cake you’ll need to make. All of which can save you quite a bit of money.

Have a Backup Plan

Kids have notoriously short attention spans. If you plan on showing a movie, or playing games at home, be sure you have a backup plan in case the kids get bored. Create a list of games you can play during the party and any supplies you need for them (like a volleyball net or music for a dance-off) and keep it handy. That way at the first sign of boredom you can switch things up to keep everyone engaged.

Planning a birthday party for your kids doesn’t have to be expensive. But it does have to be fun. Get your kids involved in planning their own party and give them some responsibility for things like decorations and your child will have a great time at the party they helped make awesome.