Have you ever noticed that some of the most outrageous, most expensive birthday parties are for children who either don’t care or won’t remember a single detail about them in the future?
For example, there’s simply no way that your 1 or 2-year-old toddler is going to remember that you spent $1000 to have pony rides at their party, or hired a professional photographer to take photographs.
Of course, many new parents fall into the trap of wanting to “capture every moment” of little Johnny or little Susie’s “big day” and, in the rush to do something spectacular, end up spending a small fortune.
As children’s birthday parties get bigger, louder and, most importantly, more expensive, it might be time for parents to step back and look at ways of cutting down those costs for two reasons; 1, it’s a waste of money and 2, many children don’t want or need it. Below are some ways to do just that. Enjoy.
Put that Party on a Budget
If you use a budget for everything else, why not use it for your child’s birthday party? Set a budget and then start with the basics like party favors, food and decorations. If you find you have money left over, you can splurge on something else. If you don’t, then so be it, that’s what your child will get. Frankly, if you make $400 a week, you really shouldn’t be spending $1000 on your child’s birthday party. Also, many of them simply don’t want ornate, fancy parties, but instead just want to have fun with their friends and act like kids.
Don’t try to Compete with the Neighbors
Depending on where you live you might have neighbors that, every time one of their children’s birthdays come along, throw a lavish party and pull out all stops. If they can afford it, good for them but, even if you can, there’s still no reason to try and keep up. Just because your neighbor spent $500 hiring all the clowns from the local clown college doesn’t mean you have to, and doesn’t mean her little boy was impressed by them or will remember them either.
Limits the Guests to your child’s actual Friends
Sometimes, especially for little girls but also for boys, a smaller group of close friends is a lot better than a big, raucous group of kids that they barely even know. Sometimes with a smaller group you can do things like go to an amusement park, a nail salon for the girls or to a bowling alley, things that just wouldn’t be possible with a larger, more expensive group of kids. Remember that, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that your child had a good time.
DIY, save Big Bucks
Anything that you can do yourself for your child’s party is going to save you a lot of money, including decorating, making a birthday cake and creating games and activities. For example, you can create a maze out of large boxes or, if it’s summertime, have a huge water balloon fight in the yard. You can also go to your local Dollar Store and get all sorts of decorations, toys and party favors extremely cheaply.
In the end, most children just want to know that mom and dad love them, and will be happy with whatever type of party that you might throw. Whether it’s huge, fantastic and costs a phenomenal amount of money or just the opposite, in 365 days they probably won’t remember it anyway.