How to Throw an Awesome Birthday Bash Without Breaking the Bank

Entertainment

8. Activities

Coloring sheets and word puzzles are easy to print out and there are many free sources. If you don't have a printer, you can print for free at the library.
Another fun, quiet activity is to hand out white, lunch-sized paper bags and have guests decorate them with stickers and markers. Later, these can double as a sack to tote party favors.
Kids love selfies! Create an inexpensive photo booth by simply hanging a colored plastic tablecloth or even a bedsheet on the fence. You can pretty your photo backdrop up with balloons and streamers if you like. Purchase a set of photo booth props, or use dress-up clothes such as hats, sunglasses and other items from around the house. Once you zoom in for a closeup, no one will know your photo booth is a tablecloth.
Kids love games in which they can run around and get loud outside! Go old school with limbo, sack races or devise your own obstacle course. More ideas here.

9. Party favors

Let’s face it, most parents don’t appreciate their kid coming home from a sugar-fueled celebration with a sack of candy. Possibly even less desirable are those tiny toys that break faster than you can get them out of the bag.

Consider checking the local Dollar Store for party favors that kids will play with long after the big day. Playdough, bubbles, crayons and sidewalk chalk all spell warm-weather fun. Package your goodies in a white paper sack (decorated by the kids) to be more eco-friendly.

10. Gifts

In the spirit of keeping the costs down for all the other parents and kids attending, consider asking guests not to bring gifts or throw a 'fiver' party. so nobody has to spend too much money on elaborate gifts.