Once you graduate from kid parties, big birthday bashes are fewer and farther between. So, hitting a milestone birthday means it’s time to celebrate! Below are six ways you can throw a festive party on a budget.
Small Guest List
Be discerning with your guest list and you’ll start off on the right foot with sticking to a party budget. Less people means less money, overall, because it will reduce the amount of food, drinks, favors, and other miscellaneous items that you’ll need. Consider who the most important people are that you’d want to celebrate with and stick to that guest list.
Design/Print Your Own Invites
The days of needing to hire a graphic designer for fancy invites are gone! There are lots of free and low-cost options for designing and printing party invites yourself.
Most of the tools you’ll encounter for this purpose are very intuitive and easy to use. They offer a plethora of design templates that you can customize with your party’s details. Some of these platforms even do low-cost printing so you can design and order prints of your invite all in one place!
You can also opt to send your invites electronically versus mailing them. This will save you money on stamps because it won’t cost you a dime to send an email! Some online invite platforms even offer RSVP tracking, so everything is in one place for your convenience.
Host the Party at Your Place (or Somewhere Free!)
One easy way to keep your party budget in check is to avoid facility rental fees. If your apartment or home can accommodate it, host the party at your place! If not, see if a friend with a cool home would be willing to host for you. Or, you could make use of a free public space like a park. Maybe your church or local community center has spaces they make available at no cost, as well.
Don’t Party at Meal Time
If you avoid scheduling your party over a meal, you won’t be obligated to provide a hefty food option for your party guests.
Starting a party at 2 p.m., for example, will enable you to serve some light snacks. It'll give people something to munch on, but they won’t be expecting a full meal. Same with a party that starts after dinner, at, say, 7 p.m. You could have light hors d'oeuvres and cake instead of forking over the cash to provide a dinner for everyone.
Get Baking
Roll up your sleeves and grab a whisk – one easy way to save money planning a party is by making the cake or cupcakes yourself.
You don’t have to feel pressure to put out baking competition-level desserts. Grabbing boxed cake mix and icing from the baking aisle at the store will yield easy and delicious treats for your celebration!
Dollar Store Darling
Take advantage of your local everything-costs-a-dollar store for party supplies, decorations, and party favors! These stores offer tons of options at incredibly low prices so you’re able to deck out the festivities without breaking the bank.
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