Birthday parties don't have to cost the earth. Here are my family's best tips on hosting a smaller and less expensive (but still thrilling!) birthday treat.
It's that time of year at my house when we enter the world of birthday parties once again. The world of birthday parties, being associated with playground politics, naturally includes requests for bigger, better and more absurd party themes each year, which of course means a general mounting up of huge expense.
Well I've had enough - not this year! This year we are doing things a little differently in the hope of spending less and enjoying more! So after in-depth and somewhat entertaining discussions with my daughter we have come up with the following plan...
We are not throwing the traditional big, sparkly birthday party and inviting the whole class. Instead, we are having a mini party and birthday treat afternoon and inviting only her closest friends. Firstly we are having a children's mini-manicure session booked at the local hair and beauty salon, then we're heading home for a 'mad hatters' tea party.
We will be keeping our costs down by:
- Only inviting 4 children
- Making the birthday cake ourselves (using Nigella's birthday custard sponge recipe) – take a peep! It oozes birthday treat chocolatey fabulousness!
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Having a homemade tea party spread:
- Cheesy feet (Nigella recipe here)
- Ham and egg sandwiches cut into heart shapes
- Cupcakes (Nigella recipe here)
- Mini sausages
- Strawberries and cream
- Teapots full of lemonade and heart shaped ice-cubes (shaped ice-cube trays available from Ikea)
- We have borrowed mismatched cups and saucers and tablecloth to add to our 'mad hatter' theme
- Making our own party decorations – paper chains are simple to make! Simply cut coloured paper into strips and tape into loops, carry on attaching more loops until you have metres of paper chains to hang around your party room!
- Offering homemade party bags -- and even they are a bit different this year too! Inspired by Deb Carrots' recent Ready for Ten post on growing flowers with children we have bought each child a plant pot, made up small bags of compost, and bought them all a packet of flower seeds. All of this will be sent to our little guests' various homes accompanied by a slice of cake and a pot of bubbles.
What are your thoughts on children's birthday parties? Do you feel you have to do the big party and invite the whole class because you don't want to leave anyone out or are you happy to run the risk of upsetting other mums and opting for a cheaper, smaller, and in my opinion, ultimately more enjoyable occasion?
There are some great alternative party themes for boys and girls by Deb Carrots on Ready for Ten.
If you have any top tips for keeping party costs down – please leave them in the comments section below!
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21 April, 2010
I am doing a small party for my son. After looking on all the party shops for football theme things i would need a second mortgage to afford what he wanted. I looked on ebay and found all the same stuff for less than half the price. wanted a Manchester city party and as know-one does any decorations for this i have made my own by printing off the badge and sticking it onto home made bunting very cheap and adds that personal touch.
21 April, 2010
For my middle daughter's 7th birthday we had 5 of her friends over to bake and decorate their own biscuits and cupcakes with icing in piping bags, sprinkles, edible glitter, etc. They also got to decorate a cake box with stickers and collage to take their yummy creations home in. That meant that both the entertainment and goodbags were sorted in one go. I made and decorated the birthday cake myself and made heart shaped sandwiches, cheesy scrolls, fruit kebabs with strawberry yoghurt dip, and other healthy and inexpensive snacks for the girls to eat while the cupcakes and biscuits were cooking and cooling.
My eldest daughter turns 10 next week and is also having 5 friends celebrate with her. The local hairdressers and nail bar, owned by friends, will let the girls have thier nails painted and hair styled for mates rates then back the girls will come back to ours for a cafe party. I am making swirly cupcakes, panini sandwiches, and they can have frappes, fruit juice mocktails, or hot chocs with frothy milk to drink. The girls will be decorating a large fabric tote bag to take home with fabric paint, iron on transfers, ribbons, etc Cheap and cheerful!
21 April, 2010
@CherylHughes - Using Ebay and making your own football bunting are brilliant ideas! - thanks for taking time to comment :)
21 April, 2010
@Utterlyscrummy - wow your birthday party ideas sound fabulous! I love the idea of cafe style party food! And the decorated bags sound lovely!
21 April, 2010
@tattooed_mummy - pirates and mermaids sounds a brilliant party idea!! I love the old fashioned party games too! I love the idea of the lucky treasure dip chest - thats really nice! I am also a spiteful mean mummy - I don't do sweets in party bags either! ;-)
DIY party bags are a novelty - girly has been to lots of parties with bought in pre-packed party bags which are deliciously lovely!
mum
21 April, 2010
I like the idea of a home tea party and the flowers idea is really sweet. At the moment my daughter likes to go to a soft play area but it is expensive so we never invite the whole class. I think as she gets older her parties will get smaller as her circle of close friends do. Anything that saves on expense certainly appeals!
21 April, 2010
One year we had a 'pirates and mermaids' themed party - but we did it at home. I bought crepe paper in green and hung torn strips of it for seaweed on the walls and doorframes, and we cut and painted shiney fish from card, the house was decorated like an underwater cave. the children dressed up and we played old fashioned party games like pin the tail on the donkey (although we had Place the Pirate on the Plank) we drew these ourselves, and pass the parcel (no gifts in the layers!) . I think 1950s tea parties for children are what I really hark back to. Some sandwiches, a piece of cake (I persobally loathe having the birthday cake sent home in the party bag! LOL) and maybejelly and icecream
as for 'DIY' party bags - I had no idea there were other sorts! at the pirate/mermaid party we had a pirate chest (decorated box!) filled with cuddly toys (cheap ones!) each wrapped so it was a lucky treasure dip to see what you got to take home.
As a spiteful and mean mummy I don't do sweets in party bags either. ;-)
21 April, 2010
Wendy, I love the homemade party bag idea and I commend you on doing something homemade and creative. I still remember the best party bag I ever got: a hair scrunchie (the birthday girl's mum was an ace seamstress; also, it was the eighties), a little bag of home-baked biscuits, and a sticker! I think the thoughtful, home-grown approach beats store-bought and overdone every time.
Sara
admin
21 April, 2010
Wow it's a whole new world for party bag ideas! Love the fabric paint and iron-on transfers idea - especially as they can use the bag for what ever they like afterwards. Ooh I feel like doing my own ;) !!
Sue
Ready For Ten team
admin
21 April, 2010
... oh and I forgot to say - I'll definitely be buying the ingredients for Nigella's cupcakes tomorrow for a practise run! Thanks for the yummy ideas Wendy!
Sue
Ready For Ten team
22 April, 2010
For my daughter's last birthday, we had a beach party (we live fairly close to the Northumberland coast). Lots of silly races (with some cheap medals as prizes), a grand sandcastle competition, and lots of paddling about in the sea. I packed up some sandwiches/fruit/crisps/vegetable sticks for each child in a little lunchbox (they were on offer for 4 for £1 in Morrisons!), and made a fairy castle cake (which just about survived the trip down the sanddunes). http://recipesformillie.blogspot.com/2009/09/birthday-cake.html All in all, it probably cost about £20, but it was great fun!
22 April, 2010
@Rach - Oh what a lovely idea a beach party! You are so lucky living near the coast!!
admin
07 May, 2010
I'm afraid we have been sucked into the whole big party thing this year - all three of ours are within a month of each other... I wish I'd read this post beforehand! But some great ideas and I think small parties are definately on the cards for next year.
Leigh
Ready for Ten team