Budget Birthdays
BUDGET BIRTHDAYS:
This is truly one of my favorite celebrations of the entire year, and, after many years of learning how to throw budget birthday parties, I am eager to share some ideas that can assist you in having an affordable, celebratory experience.
When my children were young, I began a tradition that they all remember (and [we] still practice) to this day, and this tradition involves large, colored poster boards. When one child would have an upcoming birthday, the family would purchase a huge poster board in the child's favorite color, and we would all get out our giant felt markers, along with festive and colorful stickers.
After the birthday child was away at a friend's, we would all huddle together and I would outline, "Happy Birthday, - (child's name)!" at the top center of the board in large letters in black felt marker. Then the other two children would excitedly start coloring in the letters, one by one. We would then choose birthday stickers with which to decorate this giant "birthday card," along with other stickers that had a theme that the person would enjoy, such as cats for the cat lover, dogs for the dog lover, Batman, Ninja Turtles (in the day!), Barbies, etc. (There is such a wealth of interesting themes now, such as the Twilight series, Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber, and more that you will NEVER be at a loss for ideas!)
We would often add little sayings or stickers that said, "You rock!" or "You're the best!", and then tack this creation up on the living room wall (or front door) or another very obvious place, and it would not only delight the birthday recipient first thing in the morning, all the other children and household visitors would see it upon their arrival and these posters never failed to receive appreciative comments! This really had such an effect at letting the child feel special that many of my friends decided to try this idea, and this can be what you might call a "family birthday card."
Next, I would design a birthday cake that had a theme that was relevant to the child's interests, and now that there is so much information available on the internet, you can find sites that will assist you in creating and icing your own birthday cakes. If time will not allow, you can always offer your skills (babysitting? bookkeeping?) in return to a "chef" friend who might be able to create the perfect cake for your child.
As for foods, I found it delighted both the birthday child AND their friends to purchase something that would allow them to become involved in a tactile way with the birthday food. One year, we purchased a variety of pizza fixings and it was delightful to watch all the children "decorate" their own mini pizza with their favorite toppings! They had a great deal of fun eating their own creations afterward, and , while this was more economical, an added attraction was that none of the birthday food went to waste. In order to give the birthday table a special look and feel, along with a colorful tablecloth and napkins*, I would purchase small, plastic "wine glasses" at discount dollar stores, and this also saves on expensive party cups.
- If serviettes/themed napkins are unaffordable for your celebration, you can provide pristine white paper towels, folded accordion style. You simply lay the paper towel down, then fold the square with an inch overlap, turn it over and fold an inch backward, and keep this up until it is folded into a horizontal length (one-inch width). Simply take it in the middle, fold it over in half and allow it to fan out and you will have a very attractive "fan" napkin for your table setting! It does not take much time to make 8 - 10 of these "fans." You will find that children will see these as at LEAST as impressive as a party themed napkin!
As the children got older, I asked relatives to send them a little cash instead of so many small gifts. This change transpired because I developed another tradition: I would call a restaurant ahead of time to secure a small table for myself and the child, and each year I would take the birthday child out for lunch or dinner. This was especially treasured because, as a single mom, it was an opportunity to spend quality one-on-one time with my child, and the restaurants were extremely accommodating. You might find, as I did, restaurants that honor your child's birthday with a free dinner and/or dessert, and this is even more economical!
As well, this can be a perfect opportunity to let the birthday child know that you are delighted to share this special day with him/her because this is the day that the child was "given" to you. I made it a point to vocalize this when we were out for dinner together and my children, who are in their 20's, fondly remember each and every birthday that we celebrated together. In fact, my oldest daughter has replicated one or two of these traditions with her own child now and that is the most important confirmation that these traditions were meaningful. Children thrive on this intimate time (as do adults, naturally) and this time together is of more importance than a lot of money that will not meet emotional needs for long.
After we enjoyed a meal together, the child and I would go out to a mall of their choice, and I enjoyed watching them choose a variety of small birthday gifts with the cash that they had been given. This seemed to enhance their appreciation of the cash AND the birthday gifts, and they always had so much fun coming home to share the chosen purchases with siblings.
In conclusion, a birthday is important because of the day's significance, not the amount of money that is spent; thus, quality time, friends and family, and homemade gifts can still provide for the most enduring celebrations.
