Skip to main content

How to host a 5-year-old’s birthday party on a budget

Your child deserves an awesome birthday party, and you might be tempted to throw an all-out extravagant bash. Get this: There are inexpensive birthday party ideas out there which you can take inspiration from. Exceed their expectations with some strategic decorations, food offerings, and party favors. There are many ways to save on a celebration, but here are six parent-approved 5-year-old birthday party ideas.

Send digital invites instead of snail mail

The first step to an impressive party is with an eye-catching invitation. Here is an opportunity to save some serious bucks and time. Instead of your traditional paper invitations, send out digital invites. This way, you save costs on printing, envelopes, stamps, and gas from hitting up the stationery store and the post office.

Use free photo editing apps on your phone, tablet, or computer to whip up a collage, fill out a premade template, or craft your own work of art. You can even edit a short video with your little one to make the invitation feel more personal.

Host at home or at a public space

birthday party at home with a donut buffet table
Tania Miron / Unsplash

One of the biggest costs of any event is the venue. While some venues offer food and activity packages on top of facility costs, it’s almost always more practical to host at home. You can set up the night before to save time and you don’t have to feel obligated to say yes to pricey venue rates.

If hosting at home isn’t an option, consider a public park or recreation area. You might need to reserve areas with picnic tables or barbecue pits if you’re planning on grilling. Make a note to check with the park information booth ahead of time to be sure.

Share family recipes with a potluck party

Depending on the time of your party, you might ask guests to bring dishes to share. Shake it up by going with a theme like “Foods around the world” or “Yummy appetizers.” On the other hand, you may request that guests bring a dessert of their choice so you can focus on the main dishes, instead.

If you’re planning to have a birthday party mid-afternoon or early morning, you might get away with light finger foods like fruit plates, finger sandwiches, wontons, and other bite-size treats. Keep in mind that if you start the party shortly before or after lunch, guests might expect a heartier meal. When in doubt, start the party at 2 p.m.!

Combine activities and party favors

colorful friendship bracelets as birthday party favors
Cookie the Pom / Unsplash

Arts and crafts tables are a great way to keep guests entertained and give them an opportunity to make their own party favor. Kids will love getting creative and getting to keep what they’ve fashioned out of paper, ink, paint, and other versatile materials.

Some fun ideas to make are customized shirts, personalized sugar cookies with royal icing, homemade greeting cards, and unique friendship bracelets. You might do two different tables so guests can rotate between the stations and make different souvenirs. Keep the arts and crafts tables open throughout the party to give children enough time to eat, play, and create.

Repurpose old decorations from your closet

Wherever possible, reuse old decorations that are just sitting in some storage boxes. Versatile pieces like multi-color streamers, neutral balloons, bright table runners, and old birthday banners can be reused over and over again so long as they’re not noticeably stained or damaged. Even then, you might think of a creative way to make it all work together!

Serve homemade treats and birthday cake

birthday cake with chocolate frosting and multi-colored candles and sprinkles
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The last big cost when it comes to celebrations is the birthday cake and other sweets. Cut down on costs with a homemade cake instead of pre-ordered desserts. Choose your child’s favorite cake mix flavor, and go all out with the decorations using candles, lettering, and sprinkles. If you want to offer smaller treats instead, bake cupcakes in batches and arrange them in a unique shape or in your child’s name.

We want to give our children the awesome birthday party they deserve, but sometimes we need to work with a budget to make it happen. No worries — we’ve given you six genius ways to cut costs while still giving your little one the party of their dreams. With a few tweaks and substitutions, you can throw a party your child will remember for years.

Editors' Recommendations

NewFolks
12 amazing tween birthday party ideas your kid (and their friends) will actually enjoy
Tween birthday party ideas that won't get eye rolls
Pre-teen girl smiling, holding birthday present

When kids get older, planning birthday parties becomes a bit more challenging. For tweens, party planning can be difficult because they are in the transitional phase between tween and teen. Tweens aren’t little kids but aren’t quite teenagers yet either.

The tween age is the years from 9 to 12. So, your soon-to-be 12-year-old is almost a teenager and there are many sensational teen birthday party ideas. Your tween isn't quite there yet though. That’s okay. There isn't any need to rush the teen angst. It will arrive soon enough, and there are plenty of exciting tween birthday party ideas to make the guest of honor and the invitees happy.

Read more
The best third birthday party ideas for a fun – and stress-free celebration
Use these birthday party ideas to throw an amazing party for your preschooler
Birthday cake with a number 3 candle on it

Your toddler is turning 3, and that is definitely something to celebrate. They will soon be a preschooler, and you are finally turning the page of those terrible twos. Kids love birthday parties, especially when all the gifts have their names on them. Of course, you want to throw a party your child and their friends will totally enjoy without making you crazy.

It is possible, and we have some fun birthday party ideas for 3-year-olds to make your little one's special day amazing while keeping your stress level to a minimum. The key to having a successful birthday party for 3-year-olds is to keep it simple.
How to throw a stress-free third birthday party
When it comes to birthday party ideas for soon-to-be 3-year-olds, it's best not to have the theme and the activities be too complicated. With preschoolers, stick to party basics. Here's how to throw a 3-year-old birthday party that is low on stress and high on fun.

Read more
5 New Year’s resolution ideas for kids that promote healthy habits
Want to keep your New Year's resolutions? Make them together as a family
A person making a list of New Year's resolutions

New Year's resolutions have quite a long track record. The practice of setting goals when welcoming in a new year date all the way back to the ancient Babylonians. Back then, New Year's Day was celebrated in March, not January. The ancient Romans also had a habit of starting a new year with resolutions, as did early Christians. Today, New Year's resolutions aren't necessarily based on religion. Instead, New Year's resolutions are more personal and often involve losing weight, getting the finances in order, and decluttering or organizing the house.

Of course, while lots of people make resolutions at the start of a new year, these goals often fall by the wayside by Valentine's Day. According to the American Psychological Association, the secret to keeping New Year's resolutions is to limit your resolutions to small goals instead of large ones, like losing weight.

Read more