Whatever the state of the economy, children still have birthdays, and moms want every party to be a memorable event. Birthday party supplies don’t have to be a big expense. Moving the party out of a restaurant or entertainment venue into your home is the biggest savings. Typically, a children’s party at one of the more popular sites can cost $10.99 per child for 2 slices of pizza and 90 minutes of entertainment. Add in the adults, the cake, and the favors and you probably have a mortgage payment. Choose a birthday party theme and plan a “dessert only” house party for a much more affordable and fun-filled party.
We always start with a theme. Often it was a decision based on many days of serious discussions between my daughter, who she thought for herself, and me, wanting to make them very happy. Often my ideas of a safari party or a beach party were met with the simplicity of the youthful mind asking, “What’s a safari, mommy?” From there, the learning began and with each step along the way, up until Sweet 16 and her Wedding, planning a party theme was a family ritual that we grew to love.
Whatever the state of the economy, kids still have birthdays, and moms want every party to be a memorable event. Birthday parties don’t have to be a big expense, if you know how to plan them. Moving the party out of a restaurant or entertainment venue into your home is the biggest savings. Typically, a kids’ party at one of the more popular places, like ChuckeCheese’s, is $10.99 per kid for 2 slices of pizza and 90 minutes of entertainment. Add in the adults, the cake, and the favors and you probably have a mortgage payment. A “dessert only” house party is much more affordable.
Planning a “home” party can be a family affair…especially with the Internet. The whole family can sit down and choose a theme, paper goods, favors, and many websites offer great game and party planning tips as well. A little pre-planning on your part is a good idea, you may want to narrow the topics down to two or three and copy them to your computer so the kids can view them “offline.” Then, once they’ve chosen a topic, link to that page on the website you’ve chosen. A few tips though, this works great with kids ages 3 and up, but for your little ones, make your own choice.
Most busy moms are very creative, so create an activity based on your theme, and once again, get the family involved. If it’s a pirate party, hide the “loot” around the house and after the cake, give each child a loot bag or box and let them hunt for treasure. This activity combines entertainment with party details and saves a lot of money. Use your computer to research ideas for children’s parties, there is a lot of information available. Not good at directing kids or just need some help? Hire your babysitter and have her bring a friend!
When the party is over, talk about it with the family and solidify one last memory you’ll talk about for years to come.
