Throwing an unforgettable birthday party for your little one doesn’t have to drain your wallet! Birthdays are all about celebrating milestones, making memories, and sharing laughter with friends and family. But let’s face it, planning a party can get expensive fast.
The good news? With a little creativity and smart planning, you can host a magical celebration without breaking the bank.
Whether it’s a DIY decorating spree, fun homemade games, or clever ways to keep the kids entertained, there are plenty of affordable ideas to make your child’s big day extra special.
Ready to plan a party that’s full of joy—and easy on your budget? Let’s get started!
Photo: Deposit Photos
It seems as if advertisements for kids’ parties are everywhere I go — restaurants, gymnastics studios, the YMCA, hair salons, on and on. It only makes sense that all of these places want in on the kid birthday party scam; they know they can make a fortune hosting one.
While it might be easier to have a party at a special venue, that convenience doesn’t come cheap. For a little bit of work on their end, these hosts charge from around $300 to more than $500 for a single event.
But it’s simple to throw a child’s party on your own without spending a small fortune. A party your child and guests will love can be easily pulled together for under $100; how much under depends on your specific needs.
Budget friendly birthday parties for kids – Top tips
If you’re looking for cheap birthday party ideas, here are ways to save on key birthday party must-haves. These are some of our top tips, but be sure to scroll a bit further down the post for even more affordable birthday party ideas!
Location
If you have a good-sized yard or even a garage, your house or perhaps a family member’s home will work fine. Many towns will also let you hold a party at one of their playgrounds or parks for a nominal fee. Or if you live in an apartment or condo, check out reserving the recreation room.
Cake
A bakery cake could easily run you $30-$40 or more. Making it yourself costs just a few dollars. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a from-scratch baker, you can easily doctor up a boxed mix by using milk in place of water and adding about one-half cup of sour cream or plain yogurt along with a splash of vanilla to make it moist. Decorating is as easy as coloring your frosting to match the party theme and loading on the sprinkles. Kids love sprinkles.
If you are a baker but don’t feel creative enough to come up with cake ideas, check out Coolest Birthday Cakes or Pinterest. Both are full of ideas and many include step-by-step directions. Or, instead of cake, make cupcakes. Frost them ahead of time and as a party activity, have the kids decorate them with colored sugars and assorted sprinkles. Trust me, they’ll love it.
As a final option, since you’re saving so much on the party, you may choose to splurge on a cake and your wallet won’t even notice the difference.
Photo: Deposit Photos
Paper goods
When you hit those party stores, you can easily spend around $5 on every tablecloth and package of eight napkins, plates, cups, utensils, etc., for your theme. That adds up.
For my daughter’s recent party, I purchased plain white tablecloths at Walmart for 99 cents each and a large bag of brightly colored plasticware at the drug store for $2. Paper goods and party supplies are among the best deals at dollar stores, so be sure to check them out as well. I then accessorized with some plates and napkins that kept with the party’s theme.
To help save even more money, mix and match some plain plates and napkins with some theme-centered ones.
Activities
I break cheap birthday party activities into two categories: crafts and games. If you’re not crafty, you can find plenty of ideas online. For games, check out Moms Who Think and Birthday Party Ideas.
You can also try a spin-off of a traditional game. For my daughter’s Cinderella-themed party last year, we played musical slippers — a play on musical chairs in which each of the girls had to take off one shoe and put it in the middle of a circle the girls walked around. For each round, we took one shoe out of the circle. For an ocean-themed party, try pin the tail on the whale.
Favors
Combine an activity with a favor — think tie-dye shirts, layered cookie mixes in a jar, embellished flip-flops, small pots in which the children plant seeds. These are all projects that can be done at the party and sent home with guests. There are also all kinds of simple party favor ideas you can make ahead of time such as ribbon streamers, a party CD of your child’s favorite songs, or homemade play-dough.
One of my favorite places to get inspiration for favors is The Crafty Crow. If you want to fill the favor bags a bit more, check out dollar stores or the dollar bins at craft stores or Target. Search the dollar bins for pencils, erasers, notepads, bubbles and other cheap trinkets kids adore.
More cheap birthday ideas for a budget birthday party
Here are even more great tips for having a kids birthday party on a budget!
1. DIY Party Themes
Create a party theme that doesn’t cost a fortune! Everything from decorations to activities can be homemade, adding a personal and creative touch. Here are some examples:
- Superhero Party: Use old sheets or towels to create capes, and have kids design masks with cardstock and markers.
- Camping Adventure: Set up a few tents in your backyard or living room! Roast marshmallows, share “campfire” stories, or make paper binoculars for a nature hunt.
- Pirates and Princesses: Craft DIY crowns, pirate hats, and treasure maps for an exciting scavenger hunt.
- Outer Space: Make planets out of balloons, hang star decorations, and have a DIY rocket-building contest with cardboard boxes.
2. Homemade Decorations
Skip the expensive party store and make your own decorations! Roll up your sleeves, grab some craft supplies, and turn it into a fun pre-party activity with your kids.
- Paper Chains: Reuse old magazines or colored construction paper to craft colorful paper garlands.
- Balloon Backdrops: Buy a small bunch of balloons from a dollar store and arrange them into a festive wall display.
- DIY Piñata: Transform a cereal box, paper, and glue into an exciting piñata.
- Chalk Art: If you’re hosting the party outside, use sidewalk chalk to decorate with festive designs and a birthday message.
3. Fun, Affordable Activities
Get the party moving with cost-friendly activities that kids will love:
- Obstacle Course: Create one in your backyard using everyday items like chairs, hula hoops, or pool noodles.
- Treasure Hunt: Hide small treats or toys (even snacks work!) and give the kids a map or clues.
- DIY Craft Station: Set up a table with markers, stickers, and colorful paper, and have kids decorate their own party hats or treat bags.
- Classic Lawn Games: Think sack races, freeze tag, or even a water balloon toss for summer birthdays.
- Movie Screening: Hang a sheet on a fence and use a portable projector to play your child’s favorite film.
4. Affordable Snacks and Cake
Food doesn’t have to be extravagant to be fun and delicious:
- Mini Sandwiches or Wraps: Cut them into fun shapes using cookie cutters.
- DIY Cupcake Station: Bake a batch of cupcakes and set up a topping bar with sprinkles, candies, and frosting.
- Popcorn Station: Offer plain popcorn with a selection of toppings kids can sprinkle, like cheese powder or colored sugar.
- Fruit Kabobs: Skewer pieces of fruit for a healthy yet colorful treat.
- Simple Homemade Cake: Bake it yourself and decorate it to match your theme—a DIY cake instantly adds a personal and budget-friendly touch.
- One 8 lb. jug of Orville Redenbacher's Original Gourmet Popping Corn Kernels
- Enjoy light, fluffy popcorn with these 100% natural gourmet popping kernels
- Pop up some deliciousness with gluten free, Non-GMO Project Verified yellow popping corn
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- A delicious; healthy snack popped to perfection for kids lunches, break between video calls, or just a snack for yourself; Perfect for kids as back to school snacks
5. Utilize Free or Low-Cost Venues
Skip expensive rental spaces and opt for these easygoing locations:
- Your Backyard: Outdoor parties are perfect for games and decorations!
- Local Park: Bring the party to the playground or open green spaces with built-in entertainment.
- Living Room Bash: Clear out a space for dancing, games, and fun if the weather isn’t cooperating.
6. Party Favors on a Budget
Send little guests home with a token of appreciation that doesn’t cost much:
- DIY Slime Kits: Package glue, glitter, and small containers in ziplock bags for a fun activity-to-go.
- Art Supplies: Small packs of crayons or mini notebooks make practical and inexpensive favors.
- Sweet Treats: Wrap homemade cookies or cupcakes for a sweet ending to the celebration.
- Mini slime craft kit to create the best sparkly, colorfulGalaxy Glitter Slime with Unicorn Colors fluffy for kids DIY fun!
- Hours of fun making Glow Glitter Slime, Galaxy Goo Slime and more with this Unicorn Galaxy Slime kit Get crafty with glitter slime slime! Add mica powders, foam balls then pour in the Unicorn container
- Perfect Stress Relief - After making your own slime, pull, fold and twist it to relax yourself.
- [MAKE GALAXY SLIME]- Simple follow the instructions to make galaxy slime with ingredients supplies and galaxy style add ins. The slime toy give kids a magical outer space feeling, share long time happiness with friends.
- [EASY SLIME]- FunKidz slime for boys girls use premium material which form more easier. The made slime super soft and stretchy. Due to concentrated slime glue, remember to pour 2-3 times clear water to attenuate glue before mixing with slime activator. You will make at least 1000 milliliter basic slime total.
- [PERFECT GIRLS SLIME GIFT] Our girl slime kit for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years old is an excellent gift choice. Suitable for any occasion such as birthday party, festivals, holiday, school or carnival prizes and Christmas stocking stuffers.
7. Recruit Help in Unique Ways
- Kids’ Playlist: Ask your child and their friends to suggest songs for the party playlist—it’s free and keeps the kids dancing all day.
- Family Talent: Have a family member run games, do some face painting, or even act as a DJ to cut down on costs.
With these budget-friendly ideas, all it takes is some imagination and resourcefulness to create a magical celebration for your little one. Go all-in on the fun while keeping your wallet happy—and most importantly, enjoy every moment of the day together!
Saying thank you
As your child opens his or her gifts, have the child who gave the gift stand or sit next to him or her. Snap a picture of the two together with the present. This will help keep track of who gave what when it comes time to writing thank-you notes.
Then, use the back of the picture as the thank you card or include the picture in a very simple thank you card your child makes instead of buying pricey themed thank-you notes. Email thank you notes are also a free way to recognize a gift.
Do you have any other tips on how to throw a cheap kids birthday party? Tell us so that we can include them in our list of inexpensive birthday party ideas!
Nice information!
thank you!