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They come once a year for each child. Ideally, they should be fun, festive, meaningful for you, memorable for your child, fun for your friends, and at least acceptable for the adults they lead. Don’t forget to make it Instagram-worthy.
In reality, children’s birthday parties are chaotic, messy, and expensive. If you’re cleaning up the remnants of wrapping paper and frantically pushing leftover cakes onto reluctant guests, chances are you’re being kicked out the door by a party venue manager who just wants the next group in. You’re fed up. I hope it’s worth it when you pay the bills and make the exit.
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A BabyCenter survey found that 26% of parents reported spending about $500 on their first birthday party alone. As far as social media, celebrities, and other wealthy parents are concerned, children’s parties that cost more than a wedding are perfectly normal.
The event planning and service industry has leapfrogged this. One of his franchises of kids’ party venues, KitCreate Studio, pitches potential franchisees to “get in the action” in the $48 billion annual kids-related services industry. “Americans are working longer hours than ever before. Long hours keep busy calendars and parents who don’t always have time to plan birthday parties.
“As a result, they rely on kids’ entertainment franchises to help create memorable birthdays and events for their children,” says the KidCreate Franchise website. “The business potential of birthday parties is immense.”
If you’re ready to beat the pressure and bring your kids party back to reality, read on. . Method is as follows.
Location: $0
This is often the party’s biggest expense and the first area to stop spending. Venues such as indoor play gyms, roller skating rinks, or good old Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Parties typically run from about $200 to well over $500, depending on the number of guests and additional services.
Many venues promise to make all the setup and cleanup easy by taking care of it, and offer accessories such as invitations, decorations and keepsakes as part of the package. is a busy parent’s siren call you have to resist.
The first and most obvious free place to host a party is your home or garden. If you can’t do that, consider asking a close friend or relative. Park picnic shelters, which are usually free, are another great option that can be reserved in advance. You can dress them up with decorations and your home will be safe from the effects of a party hurricane.For summer birthdays, skip the water his park and party him picnic at the public splash park. Let’s hold it.
Invitation: $0
You’re smart and skipped the party venue and all that upselling, so now you’re free to choose your own invitations that are arguably more personal and representative of your child.
There are many places online where you can create and customize free invitations. Try sites like Paperless Post or Canva. There are tons of cute templates and you can design your own invitations from scratch. Send them online or by email to your guests and you’ve paid zero dollars for paper products and postage.
Decoration: $25
When it comes to parties, 100 yen shops are your best friend. For $25, you can easily fill the space with garlands, banners, pom poms, balloons, streamers, party hats, or any clever and creative decoration you can dream up yourself. All you need for an outdoor picnic party is a plastic tablecloth and balloons.
If you want to keep little hands busy, pick up some fun craft supplies to make your own wreaths, collect twigs and decorate with tissue paper flowers, or countless other DIY party decorations you can find on Pinterest. Find adorable ideas for
As a keepsake, you can use additional embellishments to display bottles of bubbles for your guests, or grab a mini-container with flower or herb seedlings on your way out the door.
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Meals: $50
Depending on the timing of your party, your food budget may increase or decrease. Avoid mealtimes around lunch and dinner so you don’t have to serve a filling spread. Keep your guests entertained with snacks and drinks until cake time.
If you want to include a more substantial meal, a build-your-own pizza bar is a fun activity that keeps kids busy and allows them to eat their own creations. We sell inexpensive ready-made fresh dough that you can quarter into individual size pizzas that you can make.
Or spread out on budget-friendly and fun finger foods like mini corn dogs, chicken nuggets, sliders and fruit kebabs.
Cake: $25
Buying a fancy cake at the bakery will easily set you back at least $50. Luckily, you don’t need any “British Bake Off” skills to make a lovely and irresistible birthday cake. And since most kids don’t have particularly flashy or sophisticated tastes, a boxed cake mix from the grocery store is an easy crowd pleaser.
If you already have a cake tin, take your cake to the next level by purchasing a set of easy cake decorating supplies ($10 on Amazon).
By the time the party is over and everyone filters out, the leftover unclaimed cake doesn’t seem too wasteful. On top of that, closing off your birthday celebration with a more personal and handcrafted touch also helps tick the ‘meaningful’ and ‘memorable’ boxes.
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