In response to the Birthdays on the Breadline report, Family Action and Money for Life have compiled some top tips on how to organise a birthday party on a budget:

Parenting on Female First

Parenting on Female First

1. Why not consider having a party at home this year instead of at an external venue? Setting up a birthday party at home for your children and their friends is cost effective and with a little time and planning you can give your child some very happy memories at home.

2. Set a budget for your party and try and stick to it. It may be cheaper to pick an external party venue with an all-inclusive cost per child, or it may work out cheaper to do it yourself at home. Do the sums and make sure. Use this opportunity to teach your children about budgeting – help them decide between a more expensive party with fewer friends, or a cheaper party with more friends.

3. If your child's birthday is in the summer, why not plan a picnic or a treasure hunt in the park? All you’ll need is some blankets, picnic food and games for the kids - which you can even ask friends to bring along with them.

You can also design your own games, bring along a pen and paper and a few small prizes such as sweets to keep the kids happy. This not only will save on pennies but it’ll also save you from a messy home at the end of it.

4. Start saving up in advance. Put loose change in a bottle each week to collect for your child’s birthday - you’ll be surprised at how much you can save!

5. Providing party bags is often expected for kids’ birthdays but they can be expensive to put together and tend to include useless items that get thrown away within a few days. Try to minimise the amount you spend on these items by buying in bulk at the supermarket or pound shop or see if your venue will include a party bag in the cost. You could also try a ‘lucky dip’ as an alternative for the children to pick one small gift each as they leave the party.

6. If relatives offer to buy a gift for your child’s birthday ask them to pay for fees like swimming lessons, karate or any other groups the child attends. This will save you money when the bill comes through.

7. A trip to the cinema with some friends makes a great birthday treat but the cost can quickly spiral out of control. However, many cinemas now show kids' films at the weekend at a fraction of the cost.

Check out your local cinema to see what’s on offer. And, if your local cinema allows it, remember to take your own snacks with you to further reduce the cost.

8. If sending out invitations why not send out an e-invite to parents and their kids instead. It’s cheaper than buying cards and you’ll also save time, and money on postage.

9. Make the birthday cake instead of buying one. Whilst shop bought cakes look great they are also expensive- some shop bought cakes can cost more than £20. There are tons of simple, delicious recipes online that you can make for under a fiver. 

Pinterest is a good source of inspiration for cake designs and creative party foods. Or try googling “fruit animals” for a healthy alternative to cake.

10. Think about timings of the party. If you get this right you can save a lot of money. Organise a party in between lunch and dinner, as this will save you on food costs. Or when inviting people clearly state that it’s snacks that will be provided and not lunch or dinner.

11. Make up the games instead of having a child’s entertainer. Good old-fashioned party games are just as fun for little ones. Musical chairs and musical statues are fun for kids and many children’s games don’t need prizes, you could just buy a cheap packet of gold stars to stick on the winners to make them feel special! Have a look at www.partydelights.co.uk for fun sticker collections and other ideas.

12. If your child receives gifts that they already have or that you know they won’t use, why not sell them on eBay? This can be a great way of earning some extra money and putting it in savings, or towards something that they do want or need. Another option is to recycle them by giving them to a different friend in a different social group.

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