The most expensive birthday party we ever threw was at a trampoline park. It cost $310 for ten kids, lasted ninety minutes, and when I asked Ella a month later what she remembered, she said, "The pizza was cold." That was the end of rented party places for us.
Since then, every party has been at home or at the park, and every one has come in under $75. Not because we're trying to prove anything, but because on one income, $300 for a birthday means something else doesn't happen. And the kids really do remember these ones better. Owen's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so I've been flipping back through my notes. Here are five that worked, with what they actually cost.
1. The backyard carnival ($62)
For Ella's party a couple of years ago, we turned the backyard into a carnival with game stations. Each kid got a strip of paper "tickets" at the gate and traded them for turns.
- Ring toss with empty two-liter bottles and plastic rings from the dollar store
- Knock-down cans (clean soup cans stacked in a pyramid, beanbags to throw)
- A duck pond in the kiddie pool with rubber ducks numbered on the bottom
- Face painting (me, with a $6 kit, and questionable skill)
Costs: prizes and supplies $24, popcorn and lemonade $9, homemade cake $8, hot dogs and buns for twelve kids $21. Total: $62. The kids still ask about the duck pond.
2. The backyard campout ($48)
Owen's party last summer. Four friends, two borrowed tents, and a fire pit. Dads were invited to stay, which worked well; Mike and two other dads handled the fire and the flashlight tag. The kids made foil-packet dinners, roasted marshmallows, and fell asleep around 11. In the morning, pancakes.
Costs: hot dogs, potatoes, and veggies for foil packets $18, s'mores supplies $11, pancake breakfast $7, glow sticks $5, cupcakes $7. Total: $48.
3. The pancake pajama party ($34)
For Rosie this spring. Little kids and evening parties don't mix, so we did a Saturday morning party instead. Everyone came in pajamas, we made a pancake bar with toppings, watched a movie on a sheet hung in the living room, and it was all over by 11:30.
Costs: pancake mix, fruit, whipped cream, and sprinkles $16, orange juice $5, a "cake" made of stacked pancakes with a candle on top $0 extra, and small stuffed animals for favors $13. Total: $34. The parents loved it because they had the afternoon free.
4. The park Olympics ($57)
At the township park pavilion, which is free if you get there early enough to claim it. We set up relay races, a water balloon toss, a sack race with old pillowcases, and "medals" made from canning lids painted gold and strung on yarn.
Costs: water balloons $5, gold paint and yarn $8, sandwiches, chips, and fruit $32, sheet cake from a mix $6, juice boxes $6. Total: $57.
5. The baking party ($41)
Each kid decorated their own cupcakes and a big sugar cookie to take home. I baked everything the night before and set out bowls of frosting and sprinkles on the kitchen table, covered in an old vinyl tablecloth. It was messy. Very messy. It was also the quietest party we've ever had, because everyone was busy.
Costs: baking supplies and frosting $22, sprinkles and candies $10, pizza from the store's take-and-bake section $9. Total: $41.
What keeps the cost down
After enough parties, the pattern is pretty clear:
- Keep the guest list small. Our rule is age plus one, up to about eight. Fewer kids means more fun for each of them and way less food.
- Skip the goody bags. The thing they take home is what they made or won at the party.
- Make the cake. A boxed mix and canned frosting beats a bakery cake price every time. Kids care about the candles, not the piping.
- Plan the party around one meal. Serving lunch or breakfast, not both, and not "snacks all afternoon."
- Keep a party bin. Candles, a banner, streamers, and leftover plates go into a tote in the garage. We haven't bought a banner in four years.
- Two hours, tops. Kids get tired and parents appreciate a clear end time.
What didn't work
A themed party where I tried to make everything match. I spent $30 on character plates and napkins and hours on a themed cake. The kids ignored it all and played in the sprinkler. Theme parties are fun if you enjoy them, but they're not where the memories come from.
For Owen's party this year, he's asked for a "water war" with every squirt gun we own and a slip-and-slide. I've budgeted $50. Knowing him, the cake will get eaten in about four minutes, and the water fight will be what he talks about until Christmas.
