If you haven't checked out the cost of hosting a birthday party for your child, you may very well be in for a shock. It can be simply alarming at what goes into a child's birthday party in terms of planning, and then add the costs, and it's just shocking. It never used to be that way, as most kids grew up with rather simple birthday parties and loved every minute of them.
Somewhere along the way, the birthday parties got more elaborate and the celebrations became almost competitive and out of control. So how can you plan a great birthday party without going broke?
Fortunately there are some wonderful options in terms of venues where you can host a birthday that's fit for children and adults alike. You can create a great time, ensure that they eat good food, and enjoy a celebration that your child will love. These also happen to be able to fit into just about any budget, and that's why they are so popular and will surely continue to be for years to come.
Your Local Park
If the weather cooperates, the park can be the perfect venue for a birthday party. Not only do you have built-in entertainment here for the kids with a park setting and probably a playground, but you also happen to have plenty of space for them to run around in without the worry of breaking anything. Many parks have a shelter or covered area where you can set up food, and this can work well if the weather gets a little iffy as well. Consider grilling up burgers and hot dogs along with some simple and delicious side dishes such as potato salad and chips. Bring the cake and a few simple decorations, and you've got a perfect setting for a cheap and enjoyable birthday celebration. The kids will love it!
Community Centers
Depending upon the community that you live in, there can be some excellent facilities within the city itself. Most often you see this show up as a community center where they may have a recreation area or just a room that you can rent out for the kids. If at all possible, see about bringing games or getting the kids involved in whatever activities are open to them within the facility. There is usually a play area or some sort of sports option that the kids can engage in that is covered with your cost of renting the room. Keep it simple and go for either cake and ice cream or just pizza for the food, because they are bound to be too entertained to eat much anyhow. Perfect and inexpensive!
Second Run Movie Theater
With ticket costs always rising, it's great to know you can still get into a movie theater for only a buck or two. The entertainment is already there, and many theaters will have special packages and a birthday room for the kids to congregate before and after the movie. Some theaters will also let you bring in your own snacks to the movie; else just the cake and the theater provides the rest. This is a great way to celebrate a birthday and to see a good movie on the cheap!
The Fire or Police Station
Phone your local fire or police station to see if they offer an open house for a birthday party. While police and fire officers often go to schools to teach kids about safety, they may also encourage visits to their department! At the very least, the local department may send a cruiser or fire truck to your house where the kids can be entertained.
Ice Cream or Pizza Parlor
What kid doesn't love sweets? There are some great ice cream and pizza parlors out there that specialize in birthday parties — and every kid is sure to love it. The beauty of this is that they can often see how the ice cream is made or witness what goes on at an ice cream parlor. For pizza, kids will likely get a dough-rolling session and get to add the toppings themselves. Even more attractive than that is that they get to eat what they make, and this makes it a memorable occasion in and of itself. Serve up cake afterwards and you have an inexpensive and enjoyable birthday party! Same kind of thing works for bakeries — just check into which ones in your area are willing to host a birthday party and let the kids feast.
Community Pool
Kids love swimming, it's just that simple! They love to frolic around in the pool and they could do it for hours. So there's nothing better than hosting a birthday party at a local pool. If the weather is nice, you can do this at an outdoor community-based pool or water pad. If the weather is iffy, you can host it at a local YMCA or community center indoor pool. Just bring in a few snacks and a cake as there is usually a room that you can get access to when you pay for the kid's entrance. This is usually pretty cost effective and yet lets the kids do what they love to do.
Article by Chris Molnar, editor of Themeaparty.com, a site geared towards ideas, decor, games and recipes for a particular birthday theme. Click to read more articles, entertaining and money-saving tips on hosting birthdays. Though he tried hard to convince his eldest daughter that plain white plates were fine for her latest birthday in the park, he broke down and got some Yo Gabba Gabba party supplies in honor of her favorite show. Luckily they came to less than $25, his daughter was ecstatic and the location was free!
photo credit: wwskies
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