Easy Tips To Celebrate Birthdays On A Budget
- Set a baseline budget and stick to it
- Cook your own food
- Go with snacks instead of a meal
- Keep the guest list short
- Stick with the BYO drinks mantra
- Use a free venue or celebrate at home
You can absolutely make someone feel extra loved and special for their birthday without spending a fortune.
Inexpensive decorations, homemade favorite foods, fun activities, and a thoughtful gift can all add to a fun birthday celebration!
The Cake Homemade And Cheap
Biscuits or sponge cake, chocolate, and custard are the only ingredients needed to make one of the best-known and rescued cakes.
There are thousands of homemade cake recipes that allow you to save and take care of your health since the cakes purchased, although precious. Also, you may need to exceed 30 euros on average, containing enough sugar.
Road Trip To A Close Destination
Hit the road for a destination that’s at most two hours away. Maybe this place has a famous diner or a beautiful museum, or perhaps it’s full of beautiful local shops.
If you’re in Los Angeles, you can hightail it to Ojai or Santa Barbara, and if you’re in New York City, opt for somewhere in the Hudson Valley.
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What Time Is Your Party
Time of day is a HUGE determining factor for what kind of party food you should plan to serve. There is nothing worse than going to a shower at 12:30 and only getting a few finger desserts to eat. So, here’s a chart to help determine what you should serve:
If your party goes from 9:30-11am, that would mostly fall under the light snacks rule. A later party from 6pm-8pm, mostly falls under the full dinner rule. If your party is from 11:30am 1pm, that mostly falls under full lunch rule. See how that works?
Another thing to keep in mind with time of day is that people will eat and drink more at night than during the day, so plan appropriately.
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Planning A Party On A Tight Budget
Most of your party budget will go toward things that you feel are the most important to your event. When I throw a party, I prioritize decorations, so I always allocate a large chunk of my budget to candles, banners, and any other mood-setting devices that fit my theme.
Its fine to spend a little extra on your priority items, but that might not leave much for anything else. In this case, try some DIY projects and enlist the help of your friends to relieve some of the financial burden. Here are some of the best tips for entertaining on a strict budget.
Snack Party Food Ideas
There are so many ways to mix up snacks and have a super fun party! The sky is the limit. Here are just a few ideas to get you started thinking.
- Dip Party Ask everyone to bring a creative dip to share, then you provide all the dipping items. Or you provide the dips and have your guests bring items to dip! Cheese fondue, anyone?
- Finger Foods Yum! These are the best party foods out there. You don’t have to worry so much about utensils, since the goal of finger foods is to contain the mess and eat with your fingers!
- Sliders Quick, easy, versatile party food that everyone loves! There are so many good recipes out there for amazing party sliders.
- Snack Boards Everyone loves a cheese board! Add some more fun to your cheese board to make the ultimate snack board. This is such a unique idea and makes it easy for everyone to contribute a snack and throw it all out in bowls or on boards. Two Peas and Their Pod have a great sweet and salty charcuterie board.
- Favorite Appetizers Have everyone bring their favorite appetizer! Then you’ll just need to provide drinks and a few of your own favorites!
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Make Or Decorate Your Own Cake
If youre a regular Martha Stewart, you might envision going all out and making your own cake from scratch and decorating it with layers of fondantyou go-getter, you! But if youre not so culinary talented, feel free to grab the nearest box mix and icing at the grocery store.
We knowmaking your own cake at home can be a real pain in the neck. Is the box mix and premade icing cheap? Sure. But sometimes, the hassle of actually making the cake can deflate you of any birthday spirit. Thats what generic cakes from the grocery store are for.
But dont freak out if your kid wants a themed cake. After all, who doesnt want Batman swooping in or a Disney princess gliding across that fluffy, sugary buttercream frosting? Pick up a generic cake at the grocery store and slap one of your kids favorite figures on the cake. Just remember to wash it firstno one wants to crunch on actual dirt when theyre eating the worms and dirt birthday cake.
Free Or Cheap Birthday Decorations
Decorations can be minimal but impactful and easy on the eyes as well as the wallet! Consider one of the following great ideas to decorate your party:
- Using cheap or free items around your house as cheap party decorations. For example, if you have an old basket sitting around, fill it with toys and party supplies like paper plates to make cheap birthday decorations!
- Use party supplies from the Dollar Store like streamers, table cloths, balloons, garlands, etc., to brighten up your party location.
- Fill old vases with fake flowers or colorful rocks and set them on tables around the room. Or, pick up cost-effective flowers at Aldis to decorate tables.
- Ask close friends and family for their old, unused supplies.
- If you have a friend who loves crafts, ask her to teach your guests how to make cheap decorations you can use around the party venue this is especially fun if your guest of honor is into art!
- Check local buy-sell-trade Facebook groups for recycled party supplies that you can grab during a porch pick up for little to no cost.
If none of these inexpensive birthday party ideas work for you, dont forget to use your imagination and that less is always more. You dont have to go over the top with decorating. Just using color-coordinated plates, napkins, and utensils from the Dollar Store can pull a room together and give the party a warm and fun feeling.
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Stylish Table Cloth Or Runner
This is not only an easy way to dress up your gathering, but will also protect your furniture. I have had luck buying them at Home Goods for $5. I like the vinyl ones that are easy to wipe down, but I also have cloth ones that I can throw in the washing machine. Once again, it’s an investment that you can use over and over.
Keep in mind that you can also use a roll of wrapping paper down the center of a table as a disposable runner! I also like the cheap table cloths from the dollar store, because you can toss them guilt-free if they’re too dirty to keep and reuse later.
Summer Birthday Party Ideas For The Best Celebration Ever
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Photo by Fezbot2000 on Unsplash
Summer always feels like a partywith Fourth of July and Labor Day celebrations galore. So if youre a Gemini, Cancer, Leo, or Virgo, you need to get creative with your summer birthday party ideas so they stand out from the rest of the get-togethers.
The thing about a birthday shindig is that it should reflect your personality in some way, shape, or formafter all, its the one day of the year thats 100% about you. When it comes down to it, who youre with is way more important than what youre doing but if you can do something awesome together, its a win-win.
We swear these 15 summer birthday party ideas are just thatand more. See some of our favorite out-of-the-box options, and then grab your best friend for a little planning.
Theres nothing chiceror more funthan a quirky Mad Hatterthemed tea party. The thing is, no one wants to be sipping on hot beverages in 80-degree heat, so this is where the twist comes in. To go along with the season, serve several varieties of iced tea instead of hot, all pre-brewed in labeled Mason jar dispensers. Set up a spread of all your favorite tea party treats, including scones and clotted cream, mini cucumber sandwiches, and tiny jam tarts to keep guests full before you blow out the candles.
If theres time, you can also make a cheese board, but lets be honest, the custom sangria combos are going to more than impress.
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Y Food Ideas For Adults On A Budget
- 26 Oct 2019
Whether youre hosting a birthday party, a games night, a baby shower or even a casual get together, the key to any great time is excellent food. Hosting a party doesnt have to cost you an arm and a leg though!
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Instead of hiring a catering company try your hand at creating a simple menu of snacks, healthy platters and budget friendly bulk meals. Dishes can be made from scratch to create inexpensive finger foods and cheap party food that will wow every guest. Here are some party finger food ideas on a budget.
Free Or Cheap Party Decorations
- Print out free online templates for napkin rings, gift cards, and party favor bags. These items are available in different patterns on a several websites.
- Make-your-own confetti or paper chains out of recycled paper.
- Print out a customized birthday banner to display at the party. Check out for some great banners to use.
- Don’t use paper plates or napkins. Just do the dishes and grab a roll of paper towels.
- Replace helium with blow-up balloons.
- Send electronic invitations instead of paper with postage.
Send Digital Invitations and Thank-Yous
Save money on paper and postage and send emails, instead!
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Give Experiences Over Gifts
Giving an experience is so much more meaningful than giving kids or adults a bunch of stuff they dont really need. If youre stumped while looking for ideas to make a birthday special with a cool experience, check out Groupon. You can save a ton on awesome activities, from your local theme park to a waterpark to a trip to the racetrack. Groupon offers great deals. Find extra room in your budget by forgoing presents and even selling items around the house if you need to generate income !
For a kids birthday, request no gifts but plan a special activity instead. An afternoon at the childrens museum, a fun time at the local pool, a trip to a local nature preserve or petting zooall awesome birthday ideas that dont have to cost a lot. Your fellow parents will thank you for a chance to NOT spend more money on yet another toy.
A memorable birthday experience is one of the best ideas to make a birthday special and unique. A fun, memorable activity will provide memories to last a lifetime and its much better than a party and a bunch of presents forgotten in a few months.
Birthday Party Activities And Entertainment
In addition to cheap birthday cake ideas, youll have to think of inexpensive party activities as well. If youre hosting the party in your home, affordable birthday party games can be fun.
Whether youre at a party venue, the local park, or at your own home, find cheap but fun activities for guests to do indoors or out. You could:
- Go on a scavenger hunt
- Play outdoor games like relay races, capture the flag, or freeze tag
- Host a dance party
- Play video or board games
- Have a pool party
- Enjoy an at-home spa day
- Set up a crafting station
- Have a wine or bourbon tasting
Base party activities on what your guest of honor enjoys most, since it is their special day, after all. For example, if they love to dance, plan cheap fun games that revolve around music. If your best friend is more artistic, create an affordable birthday event based around an arts and crafts activity like painting pottery or making bracelets out of glass beads.
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More Party Ideas To Consider
While there are many different steps and options in how to plan a birthday party for adults, just start slow and keep the guest of honor in mind.
Pick something theyll like, make sure its in your budget, and show them that no one quite knows them like you do. Have fun letting your creative side run wild!
Other party ideas you might enjoy:
Black And White Party
If youre looking for classy party themes for adults, this is definitely it!
While many people think black tie and ballgowns when they hear black and white party, you can also turn it into a more casual event.
This type of party only has one rule: everything must be black, white, or both.
Here are some of my favorite ways to pull this off.
- Food:
Think black and white bowtie pasta, Oreo cheesecake, black and white candy buffet, black olive appetizers and so on.
- Décor:
Buy black and white décor on Amazon or make your own decorations! For example, cut circles out of black and white poster board to create your own classy garland.
- Activities:
Stream old black and white movies on your TV or an outdoor projector, play B& W movie charades, or create a playlist from songs that have black, white, or both in the title.
Youll find plenty of inspiration on Instagram! I love this one for décor ideas:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHNcZS_Dqmt/?tagged=blackandwhitecandy
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Celebrate It Several Times In Small
Another way to make the celebration cheaper is to do it by chapters. You can invite three or four different friends to spend an evening at home once a month, for example. With this idea, there will always be a plan to make and, besides, you can spend more time than at a macro party.
Tricks to celebrate a cheap birthday, and succeed! Reducing the list of guests, making the Fun Inexpensive Birthday Party Ideas at home, and organizing a joint birthday are some ways to reduce the cost of the treat.
Know Which Stores Sell Cheaper
Knowing which stores sell what types of foods for cheaper is another bonus that will help you save cash. I do most of my party food shopping at Aldi, Walmart and Sams Club or Costco.
However, you need to know which items at which stores have the best deals, and which dont.
Soda is ridiculously expensive at Sams Club, so I never buy it there. However, I always get cakes there because theyre delicious and dirt cheap.
Conversely, chips are super cheap at Sams, and astronomically prices at other grocery stores in our area. Therefore, I almost always buy chips at Sams Club.
Knowing where the items you need are sold at the cheapest prices will help you keep your food budget low.
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Frequently Asked Birthday Party Questions
What are the best birthday party ideas?
The best birthday party ideas are ones that are perfectly planned for the special birthday girl/boy! Ideas that are personal to the person, things they love, and ideas that show you care. All of our 15 ideas above are perfect for a party!
What can you do for a birthday party at home?
Transform the house into the party theme youve chosen. For example, if youre hosting a tropical party, bring the tropics into your home! Flowers, tropical drinks, leis, tiki games, and more. The best parties at home are themed parties, full of special details!
How do you throw a good birthday party?
- Pick a Party Theme
Choose A Time Of Day That Fits In With Your Budget
Choosing a time of day that fits in with your budget is important too. With some events, such as football games, you cant choose your time.
However, with other events, such as holiday parties or showers, you have more flexibility. Time is important because different times of the day require different types of food.
As an example, if you hold a baby shower at noon your guests will expect a full lunch. However, if you hold a shower at 2 its perfectly acceptable to serve finger foods.
Therefore, if youre on a super tight budget you can plan your party at a time when people wont be expecting a full meal. But Ill also share some ideas here for feeding a full meal on the cheap, so never fear.
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