How To Spend Less At Your Childs Next Birthday Party

Is your child begging for a birthday party at the biggest kid spot in town? Is your son or daughter desperate to have a party complete with a blow-up bouncy castle and a cake shaped like an elephant? Are the other parents in the neighborhood giving you tips on throwing parties that are so over your budget, you don't know how to respond to their well-meaning advice?

Fret no more. You can give your child a fantastic birthday party at a fraction of the cost - and your little one will be the envy of all their friends when it's over.

Fill the rooms with balloons. Invest in bags of balloons from the dollar store and blow them up yourself. If you want to go the extra mile, buy a small can of helium to fill up some of them. Let the helium balloons hang from the ceiling with a bit of ribbon tied to them, so little hands can pull them down. Leave the others scattered on the floor, where an impromptu game of balloon soccer is sure to commence.

Get creative with the cake. Why get a cake from the store when you can make your own? "Dirt cakes" are chocolate cakes mixed with chocolate pudding and crumbled into the pain to look like dirt. Top with gummy worms for a tasty treat that will thrill the kids. If your kid is an animal lover, try the "litter box" cake - use a white cake mix, crumble the cake and mix it with crumbled Oreo cookies. Put it all into a lined cardboard box and put a brand-new kitty scoop into the "litter." The "ick" factor is great for kids, and they will never forget such a concoction!

Have a slumber party. Make the pizza at home, and let the kids choose their own toppings. Pop popcorn on the stove and rent a movie for the kids to watch. Pile the living room with blankets and pillows. When it's time for lights-out, give each of the kids a glow stick - available for about fifty cents each at the dollar store - and let them tell stories until they fall asleep.

Play games! Old-fashioned games will thrill children just like they did when you were little. Have potato sack races in the front yard (use old pillow cases for sacks), and organize a Mother Nature Scavenger Hunt in the backyard. Don't forget the thrill of musical chairs with small prizes to be had! Have a bubble-blowing competition and finish off your wonderful day with a dance-off. Turn on the music and teach the kids how to do the jitterbug!

The point of a great birthday party is spending time with friends, so help your child keep that in mind when they begin to beg for that outing to the pizza place with twenty of their classmates. You can have a small, intimate party at home for a fraction of the cost, and the memory will last forever.