I wasn't really planning to do a party this year, for this child, but the week before I discovered my kiddo really did want to celebrate with friends this year!
I got to work outlining options. I made a list of our favorite local parks that would be good for multiple ages and had bathrooms. We picked a theme and cake design together. And I texted all the moms and asked them which of two dates and times worked better - since it was only 4 days until the big day and he wanted to celebrate as close to his birthday as possible. I then emailed out the finalized plans so there would be no confusion.
As the RSVPs came in, I put together my Walmart grocery order. I bought a plastic tablecloth (optional - I actually forgot to use it!), plastic forks, a box of granola bars, a pack of water bottles, a bag of pretzels, an 18 pack of nice colored pens as favors (also available on Amazon), and a big box of sidewalk chalk (optional).
I set the party time for clearly after lunch, but still early in the afternoon. I didn't want to serve a meal. Just doing cake streamlined my prep and logistics - as well as my budget.
I printed out a coloring page tying into the birthday theme, and everyone signed it and kept a pen. I already had a birthday banner for this theme in my party supply box from another birthday party.
I baked the cake the day before. As I always do, I made Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. It is our go-to birthday cake! I wrapped my biggest cutting board in white tissue paper and blue cellophane I had in my wrapping paper stash, and it looked great! I chilled the cake in the fridge between frosting layers, and then popped it back in the fridge until it was time to leave. I put the cutting board in a laundry basket and put my huge metal mixing bowl (this is the closest looking one I see on Amazon) over the top of the cake to protect it in case of worse case scenarios like having to slam on the brakes.
One key to success was that I started making a list of things to take to the park right at the beginning. The issue with having a party at a park is nobody is going to be able to loan you a cake server or napkins. You need to remember to bring everything with you! Start making a list separated by category -food, paperware, decorations, etc.
We had a fabulous afternoon at the park - 5 families came, and we had 19 kids altogether who had a blast playing on the park equipment. We were able to do a spring break weekday afternoon, so the park was not overly crowded and it was easy to find two empty picnic tables at the ramada and enjoy snacks and cake there.
I think this may become our family's go to easy birthday party!
It's so much easier than hosting at our home and figuring out who to invite with limited space - plus, it has built in entertainment of the playground, and any extra activities you want to do in the grassy areas like frisbee or soccer. It's also WAY more affordable than any other option I can think of for this number of people for a fun afternoon party.
What are your favorite budget birthday party ideas?
Drop them in the comments - I'm in the middle of our family's birthdays and would love any tips!
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