As my son’s six-year-old birthday party approaches, I am again reminded about how expensive it can be to have a kids birthday party. From decorations to food, and don’t forget about activities and goody bags, the expenses can all add up pretty quickly.
I took a look at paper products, for example, that have a pirate theme on them. Not only are there the plates, cups, bowls and napkins available, but also centerpieces, goodie bags and more. Now these were generic pirates, not Pirates of the Caribbean or anything that has any sort of merchandising tie in at all. Yet, it would have cost me a small fortune just to have enough paper products for a small gathering.
Instead, we are going to have a selection of paper plates and cups in generic red and black. The plates and cups will still look theme-y for our pirate party, but they will only cost a fraction of printed products. Napkins will be in white (the least expensive option). The nice thing about using readily available solid colors like this, besides the lower cost, is the fact that we can use any leftover plates, cups and napkins for other parties. I learned this the hard way after throwing out numerous “Elmo” napkins that were never used. The napkins that are printed aren’t really good for much but show, anyway. They don’t absorb very well.
The theme can carry over to balloons as well. If you must have a commercial product for your theme, try one or two shiny mylar balloons surrounded by lots of latex balloons in your theme’s colors. Check out the dollar stores instead of the party stores for balloons. In fact, just avoid those party stores like the plague. Their markup on party items is outrageous. While you might have to reserve the balloons earlier, at a dollar store they are usually pretty inexpensive. At my local dollar store, a mylar balloon costs $1, and latex balloons are four for $1.
What are your favorite ways to save on a child’s birthday party?
Look for more birthday party articles, coming soon!
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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