Hi Everyone - Find a wonderful guest post from our great friend, Denise Long!
You don’t have to rent an expensive venue or plan an all-day outing to throw your grandchild a birthday party to remember. With smart planning and creative ideas, you can host an amazing birthday party at home! If your grandchild’s birthday is coming up, use these tips to plan a budget-friendly celebration everyone will enjoy.
Start with the Basics
Before you can plan a party, you need to establish some basic details, such as:
- Your budget: Decorations, treats, and gifts add up quickly, so it’s important to set a budget before shopping.
- The guest list: No, you don’t have to invite the entire class. Instead, ask yourselfhow many kids your home can comfortably accommodate. Consider whether the party will be indoors or outdoors and a daytime event or a sleepover.
- Adult supervision: Depending on the size of the party and the children’s ages, you may want to recruit some parents to supervise.
Opt for E-Vites
Forget the overpriced birthday party invitations that only get lost in kids’ backpacks. Instead of hand-delivering or mailing birthday party invites, send e-vites to guests. You can still choose cute themes, and you won’t have to spend a dime!
Craft the Menu
Food can easily be the biggest budget item for a party. To save on food costs, host a party that doesn’t fall during mealtimes. A party from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. skirts lunch and dinner, so all you have to worry about is snacks and a cake. If hosting an overnight party, a few frozen pizzas and an ice cream sundae bar are cost-effective and crowd-pleasing alternatives to ordering in.
If you’re handy in the kitchen, you can bake your own sweets to save money. Even if you’re not much of a baker, you can whip up a batch of homemade cupcakes with little fuss. Prefer someone else to handle the baking and icing for you? Taste of Home lists the best places to shop for a store-bought cake.
Plan Low-Cost Activities
With the right activities, your grandchild won’t feel like he’s missing out by having a birthday party at home, so let your grandchild’s interests guide the party plans. If your grandchild loves the outdoors, plan an afternoon filled with water balloon fights and wacky races followed by an evening of educational stargazing before the kids settle in for a sleepover. Is your grandkid a video game fanatic? Rent new video games for a night of competitive fun. If you need consoles or controllers, ask some parents to borrow equipment for the night.
These are some more budget-friendly activities kids love:
For a sleepover:
- Movie night.
- Blanket fort building.
- Board games.
- Glow-in-the-dark capture the flag.
- Backyard campout.
- Spa night.
For a daytime party:
- Scavenger hunt.
- Obstacle course.
- Bicycle races.
- Fear Factor games.
- Arts and crafts.
Decorate for Less
Kids love themed birthday parties, but decorating your house floor-to-ceiling in store-bought decorations is costly. Instead of going over budget on décor, buy one or two items in your grandchild’s favorite theme, and DIY the rest. A Spiderman centerpiece or “Happy Birthday” banner won’t break the bank, and you can buy colored paper plates, napkins, and balloons to complement the theme without splurging on a complete decorating kit.
Don’t shy away from DIY! If you have the time, DIY crafts are an excellent way to decorate on a budget.
No grandparent wants their grandkid to miss out on a great birthday celebration. However, throwing a fun party doesn’t have to mean renting out a trampoline park or taking two dozen elementary schoolers to laser tag! By hosting birthday parties at home, you can show your grandchild how much they mean to you and honor your budget.
Image via Pexels