The Cake I rarely buy a cake for my kids’ birthday parties. A small sheet cake at our nearby grocer costs about $17. I can make one for half that. I’m a very busy mom so I don’t have a lot of time to devote to this but it’s worth that time so I can use the rest of that money for other party supplies!
- Make the cake. Use a mix from the grocery store and let your child pick the flavor of the cake and icing, sprinkles and what-not as well.
- If you’re not a creative cake decorator you can become one fast! Use toys and bits from your child’s favorite character(s) that your child has to decorate the cake! I’ve used small John Deere tractors and cars from the movie “Cars”. First I ice the cake with white icing and use a colored icing spray (I found mine at Joann Fabrics and Michael’s) to make the dirt or grass color. I used black icing in a tube to make a road and small trees from a train set for additional decoration. Then I just stick on the little toys and bits to decorate!
- If you don’t have a steady hand at writing with icing in a tube you can use mini M&Ms. They’re not only decorative and easy to use but very tasty!
Favors You can buy party favors online or you can save a lot of money by buying them at stores like the Dollar Store (or your local version). Our dollar store has a whole party section that includes colorful plastic tablecloths, favors, streamers, balloons, gift bags, etc. If you don’t have a dollar store near you then look to stores like Target, Wal-Mart, and Meijer.
- A great party favor I’ve made is play dough (see Recipes). Kids love it and you can choose the color! I love getting creative with the food coloring! The recipe I provide makes a large amount; large enough to give several kids about ¼ or ½ cup of playdough in a zip loc type bag. If you’d like an alternative, you can find alternative zip type baggies at Joann Fabrics or Michael’s. They come in different sizes and are more square and all clear. They’re very inexpensive. Include the recipe with it by hole-punching the bag along the top (above the zip line) and punching a hole in the paper you wrote or printed the recipe on and tie it together with a piece of yarn or curling ribbon.
- Try to steer clear of candy as a favor. With childhood obesity increasing at an astronomical rate let’s all take responsibility in ways that indirectly affect others. One way is to give play dough and other toys, pencils, pads of paper, small puzzles, stickers, etc. as favors. Some parents, like myself, prefer this. There is no fun in either letting your child eat such junk food or arguing with them about why they can’t have it. So to avoid both please consider offering alternatives.
Other interesting favor ideas:
- Interesting plastic cups
- Curly/spiral straws
- In the paper plate section of the grocery store are some plastic forks and spoons in a container that go with the paper plates that look like animal faces. These forks and spoons I have put in the dishwasher over and over again and my kids love them! They are re-usable (at least in our household!) and so cute. I have given them out as favors a few times and the kids really enjoy them. I don’t know if they’re dishwasher safe or not but I personally put them in there and replace them after a while.
- Restaurants like the Rainforest Café have packages where you can give a plate to each child as a favor. The plates are dishwasher safe and last a long time. The birthday child receives a special plate with all the characters on it. It’s fun to see my boys get excited to use their birthday plates at home. This restaurant also has safari hats, curly straws, and many other non-candy favors to choose from.
- Coloring books from the dollar store. At the dollar store I’ve also seen Cars nightlights and other Cars trinkets, all for $1 each! I’ve also seen them with Spiderman on them.
The Location Have your party at home. This is not always an option, but if you limit the number of guests it will help.
- Alternatively you can have your “party” by taking 3 or 4 of your child’s closest friends to the movies, the go-car track, putt-putt golf, to their favorite restaurant, etc.
- The location can be anywhere and can have reduced costs if you limit the number of guests. I’ve heard of children wanting to go to an entertainment park with one friend as opposed to a party with many friends. Just another idea!
Let us know if you have any additional ideas!
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