Cheap Birthday Ideas And Inexpensive Tips
We all appreciate saving a buck.
We don't all have a Rockefeller budget, so cutting costs is important.
Surprisingly, you can cut costs in many areas of a party and still have a fabulous event.
Why not save money whenever possible as long as you don't comprise the overall aesthetic of the event.
1) Invitations You'll have a zero cost for invitations by using free Evites, Facebook event invitations or calling/texting guests.
These types of invitations cost nothing, but should only be used for a casual party with close family or friends.
If you are having a more formal affair then you will want a more formal invitation that will appropriately represent your party.
You can still do an inexpensive invitation by purchasing a good quality card stock and printing your invitations at home.
2) Decorations You don't have to spend 100's of dollars on decorations.
Your local Dollar Store is an excellent source for decorations.
Your decorations only need to last for 1 evening so dollar store balloons, streamers and paper products are perfect when working with a budget.
Another source for decorations are online party stores.
Since online stores do not have the overhead cost of a physical location and the staff that goes along with a store, the products are typically less expensive.
Lastly, homemade decorations can often be the best decorations.
Find inventive ways to make tablescapes with mason jars.
Decorate with candles.
Use fresh flowers from your own garden.
Set the ambiance with lighting using Christmas lights.
Embellish with ribbon and fabrics.
3) Food If you are working with a budget then making your own party food is the way to go.
Although a caterer may be an easier option, a caterer can cause costs to skyrocket.
If cooking isn't your thing then serve a few casseroles or one pot dishes.
Casseroles feed a lot of people and because they're large you'll only need to make a few, such as lasagna, enchiladas, meatballs.
One pot dishes are less labor intensive and therefore easier for the cook, such as jambalaya, chili, chicken cacciatore.
4) Cake This is obvious...
save money on the cake by baking your own.
I know we aren't all born with the baker gene; if you're missing that gene then using a box cake mix is the way to go.
Box cake mixes can be quite good and now there are plenty of flavors to choose from as well as fillings.
Pick a mix and follow the directions.
The hard part is frosting and decorating the cake.
Get some tips from online help before you start decorating.
5) Drinks Alcohol can sometimes be as expensive as the food.
To lower your cost serve a couple of punches with alcohol.
Serve one punch with a wine base and one punch with a liquor base.
This will stretch your alcohol a long way and you won't have to invest in so many different types of liquor.
6) Music You don't need a DJ.
Play your favorite music on your iPod from your docking station.
If you don't have an iPod this is the perfect excuse to get one...
yes this costs money, but EVERYONE should have an iPod and you'll get lots of use out of it after the party.
If you're still not convinced than CD's will work too...
We don't all have a Rockefeller budget, so cutting costs is important.
Surprisingly, you can cut costs in many areas of a party and still have a fabulous event.
Why not save money whenever possible as long as you don't comprise the overall aesthetic of the event.
1) Invitations You'll have a zero cost for invitations by using free Evites, Facebook event invitations or calling/texting guests.
These types of invitations cost nothing, but should only be used for a casual party with close family or friends.
If you are having a more formal affair then you will want a more formal invitation that will appropriately represent your party.
You can still do an inexpensive invitation by purchasing a good quality card stock and printing your invitations at home.
2) Decorations You don't have to spend 100's of dollars on decorations.
Your local Dollar Store is an excellent source for decorations.
Your decorations only need to last for 1 evening so dollar store balloons, streamers and paper products are perfect when working with a budget.
Another source for decorations are online party stores.
Since online stores do not have the overhead cost of a physical location and the staff that goes along with a store, the products are typically less expensive.
Lastly, homemade decorations can often be the best decorations.
Find inventive ways to make tablescapes with mason jars.
Decorate with candles.
Use fresh flowers from your own garden.
Set the ambiance with lighting using Christmas lights.
Embellish with ribbon and fabrics.
3) Food If you are working with a budget then making your own party food is the way to go.
Although a caterer may be an easier option, a caterer can cause costs to skyrocket.
If cooking isn't your thing then serve a few casseroles or one pot dishes.
Casseroles feed a lot of people and because they're large you'll only need to make a few, such as lasagna, enchiladas, meatballs.
One pot dishes are less labor intensive and therefore easier for the cook, such as jambalaya, chili, chicken cacciatore.
4) Cake This is obvious...
save money on the cake by baking your own.
I know we aren't all born with the baker gene; if you're missing that gene then using a box cake mix is the way to go.
Box cake mixes can be quite good and now there are plenty of flavors to choose from as well as fillings.
Pick a mix and follow the directions.
The hard part is frosting and decorating the cake.
Get some tips from online help before you start decorating.
5) Drinks Alcohol can sometimes be as expensive as the food.
To lower your cost serve a couple of punches with alcohol.
Serve one punch with a wine base and one punch with a liquor base.
This will stretch your alcohol a long way and you won't have to invest in so many different types of liquor.
6) Music You don't need a DJ.
Play your favorite music on your iPod from your docking station.
If you don't have an iPod this is the perfect excuse to get one...
yes this costs money, but EVERYONE should have an iPod and you'll get lots of use out of it after the party.
If you're still not convinced than CD's will work too...
