The Humbled Homemaker: Parenting on a Penny: Inexpensive Birthday Party Ideas

Our little family back in 2009. We celebrated our daughter's 1st birthday at a park.

Welcome to the launch of a new monthly series: Parenting on a Penny. Each month, check out The Humbled Homemaker for tips on parenting and homemaking on the cheap.

Today’s post is on children’s birthday parties.

When I was expecting our first daughter, thinking about throwing her birthday parties was probably the last thing on my mind.

As my daughter’s 1st birthday drew closer, I realized just how much I wanted to make her feel special.

But my family operates on a tight budget. How would we pay for a party?

We try to keep activities low-key. My hubby made this pinata himself!

It’s only been 3 years, but here are some things we’ve learned:

Use a FREE venue, like a park or your own home. We used parks her first two years, and we threw a princess tea party in our home this year.
Make your own cake—or cupcakes. I spent hours crafting an elaborate princess cake (yes, we've already done a princess theme twice in 3 years!) for my daughter's 1st birthday. I solicited the help of a couple of friends, and made it into a really fun moms' day!

I spent ~~hours~~ days making this elaborate cake for my daughter's 1st birthday!

Keep the food simple. Schedule your party for mid-morning or late afternoon, so your guests won’t expect a meal. You can simply serve cake, ice cream and a beverage (juice, lemonaide, sweet tea or even just water).
Allow your guests to save money, too. Tell your guests that gifts aren’t necessary (our kids, for one, DON’T need more toys!). A friend of mine actually requested that guests bring food for our local soup kitchen in lieu of presents for her child.
Shop at bargain stores for paper products and decorations. The Dollar Tree is my personal favorite!
Combine parties with a friend. Split the costs and enjoy celebrating together!
Keep activities low-key. This year, our daughter's guests colored pictures of tea sets and princess crowns, ate cupcakes and drank juice and spent the rest of the time playing with her toys.

Our favors this year were tea cups from a thrift store.

Be creative with the favors—or forgo them altogether. Cheap toys and candy? Most parents don’t like bringing that stuff home. If you still want to give something, try:

balloons
bubbles
homemade reusable snack or sandwich bags
a box of raisins
a favor with a lesson: This year, we gave out tea cups (that we bought at a thrift store) that we used as flower pots. They cost next to nothing and went perfect with our "Princess Tea Party" theme!