Tuesday Talk: 10 Ways to Save Money on Birthday Parties

I thought I'd share my money saving tips for planning birthday parties with you today.  I love party planning and love the whole party planning process - finding the invitations, decorations, DIYing, baking and hosting.  Things can easily add up so it's a fun challenge for me to shop on a budget for the parties I host.

// 1 //
DIY your invitations
I decided to make Olive's invitation this year and it was so easy.  I used picmonkey and printed them for $0.09 each at Sams.  They came with the envelopes so they were really affordable.  Last year I went with an etsy shop and spend around $40 for my invitations.  This year I did them myself and spent about an hour of my time and $10 on my invitations.
I'll definitely be going this route from here on out.

// 2 //
Make most of the party food
Choose food to make and then delegate food for others to bring.  It's not too much of a burden to show up at a party with one side item or drinks.  Most of the time people are excited to help you out.

// 3 //
Buy plates, cups, straws on clearance or at The Dollar Tree
Target frequently has their party supplies on clearance
and I bought everything for Olive's party there.  The Dollar Tree has great seasonal plates, solid color plates and table cloths.

// 4 //
Bake your own cake/cupcakes or cookies
A boxed cake mix is about $1 and homemade frosting is really inexpensive to make.  You can make 24 cupcakes for just a few dollars and they are likely going to taste much better than store bought.  Homemade sugar cookies are always a party favorite at my house.

// 5 //
Host the party in a FREE location
Choose a park, playground, someone's house or any free space for the party

// 6 //
Purchase inexpensive favors for the guests like bubbles, sidewalk chalk,
find treats on sale and stock up for favor bags

// 7 //
Ask for RSVPs on your invitation so that you don't overbuy food & party supplies

// 8 //
DIY as many decorations as possible
Birthday banners, place cards, games and cupcake toppers are all pricey so try to create some of your own for much cheaper.  I LOVE to decorate with fresh flowers.  Sams flowers are my favorite.  This year I got a big bouquet of mixed flowers at Sams and then picked a huge bouquet of hydrangeas from my yard.  I combined all the flowers for five bouquets to decorate with.  They were beautiful and very affordable since I did all the arranging myself.

// 9 //
Plan your party in advance and start shopping early.
Buy things on sale instead of rushing to buy everything at the end.  Start using coupons early and try not to pay full price for things at Hobby Lobby or Michaels if you can avoid it.

// 10 //
Delegate jobs and ask for help
I was lucky enough to have family around for Olive's birthday so my mom and MIL were really helpful with the food prep, hosting and clean up.  We all worked together to make it happen

How do you save money when you're hosting a party?

Linking up with my favorite ladies today
& ThoughtsonThursday, Homemakers:
Join us by linking up your favorite post from the week :)

(Clockwise, from upper left:)

Becky - BYBMG  ~  Beth - Our Pretty Little Girls
Whitney (me!) - Polka-Dotty Place  ~  Elizabeth - All Kinds Of Things
Keri - Living In This Season  ~  Lauren - Simply Free
Teressa - Teressa Jane  ~  Mandy - Almond Place
Jess and Katie - Sweet Little Ones  ~  Emily - Morning Motivated Mom
Sarah - Abiding In Grace - Sarah Frazer  ~  Tara - Mrs. Coach Sims

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