We all want to make our children’s birthdays exciting and memorable, but when we are struggling just to pay the bills things can seem overwhelming. Relax you don’t have to spend a million dollars to make a birthday special. Birthdays aren’t about how much you spend and how extravagant they are, birthdays are about our children. Here’s some tips on making each birthday a special and enjoyable one without all the headaches and credit card charges.
What’s the best part of a birthday party? The cake and ice cream right? So skip the food, inform your guests that you’ll only be serving cake and ice cream. Instead of sending invitations that it’s a birthday party invite your friends to a cake cutting
Forgo the huge party all together and have a private family birthday party. You can pick up a cake for about $5 at your local grocery store and find party hats and blowers at a dollar store. Have dinner as usual, sing happy birthday and open presents.
Along the same lines as the private party have a family slumber party. Kids love to stay up late and they never get to, and really when was the last time you got to stay up all night. So gather up the family, throw some blankets and pillows on the floor, gather up some snacks, pop in a good movie and laugh the night away.
How about a family field trip? Most of our kids have a favorite place they like to go but we don’t usually have time to take them. Birthdays are the perfect time to have the whole family visit your child’s favorite place for the day. Ask them if they’d like to bring a friend.
All our kids get school pictures taken and of course we forget to send most of them out. So use those photos to create birthday announcements. There are so many events each year that friends and family tend to forget birthdays. So send out announcements and see what happens.
Children are always trying to get our attention. So make their special day extra special and give the gift of time. Spend the entire day devoting your undivided attention to your child and do everything they want to do.
For older kids you can always spend the day at a hotel, yes it’s not the most affordable choice but it’ll probably be cheaper than a full party. Take a mini vacation for their special day, lounging by the pool and enjoying a meal at the hotel restaurant. Depending on when you book you may find some really great rates.
If none of those options work for you there’s always the good old fail safe.. have a party. Plan smart and you can cut back on a lot of the costs. Two great web sites that offer ideas and printables are kidsdomain.com/holiday/birthday/party.html and boardmanweb.com/party/. For party supplies, check out Joann (the art supply store) offers party favors, wrapping paper, candles, gift bags, and decorations are very cheap prices - they also offer free shipping.
Remember birthday parties are a special celebration on your childis birth, they’re meant to be fun not stressful. Just focus on spending time with your child not on how much money you spend.
