Relax! A fabulous party doesn’t need to cost the earth. Mum-of-three
Katrina Shute
offers some advice for reducing the budget
and
the stress.
The simplest
soirées
L
et’s be realistic: when you have
several kids, dropping a ton of
cash on birthday parties three
or four times each year is just not
feasible. Sure, you want your child to
have a wonderful day, but that doesn’t
mean you want to spend the GDP of a
small country making it happen. Here are
a few ways my family has handled it.
First, ask: Is it necessary to have a huge
birthday bash every year? We instituted
a “party every second year” policy for
our kids from an early age. That way, I
don’t mind spending a little more on the
parties they do have, and, on the off
year, we do something small, like dinner
and a movie with a few best buddies, to
mark the day.
Next, do they need to invite the whole
class? More intimate parties are often the
best. Your daughter could invite “just the
girls”, or vice versa, making it far easier to
choose activities that appeal to just one
gender. Fewer kids means less cost!
Stick to email invites. Handwritten
invitations are lovely, of course, but some
online services, like Evite, are super-
convenient and free. Most allow you to
create your own unique invitation, with a
cute photo and colourful text.
Then, keep the party short and sweet,
particularly for younger children. A three-
year-old’s social skills are short-lived; drag
a party out over 90 minutes and there’s
bound to be tears. And, a shorter party
means fewer activities to play and pay
for.
Consider going old-school when
choosing a venue. Remember your own
idyllic childhood parties in the backyard
– kids bobbing for apples, running
around, making their own fun? While we
may not have acres of lawn here, parties
at home can be just as memorable. Turn
your lounge into a daytime disco, or your
dining table into a crafts centre. If your
flat can’t handle it, many buildings have
a green space or a playground where
you can host an event for minimal cost.
Or, choose one of the local parks or
beaches, some of which have plenty of
shady trees to set up underneath.
Get there early, and plan for the old
favourites, like the egg-and-spoon and
sack races, and the kids will have a ball.
For entertainment, I have always
enlisted the help of my older kids and
their friends to help entertain the little
ones. Young kids LOVE older kids. Tweens
and teens can paint faces, supervise
games and crafts, and are usually more
than happy to help out, especially for a
small thank-you gift.
Enlist Betty Crocker’s help and make
your own cake and cupcakes. This may
sound terrifying, but once you’ve done it
a few times, it becomes a piece of…well,
you know what! These boxed cake mixes
come out perfectly moist every time, and
once they are smothered in freshly made
buttercream icing and sprinkles, no one
will believe you’ve used a mix.
Finally, RELAX! Kids are actually
very easy to please. Do a little forward
planning, but allow the party to move in
its own natural direction. That will keep
it simple and stress-free – and fun! – for
everyone.
October 2014
99
