Throwing your children birthday parties can be really fun, especially when they’re young – but with the cost of entertainment, food, and then the dreaded party bags, it can also become expensive. It doesn’t need to cost the earth though, so we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to make your kid’s birthday party a celebration to remember, whilst keeping an eye on those precious pennies.

Invitations

With on average 20 – 30 children in a class, kids’ social calendars can get really busy, so you should send invitations to their friends (or their parents), to make sure they can all come. If you’ve got time on your hands you could try to make them using materials from around the home, or with a few bits from the local arts and crafts shop. You might also want to involve your children, and help them make the invitations for a fun Saturday afternoon activity.

Venue

Venues can often be the most expensive aspect of planning any party. If you have a garden, make the most of the summer time sun and hold it outside. This is free, and gives the guests plenty of space to blow off steam. If you don’t have a garden, check out local village halls or youth clubs to rent a space. These kinds of local venues often offer great rates, and have all the facilities you’ll need to host a great party. A few decorations and you’re good to go – not to mention the bonus of limiting mess to somewhere other than your own home!

Entertainment

You’ve got 10 of your kid’s friends in the garden, they’re all indulging in sugary treats, and everyone’s over-excited – you need entertainment. If you don’t fancy donning a clown or princess costume (or consider yourself much of a magician), ask your family and friends if there’s anything they can bring to the party.

Putting on a good spread

The cost of food can really add up, especially if you’re catering for children and their parents. Buy multipacks of party food and store them in the freezer so you can spread the cost over a few weeks. For parents, make some pizzas and serve with salad for a quick and easy food fix. No birthday is complete without a cake, and making it from scratch is guaranteed to save you money. You can get hundreds of ideas from Pinterest, and you can theme it to your child’s favourite toy or TV show. Make sure you save the candles so you can use them for other birthdays – they may only cost a couple of pounds, but if you buy them five or 10 times a year, that adds up.

Party bags

Finally, the dreaded party bags… Nothing causes more squabbles, or playground envy than these little plastic bags of bits and bobs. The best way to go about these is to bulk buy items like crayons and small toys from online retailers, and then top up with bags of sweets from the local supermarket, and of course a slice of cake. This will give the kids enough things to keep them busy, but won’t cost you too much money. For cheap and cheerful fillers check out your local pound shops.