I don’t know about you but I love to throw birthday parties for my little ones. Plus you can have a fantastic one for $50 or less. Not bad huh?

It might just be me getting lucky at this time of the year for sales.

That or I’m just starting to really learn how to be thrifty.

Now all of our kids birthdays fall within a 2 month period of time and 3 months for all 5 of us.

August, September and October are very busy when it comes to birthdays.

I love celebrating each year my children turn another year older. They only get to be that old once.

So I want to make it memorable every year.

Here are some tips for just how I spend $50 or less on a birthday party.

One thing to remember when planning a party is how many people will be attending. More people there are the higher the cost it will be.

A good thing to do is grab a piece of paper, set a budget and DON”T GO OVER IT!

Remember most people won’t even know that you forgot or didn’t have money to buy something.

Goodie Bags and or Treats

Do without the goodie bags. The average kid won’t even know that there are usually “goodie” bags at a birthday party.

They will be to caught up in the moment.

Some birthday parties have a pinata. To save costs you can make one yourself.

Venue

To save money on a “venue” go to a park or host it at your house or a family members house.

I love the park because the kids can play while the food is cooking and there is no need for entertainment because they are otherwise occupied.

Food

To help save money on food keep it simple! Below is a simple menu an approximate cost for each.



Hot Dogs – .088 cents – First off you don’t need to spend a ton of money on food. stick to the basics. Kids LOVE hotdogs, it’s simple and easy and remember if adults complain about the food remind them the party is not for them it’s for “munchkin ‘s name”. The cost here can vary depending on how many kids and adults come. I usually can get a pack of hot dogs 10 in a pack for .88 cents on sale. Remember your average kid will eat between 1 and 2 hot dogs. So your one package will feed approximately 5 kids.

Buns – You can usually get a package of buns at your local Kwik trip or dollar store for about $1 a package. There are usually 8 in a package. Each package will feed 4 kids. “that is saying each kid will eat 2 hotdogs.

Chips – I will be honest here I love the taste of the potato chips at our local dollar store. They are made from all natural ingredients and they are only $1 a bag. Each bag will feed between 6-10 kids

Watermelon – .99 – $1.49 a lb depending on the season. This is very cheap to buy and easy to dish up. I don’t know many kids who don’t like to eat it either.

Cake – I know it is easier and faster to buy a cake but this really is where one of the biggest costs come in for a birthday party. However it is cheaper to go buy a couple Betty Crocker cake mixes and whip them up yourself. I use about 1 box cake mix per round birthday cake and 2 box cake mixes for rectangle cakes. They cost about $1.49 – $2.00 for a box sometimes you get them for $1 if you buy them when they are on sale. You can buy the frosting or click here for making some easy recipes that are really cheap to make and easy. If you have a little extra time you can make your own fondant. Click here for a how to.

Ice Cream – yes it is easier to go out and buy your own. but hey there is nothing like a little excitement in making your very own. This is also a great idea for kids to do at the birthday party themselves. Ice cream in a bag is the way to go. Click Here for a simple and easy how to.

When looking at food cost you can use the chart below to help you prepare a little bit for costs

Item Cost Feeds

Hot Dogs .88 – $1 a package 4 – 5 people “saying everyone has 2 hotdogs each

Hod Dog Buns $1 – $1.49 a package 4 people – “saying everyone has 2 hotdogs each.

Chips $1 – $3.49 a bag 6 – 10 people

Watermelon $1 – $1.49 a lb 12 – 15 people

Cake $1.49 – $2.00 a box 10 – 15 people

Ice Cream $2.00 – $4.00 15 – 36 people “depending on size of container”

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$7.37 – $13.47 4 people approximately

$10.37 – $15.96 8 people approximately

$12.25 – $18.45 12 people approximately

$15.13 – $24.43 16 people approximately

Now I love the dollar store when it comes to party supplies. Why? Everything is $1!!!!

Usually when I plan a birthday party most everything comes from the dollar store or is made from scratch.

Paper plates – $1 – $3 depending on where you buy and what style.

Last week we celebrated my daughters 1-year-old birthday. I had 15 people attend the party.

“We had more invited, not everyone was able to make it though”

So here is what it cost me

$15 for 3 dozen corn

$3.52 for 4 packages of 8 hotdogs

$4 for 4 packages of hotdog buns

$2 for 24 plates

$2 for 24 cups

$2 for 40 napkins

$1 for ketchup

$0 for mustard – We already had some

$3.99 for a large watermelon

$4.79 for Chips

$1 for cake mix

$1.29 for marshmallows

$1.39 for Powdered sugar

$4 for 4 2 liters of pop

$1 for party bags – I only needed 8

$6 for 6 different party favors and treats

My grand total

$52.98 for a party of 16 people

** Now I wasn’t planning on spending the $15 for 3 dozen corn.

My hubby went and bought that from a farmer and then told me he bought some.

We also never did end up using the watermelon** So without those 2 things my grand total would have been $33.99.

We also didn’t use ice cream since it was too hot that day. So that too helped save us money

My daughter had a blast at her party. It was simple and didn’t cost us a fortune.

If you have questions or ideas as to also help make a birthday party as cheap as possible please leave a comment below.