Kids’ birthday party decorations

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on expensive birthday party decorations to throw a fun and festive party for your kids. There are a lot of ways you can get creative and still wow your party guests. Follow these tips for a memorable party without breaking the bank.

A character themed birthday party can start to get pricey when you add up all the cups, plates, and party favors covered in Dora or Elmo’s face. You can mix and match themed items with basic, less expensive party decorations. Just pick one or two main items, like the piñata and the cake to have decked out in the theme you’ve picked, and then just buy everything else, like plates and cups, in solid matching colors. Even if you’ve managed to avoid the characters and have a more generic theme, like flowers or cars, you can still use this method to keep things simpler and less expensive. Another money-saving idea is to skip more expensive themed mylar balloons for a bunch of regular balloons, or save even more by buying a kit and pumping your own.

There are a lot of simple birthday party decorations you can make yourself to save money. Even if you are not a super crafter, consider incorporating one or two homemade items with pricier store-bought ones. Hanging tissue paper flower balls, for example, are a very easy decoration you can make yourself, and since you can make them in any color you want, they can go with almost any party theme. Banners are another easily homemade item you can make with ribbon and fabric, or paper print-outs. If you’re just not a crafter, and cooking is your strength, consider making your own cake to save some money that you can spend on buying birthday party decorations instead.

One of the best parts about a party is all the delicious food, so why not let your cooking work a double-shift as birthday party decorations too. Place cupcakes on stacked cakestands to make a cupcake tier as a centerpiece. You can also fill clear glasses or bowls with colorful candy to use as table centerpieces, or make some fun lollipop trees by filling a styrofoam cones with several small lollipops. Another fun idea is to carve a watermelon into a basket or animal shape and then fill it with cut fruit.

Follow these simple tips to save money, but don’t forget to have fun and get creative coming up with ideas of your own for inexpensive and homemade birthday party decorations.