Tips for Throwing a Stylish but Inexpensive Birthday Bash

The economy is making it hard for a lot of people right now but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate birthdays in style. If you’re the designated party-thrower in your family, these cost-saving tips will help you watch your checkbook, while still creating a party everyone will remember:

Get Creative with Your Party Theme

Why not try something different, like a theme that can be implemented without breaking the bank for your guests or you? If you’re giving a children’s party, you can ask all the guests to bring affordable gifts suitable to give to a local animal rescue organization or family homeless shelter. If you call the organization’s manager, you can get a list of low-cost items you can recommend to your guests. Instruct them to wrap the items as if they were regular birthday gifts and then everyone can go as a group to deliver them. Doing this would be a meaningful experience for everyone and would also give children first-hand experience with how good it feels to give to others.

For adults, 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 let 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, this idea also works well for items that people have bought new on impulse but never used. The gifts should be limited to a dollar amount that’s appropriate for the group, so people at all income levels can participate.

Make Your Own Birthday Party Decorations and Invitations

The Internet has an unbelievable selection of free printable invitations for both adults and kids. So why spend money on store-bought invitations when printing them at home is so easy and inexpensive? There are also plenty of free birthday clip-art options online, which make ideal party decorations. If you can find high resolution art, you can make banners or signs. If not, you can at least use smaller art to make table place holders or to cut out and sprinkle throughout flower arrangements or plants. If the guest of honor likes antique art, try printing and cutting out various vintage greeting 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, you can get mix-and-match used plates and silverware at a thrift store instead of buying paper plates and plastic knives, forks and spoons.

The most important thing to remember when trying to save money on a birthday party is that you need to be creative. If you infuse style into your party plans, no one will ever know you did it on the cheap!