I need help, my boys' birthday are coming up soon, and were literally OUT of money. My 6 year olds bday is jan 31 and my 5 year olds bday is feb 26th so were having a party (just our family of 5 and my dhs parents) on Feb 9th. So i need ideas for cheap decorations, fun ideas, etc. My oldest wants shrimp (the frozen kind) and my middle wants hamburgers on the grill, we can handle that- but i need ideas to make it feel more like a bday. oh and they dont have things that theyre really into right now. any ideas will be GREATLY appreciate.

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Stephanie

To save on a cake, take a cake mix & make cupcakes & homemade frosting & let the kids decorate them at the birthday party. Everyone gets to eat the cupcake they made. I did this for my DD bday 2 years ago & they kids had a blast. That's one thing I can think of. If I think of anymore, i'll let you know.

If you have a Dollar Tree go there for plates, cups, silverware, hats, and candles.

I think you can find cheap pinatas at Factory Card Outlet stores.

Make your own birthday cakes. If you really want one decorated, and can't do it yourself, call around and ask if someone will decorate a cake you bring in.

What ages of kids will be there? Do your boys have younger cousins or will it just be adults? Then I can try and brainstorm entertainment ideas for you.

I just had my son's Birthday in December. (yes, December, as in also I have XMAS, and
my NICES BIRTHDAY IN DECEMBER ALSO!!! )
I was short on money, but my son, still said it was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!

Here's what I did
* at the park (keep in mind in califo. is not so cold) it was actually a nice day.
*I made a SPONGE BOB CAKE, (CHEAP, EASY, AND SQUARE!, NOT MUCH TO IT)
* Kids decorated their own goody bags (I had brown paper lunch bags, and I already
had the glue, paint, glitter, etc)
* I bought a pinata at walmart like $10, candy $3
* made hotdogs, chips, salsa, juice (all from Walmart)
*kids had a blast!!!
they loved the idea of decorating the bags,
*oh, inside I put TWISTED STRAWS FROM THE $ STORE, AND 1 MINI PLAYDOUGH EACH
*i BOUGHT THE SET OF LIKE 50 MINI-PLAYDOUGH ON BLACK FRIDAY FOR LIKE $5

HOPE U GET SOME IDEAS.
THIS WAS THE CHEAPEST EVER BIRTHDAY I DID, AND EVERYONE LOVED IT.
GOOD LUCK.
*ALSO, DOING IT AT THE PARK, I HAD AN EXCUSE NOT TO HAVE TO BUY TOO MUCH STUFF FOR THE ADULTS! LIKE WINE, DIFFERENT "ADULT" FOOD, ETC.

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Thanks,
Bestmommysaver!

If u really want to deocrate I woud have kids make bday posters/signs. have the kids help make their bday cake. I would make them in the 8" round(if u have that size) that way u can get 2 cakes. each one decorates their own cake. Otherewise if all u have is the 13x9 size then put a line of frosting down the middle and let each one decorate a side.

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allgirls, mom to 3 girls

My suggest for a party on a dime is:

Let the kids make their own cakes. Cupcakes are fine or you can put a couple of tbsp of cake mix in a ice cream cone and they will look like an ice cream cone when done. Ice them and then add sprinkles to make them look real. Making your own icing is very easy PM me if you don't have a receipe.

Games can be fun to. Get a box and cut holes in it and have a football/baseball throw. Any game you want can be played at the park if it is warm enough for that.

You could also have a movie theme. Have the kids dress up as their favorite actor/character (hopefully they still fit in their halloween costume) and watch a movie. With this have a concession stand and someone dress up to work it. Have popcorn, drinks, candy and have them pay with "money" you make for them.


Remember kids don't need all of the fluff we do. I know I am guilty of doing this myself. My dd1 says her best b-day party was done in the back yard with water balloons and water guns. We did a picture frame craft for the kids as their goody bag. My dd2 says her best b-day party was in the park.

Good luck and remember to have a good time!!

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A Family of 5's quest to forget the Joneses.

We've started having b-day parties from 10a.m. to 12 p.m. For several reasons. First, we then only have snack food like chips and veggie with dip then cake, ice cream, and drinks. No lunch served. Second, it gets it over with early in the day. My family is from out of town and we would literally waste one day of their visit getting ready for the party when we had the parties at 4 p.m. or so.

Regarding the no meal thing, it also freed up my husband from grilling burgers or heating up hot dogs or whatever.

The other thing I do is to buy themed plates for the cake only. I buy plain white for the snack food and also plain white napkins and cups. Goody bags are the cheap celophane type and are filled with snack items--chips, candy bars--bought BOGO and with coupons.

I have also found that kids do not need too many activities when they are young. They really just want to hang out and play with each other. You could do something simple like a scavenger hunt. We made cookies and wrapped them then hid them in the house and did a cookie hunt. The cookies were eaten or taken home by the party guests.

I think the decorate your own cupcakes idea is great. My DS-6 would love that.

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Megan

At my ds fifth bday party in Aug. he wanted a pirate theme so I bought black paper plates, cups and so on (much cheaper). The only themed item I bought was a mug shaped like a pirates skull to make my son the special one out of the bunch.

Instead of buying a cake I made cupcakes and then let them decorate their own cupcake with color sugar and gummy worms (they loved this).

Then I hand drew a pirate map and (due to the age they all had the same map) went on a treasure hunt for their treat bags.

You can play games like duck duck goose, musical chairs, and so on.

In the past I let the parents know to dress kids in play clothes and I got an end roll of newspaper print at the local newspaper office (free), bought finger paints and put some of mine and dh's old t-shirts over the kids clothes (paint with wash but I didn't want parents to freak) and let the kids show their artistic abilities. It was a little messy and my original plan was for the kids to do this outside but it rained that day and we had to do it in my very tiny kitchen but they had a blast.

My oldest ds's bday is in Feb. so I always let him have 3 boys over to spend the night and I always made the cake and we ordered pizza (but hamburgers would work). They were more excited about the mere fact there were four of them spending the night than they were worred about decorations. He loved this so much it was a running tradition from 6 to age 14!

Good luck!!!!!

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Gourds By Lori

If its mostly adults: have some homemade confetti (don't worry about the mess); bring out the baby photo albums and any videos; let the other child help you decorate his brothers cake (and vice versa) for a nice surprise.

I bought a set of "first years" music instruments for about $10 at walmart (maybe target, i can't remember). That ended up being one of her gifts PLUS I had planned to bring them out and use them as a musical start and stop play along game. I made all of the party food from scratch. Dollar stores are great places to pick up birthday themed products or gift bag fillers. You can also visit Birthday Party Planner For Best Birthday Party for some theme ideas and printables.