Celebrating your kids is VERY important! And just because you’re paying off debt it does NOT mean your cheat your kids out of life experiences. That being said, there is no need for you to overspend when it comes to birthdays. And in fact, I’ve found over the last couple of years the birthday parties have been more memorable (in my eyes at least) even though I’ve spent much less. Here are some of my favorite tips to keep your from busting the birthday budget!
- Keep on Budget. Just like every area of your life, you should have a good handle of what you can afford and what you’re going to spend. And then the key is to STICK to it (no matter how cute that one last decoration is, no matter how awesome that gift would be, no matter how cool the venue). This number will vary for every family. But if you’re in a pile of debt, your budget should be minimal. Three figure birthday budgets are out of the question.
- Save on Invitations. Go paperless and use a service like Evite or PurpleTrail. Not only is it easier to track RSVPs, but it saves time, money, and the earth. If you must send paper invitations, consider creating your own – use your Word Processing or Publishing software, Google Printable Kids Birthday Invitations and you’ll get a plethora, check out these adorable ones form Family Fun Magazine, or use a photo greeting by printing an invite with a drugstore or online photo company.
- Basic Colors Rule. When the King graduated from Law School long ago and far away (thus beginning our battle with Sallie Mae), we threw a soiree. I purchased several permanent plastic bowls and partyware items all in red. I had no idea it would be a huge $ saver. Almost every holiday has red as a color (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and more!) and we’ve been able to use those items over and over again. A lot of our kids’ birthday themes also had red as a featured color (Elmo, Curious George, Strawberry Shortcake, Baby Einstein), too.
- Fancy Napkins, not Plates. The “fun” character based items can suck you in and suck you dry. Opt for the cocktail smaller napkins and pair them with coordinating plain colored items.
- Celebrate with Free Experiences. You can find plenty of free experiences for kids and adults alike here. Scroll down through some of the older posts I’ve written about Birthday Freebies.
- Keep It Simple. Lady Susan on the Queen of Free Facebook Fan Page suggests that you keep guest list under control by measuring it by the child’s age in years. For instance if the child is 3 = 3 guests; 9 = 9 guests and so on. This makes great sense for $ spent both supplies and amount of head relief meds. Ha!
- Bake the Cake (and Eat It Too). Lady Micki suggested taking a cake decorating class for several reasons. 1) You get a little adult time 2) You learn a new Life Skill. 3) You save a bundle over the long haul by making and decorating your own cakes. More than one Royal Money Saving Lady also suggested having the kids decorate their own cupcakes or cookie treats. That way you have the birthday treat and activity wrapped up in one and save money, too.
I’m sure many of you have more money saving tips when it comes to Kids’ birthdays. Come back tomorrow for Three Things Thursday when I share a few more ideas with you!
What about you? What do you do when it comes to Saving on Kids’ Birthdays? Leave your ideas in the comment section.
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