As some of you might know, Kylie celebrated her 4th birthday last week and I threw a little party for her because well, that was what she wanted. So if you're planning to throw a party for your child but really don't want to break the bank, here's some tips that'll help you save the bucks!

Sure, it's champion's 5th birthday but there's no need to invite the entire world. What matters most is that he/she enjoys the party. So invite people that matter like family and close friends and to ensure that junior has a great time, invite some of his/her friends that are of the same age. 5-10 kids is more than enough to amp up a party. The logic is simple, more guests equals more cost.

When it came to Kylie's birthday party, I only had about 8 kids over and the noise pollution already over the top! Add on the adults who were all having their own chit-chats here and there and you've got a party going on it's own!

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While throwing a party at a grand venue for your little one might gain you bragging rights and the envy of others, it really isn't the smartest idea if you think about it. Your little one will probably not remember the day ten years down so save yourself the money and opt for a less expensive venue such as having it at home (cause it's free! duh!), book a friend or relative's condo's function room, or if you prefer an outdoor venue, why not rent a bbq pit from NParks (it'll only cost you $20 max).

I had Kylie's party done at home so that itself saved us a couple of hundreds compared to holding it at a chalet or some fancy cafe that Kylie probably wouldn't care too much about. & what's best about having it at home is that the kids can will never run out of entertainment with her truckload of toys!

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It might take quite an effort but cooking the food for your guests instead of catering will also save you a couple of hundreds. If it's too much work, you don't have to cook ALL of the food, you can always purchase food on the side to go along with your home cooked mains. Or better yet, you don't have to do it alone, grandparents are usually more than willing to whip up a storm just to make their grandkid's big day happen!

Lucky for me, my very talented dad cooked most of the food for the guests, it wasn't anything extravagant - fried bee hoon, curry chicken and some finger food but the guests were pretty satisfied with the food! I also ordered a sushi platter, my mom prepared fresh fruits and a cocktail dessert from those canned fruits you can find at your nearby supermart. A friend of mine was also generous enough to buy macarons for everyone! Potluck's a pretty good idea when it comes to gatherings too!

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Or get someone who knows how to, to bake one for you instead of purchasing one! If that's not possible, well then ditch the three-tiered cakes and opt for the more conventional options, they're usually tastier too.

Okay, for Kylie's birthday, I'm guilty of spending a bomb on her cake, or rather, her daddy is. We wanted a Eurasian Sugee cake and unfortunately those cakes are only made by people who sell them from home AND they usually cost quite a bit - probably because it's hard to find someone who makes them and a lot of work goes into making a sugee cake. And because the cake didn't come with decoration, I had the cake decorated myself to the safari theme of her birthday. I think half the cost of her party went to the cake so I'd advise opting for a normal cake if you really don't want to break the budget!

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Forget glittery streamers, large printed banners and other fancy decors that costs a bomb at party shops. Instead, browse the web for ideas and DIY tutorials! You don't need to be be all artsy fartsy to come up with pretty deco! There are plenty of free printables you can find online that are ready to be cut out, strung and hung!

In fact, for the deco, I used free printable buntings from the net myself! & I simply cut out alphabets from black paper to form her name. There really isn't a need to spend a bomb on decorations when they're all going to end up in the trash at the end of the party anyway. & if you have the extra budget, you can purchase a couple of balloons to add a little life to the party! Balloons usually won't cost much, unless you're looking at the fancy animal balloons but unless you can get a really good deal for them, cheap balloons will do the trick. Helium or not, those balls of air will get the kids excited anyway.

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Throwing a fun party for the kids doesn't mean you have to blow the budget and go all out hiring clowns and magicians or renting bouncy houses. The internet has an endless list of fun games you can come up with for the kids - all made from things you can find at home!

I had this pin the donkey's tail game printed from the net and hung on the wall, all it took was a printer and some paper! 

If you've got a artist or designer friend, you can also buy face paint/crayons and create a face painting station for the kids! It beats spending a bomb hiring someone to do it and best of all, you get to keep the paint/crayons for the next kids party!

The classic game of pass the parcel! Just wrap up a small present and have the kids pass them around  when the music plays!

What's a kids' party without a piñata? A piñata purchased from outside can cost you at least $30-$40 and that's just the empty shell of cardboard waiting to be smashed. You still have yet to factor in the candies you've to get to fill the piñata. So instead of buying one, save cost by making one yourself! It's actually pretty easy! Here's the video I referred to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu18xl6dqXo

I modified it a little though, instead of using crepe paper to decorate the piñata, I used paint because there's really no need to go the extra mile to buy crepe paper when the piñata is gonna end up trashed anyway. Also for confetti, I cut them from scrap paper instead of purchasing actual confetti. It works the same.

Apart from these, I also printed DIY animal masks for the kids to colour and create themselves. All of it you can easily find by just googling!

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You can find party goodies for goodie bags at any party shop, a pack usually contains a paper mask, plastic horns, whistles, party hats etc, and all these cheap party accessories are not that cheap! Instead of opting for useless party packs that parents will end up putting in the bin, pack your own goodie bags instead! Fill them with useful stuff like a pack of crayons, and some yummy goodies that's bound to make any kid smile! A tip when it comes to buying treats to pack in the goodie bags is to buy gummies or biscuits that are sold in a bag of mini packs! Another good way of filling up that goodie bag is to include a small box of cereal, the kind of fun packs you can find at the supermarket, it's "healthier" and can fill up most of your goodie bag already!

(sorry for the horrible photo but this is the only one I have of the goodie bag I packed for the kids)

The idea is to pack useful stuff that parents won't put in the trash at the end of the day so you won't be wasting your money. For Kylie's party, I got everything from a Valu$ shop and one goodie bag only costed me a couple of bucks (yes that includes the activity book and blow pen markers!) You can usually find lots of gems like old school toys and all from neighbourhood shops, those make really neat goodies as well! So a good goodie bag doesn't necessarily mean expensive stuff!

And there you have it! Throwing a fun party for your kid on a small budget! Remember, ultimately, it's about your little one having fun and enjoying him/herself. All that glitz and glam of a party is only good for show but junior probably wouldn't even give two hoots about it!

So happy planning mommies!!

:D

xoxo.