Celebrating Your Kids’ Birthday on a Budget: Our Top Tips

 

When it comes to children’s birthdays, the instant parental instinct to splurge on expensive gifts and parties might feel gratifying at the time, but doing so without thinking about the costs can cause issues for your financial situation. It can be stressful enough trying to plan a birthday bash, but if you’re also struggling to make ends meet, this can add even more to your plate. As a parent, you want to give your child the gifts they want and the birthday celebrations you feel like they deserve, so how can you do that without getting into debt or spending beyond your means?

If you’re worried about money but still want to give your kids the best birthdays possible, we’re here to help with our top tips for how you can still make their day special on a budget.

How to plan a kid’s birthday party on a budget

If you’re planning to throw a children’s birthday party without breaking the bank, our top tips on everything from the venue to the guest list can help.

Think about the venue

The first thing you’ll want to think about is where the party will be held. Whether you host it at home or rent a venue for the day or an afternoon, there are advantages and disadvantages to both that you should consider.

Staying at home could be the cheaper option, but you should still think about all the things you’d need to buy to host from your house. If things like food and drink are included with venue hire, this could be the more cost-effective option. Weighing up the pros and cons of your choices and finding out which would be cheapest is important. 

Don’t get carried away with guests

The more guests you invite, the more the party will cost. If you’re trying to keep it budget-friendly, it’s best to only invite close friends and family. This way, you spend less on food, drink and entertainment.

Give yourself plenty of time

The further in advance you plan the party, the more time you’ll have to save up for it. If you’re hosting it at home, you’ll be able to pick up decorations and favours in sales leading up to the day of the party. Even if you’re not, having extra time to plan can stop you from making expensive decisions that you could’ve saved money on.

Shop around for supplies

Shops or websites specialising in party items might sell things at an inflated price. Instead, try looking in bargain shops for party supplies like balloons, bunting, paper plates and party hats. Remember that you don’t need a big balloon arch or super fancy decorations – simplicity can be just as good!

Try to avoid paying for entertainment

Hiring entertainment might seem like an easy way to make sure the party is fun, memorable and exciting for everyone, but this can come at a big cost. Instead of paying for entertainers, look at ways you can entertain your child and their guests for free or at lower costs. Some ideas include planning some party games, mapping out treasure hunts or setting up an arts and crafts table.

Buy a supermarket cake

There’s often pressure for fancy cakes nowadays, but supermarket cakes can please kids on their birthday just as much as a fancy one can – after all, it’s not going to last long anyway. All you need to do is make sure the cake is big enough that everyone can have at least one slice. The good thing about buying a cheaper cake is that you could even stretch to a second one without coming anywhere near the cost of a fancy cake.

Double up with another parent, if this is an option

Teaming up with another parent can be a good idea for splitting costs when your kids have birthdays that are close together. But it’s also important that you feel comfortable talking about money with the other parent and that you have a similar idea of what you’d like to spend. If you aren’t sure, it could be best to keep the parties separate.

Other ways to celebrate a child’s birthday on a budget

A party isn’t the only way to celebrate a kid’s birthday, especially when they’re younger and might not even remember it. So why not consider some of the alternative options below?

Have a picnic in the park

For summer birthdays in particular, it can be great to take advantage of some nicer weather by taking the party outdoors. A picnic is a more casual way that your family and maybe even a close circle of friends and family can get together to celebrate your child’s birthday. Pick out a few of their favourite snacks, bring along some games and head to the local park – you could even ask everybody to bring a little something to add to the picnic!

Go to the cinema

If your kid would prefer to stay indoors, a trip to the cinema could be a better plan. You could go as a family or treat your kid and some of their friends with tickets and snacks. Whatever you choose to do, you can always take advantage of deals or savings that are sometimes offered for cinema trips, especially on weekdays. 

Have a family day out

If this is an option, try to use savings and offers that attractions might be offering. Whether you bag cheaper tickets to the local aquarium or seats at the theatre for a kid-friendly show, this can give the whole family a memorable experience that they can cherish.

What to do about gifts for a kid’s birthday while on a budget

Buying gifts for a kid’s birthday can be hard when you’re on a tight budget – especially if they tend to like more expensive toys, clothes and days out. So how can you buy them the things on their wish lists while keeping costs low? We’ll show you how below.

Shop pre-loved

Pre-loved sites and apps like eBay and Vinted are great places to start looking for gifts. Trainers, bags, games, toys – you name it, you can find a pre-loved version. What’s more, plenty of items found on these sites and apps are in excellent condition which means that your kid might not even realise that they’re second-hand. For items that would usually be too expensive to buy from the shops or online, you can find some hidden bargains with this method.

Save money for gifts over time

Your child’s birthday comes around on the same day every year, so it makes sense to save all year round in between if you can. Put away small amounts each month and by the time their birthday comes around again, you’ll have a decent pot of cash stashed away to pay for presents.

Keep an eye on the sales, all year long

From Boxing Day sales to Black Friday discounts, the sales throughout the year can offer great opportunities to get a great deal on something on your kids’ wish list. Keep your eyes peeled for anything they might like, but make sure you’re not just sucked in because something is on sale.

Use a family day out as a gift

Sometimes, the best gift you can give is spending quality time all together as a family. So, choose something you all love to do and plan the day in advance so that you can financially prepare. This could be as simple as a day in the park or something like a go karting experience or theme park outing that costs a bit more. So long as you’ve budgeted for it and think you can afford it, this can be an ideal gift option.

Shop around

If your child has their heart set on something from their birthday wish list and you think you could budget for it, you should try to shop around for the best price rather than picking it up in the first place you see it. If you start looking early enough, you might find it discounted somewhere or it could be cheaper in one shop than it is in another.

Worried about money? These resources may help: 

MoneyHeroes

MoneyHeroes is a financial education programme to help parents and children navigate money and financial capabilities through fun and engaging resources.

Family Action

From self-help resources to local services and a free helpline, Family Action is here to support your family through everything, including financial issues.

MoneyHelper 

For free and impartial support with your money, MoneyHelper can help. Whether you want to create better habits or improve your financial situation, they have resources for whatever you need.

National Support Network

With the NSN, you can access free, reliable and useful helplines or other vital support services tailored to you.

At UK Debt Service, we believe that signposting for impartial and targeted support is crucial which is why we’ve teamed up with the NSN. With their help, we’re offering a support hub which you can find out more about here.

We hope these tips help you give your child the birthday of their dreams without putting any additional financial strain on your family.

If you’re struggling with debt, speak to a member of our team. We may be able to help you understand all options available based on your individual circumstances.