The Guide to Creating a Stylish but Inexpensive Birthday Bash

We all know the economy isn’t great right now but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style and fun when it comes to giving birthday parties. If you’re tasked with throwing a birthday party for a loved one, these money-saving tips will help you watch your wallet, while still creating an event everyone will remember:

Get Creative When Planning the Party Theme

Why not try something different, like a theme that would also be affordable for both your party guests and you? If you’re giving a children’s party, the guests can bring low-cost items that would be appropriate for a homeless shelter that serves families or a regional pet rescue organization. If you call the organization’s manager, you can compile a list of low-cost items that can be included with the invitations you send to your guests. Suggest that they wrap the gifts as usual and then everyone can go as a group to deliver them. Doing this would be a meaningful experience for everyone and would also teach the children the true concept of giving.

If the event is for an adult, save money by throwing a re-gifting/recycling party. Most people have at least one gift in their closets that they’ve been given but don’t want, so why not have them wrap them up and give them again? Make sure to let them know who is coming to the party though, so people don’t bring gifts they got from someone who’ll be at the party! If you don’t want to risk hurt feelings, people can just bring impulse purchases they made but have never used. The presents should be limited to a dollar amount that’s appropriate for the group, so that everyone can participate and go home with a gift.

Make Your Own Birthday Party Decorations and Invitations

The Web has an unbelievable selection of free invitations for both adults and kids. So why spend money on invitations from a stationary store when printing them at home is so easy and inexpensive? There are also a lot of birthday clip art options on the Web, which make perfect party decorations. If you can find high resolution art, you can make your own banners and signs for the party. If not, you have the option of decorating flower arrangements or plants with clip art cut-outs or making table place cards. If you like vintage, you can print an assortment of vintage birthday cards and attaching them to a string that you drape around the room or the cake table. This is an easy way to get a vintage feel and make the party more festive! To finish off the antique theme, get intentionally mismatched plates, glasses and silverware at a thrift store to use in place of plastic and paper partyware.

The key to creating a memorable birthday party is to be creative. If you implement even the most low-cost ideas with style, no one will ever know you did it on the cheap!