Tips to reduce the costs of kid’s birthday parties

Birthday parties shouldnt be something to dread because of expense says Arlene Harris who has some tips to reduce costs.

The new school term has begun in earnest and while parents around the country will be delighted to have their little darlings back in some sort of routine, many will dread the start of the birthday party circuit.

Gone are the days when an ice-cream cake and a bottle of red lemonade would constitute a great party - children today have learned to expect a bevy of entertainers, a variety of hot food, face painting, somewhere to let off steam and of course, none would be happy to leave the party empty handed, as a going home ‘party bag’ is now the norm.

But while this is all very well for the children, where does it leave the parents and more importantly, why are a generation of cash-strapped adults feeling pressurised into spending a small fortune on entertaining their offspring whether as party hosts or guests? According to the country’s largest ‘Back to School’ Report from online parenting site MummyPages.ie, 80% of mothers across the country dread the expense of the primary school birthday marathon.

Laura Haugh, Mum-in-Residence for the site says the cost of hosting and attending birthday parties is a financial worry for parents of young primary school children where the trend is to invite the whole class in the early years when friendships are just forming or school policy dictates that nobody is left out.

“Our mums reported their children being invited to at least 12 birthday parties per year with an average spend of €15 each time on gifts,” she says. “Our advice is to be sensible. There are bound to be lots of mums in your child’s class who feel the same as you do in terms of the cost or indeed the amount of organising involved. A good idea is start a parent’s council in your child’s class so the parents can get to know each other better and discuss ways to tackle issues like these. We have received really positive feedback from our MummyPages community from parents who have shared birthday parties with classmates who are born in the same month.

“The children are happy because they get a bigger party, the mums are happy because they have help in organising the party and sharing the cost, and parents of attending children are happy because they buy one gift which is given anonymously to one of the birthday children.”

Haugh says parents can further reduce costs by hiring out local venues rather than taking children to expensive play centres.

“Many parish halls and community centres now hire out facilities to parents looking to host a party,” she says. “This can be a very inexpensive way of hosting a large group where an entertainer may attend for a part of the event, or the parents organise a simple obstacle course for fun, traditional birthday party games or host a karaoke party with an inexpensive machine on hire.

“Birthday party food needn’t break the bank either. Some of our mums have chosen to make their own food for the main party and then hire an ice-cream van as a novelty treat towards the end of the event.”

Aoife Tynan from Waterford has an 11-year-old son, Evan. As the owner of www.grippersoles.com , the working mum believes children will learn to appreciate things more if they don’t get everything on demand.

“When Evan was in pre-school, I would just have a family tea-party for him but once he started school, I would invite a number of friends to our house where I would set up games in the garden,” she says. “There would be races (where all the kids won a medal), soccer, swings, slides, a Piñata and organised treasure hunts. I never gave out goodie bags but instead found a wonderful place which made chocolate bars with a theme picture and the child’s name on it - it was always great fun.”

But once her son started to get older, he no longer wanted parties at home. So Aoife told him he had a choice - present or party.

“When Evan turned 7, parties didn’t cut it anymore as his friends were going to places like ‘Laser Blast’,” she says. “So I gave him the choice of a present or a party - he wasn’t getting both. He chose the laser party one year and roller-skating the next - the cost was €180 including food, cake and drinks for 10 children. But this year, it was back to a home party with soccer and sleepover - it has come full circle.”

The mother-of-one says while she only has a single party to worry about, she can see how parents struggle and would always advise sticking firmly to budget.

“I only have Evan but I understand the predicament of families with three or four kids,” she says. “There is very much an air of peer pressure for the parents - but I don’t buy into it. I have been to many varying degrees of children’s parties - from groups of 40-50 people with entertainment to parties with magicians or bands to entertain parents.

“I feel a few hours of organised games followed by cakes, treats and games are spot-on. At the end of the day, parents should be in control so the type of party is a reflection of their ideals, as a child should understand boundaries.”

Cutting the costs of childrens' parties

Liz Stafford lives in Killavullen, Co Cork, with her husband John and seven-year-old son Jack (below). She works from home running Style on Your Doorstep and says she has learned to keep extras to a minimum when it comes to birthday parties as most children will be happy with whatever is provided for them.

“We spend an average of €95 for birthday parties for 15 children at a nearby activity centre,” she says. “Alternatively I will manage the costs by booking the local community hall at a cost of €25 for two hours and then either arranging for the local chipper to deliver chips and pizza or stocking up on sweets from the supermarket.

“I also keep the price down by buying a mixed bag of stuff from eBay such as purses, clips and glitter for girls and footballs, pencils, tattoos and notebooks for the boys. It costs next to nothing and the kids are very happy with it.

So not only has she managed to keep the costs down but has also provided great memories for her son and promoted a culture amongst other parents of doing the same thing.

“There are only a few years left for Jack to have parties and maybe in another year all he will want is a few friends and a match so I am glad that he has thoroughly enjoyed all the parties we have provided,” she says.

“Our friends have started doing the same thing and while our school also has a policy of encouraging parents to spend a maximum of €10 on gifts, I have added my own spin and when sending out the invites will specify; “no presents, no gifts and no money” as I think the pressure put on families is outrageous and these days it’s an unnecessary expense.”