When your kids start growing up, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say that being invited to their friend’s birthday party is the most exciting thing that could ever possibly happen to them. Attending these parties is always really good fun, and it’s a great way for your kids to see their friends outside of the school setting, as well as being a great opportunity for you to chat with other parents.
The problem with children’s party invites is that they seem to all come at once. Before you know it, you’ll have every weekend of term time booked out for someone’s party, and for each party, you’ll need to take gifts and a card along for the special birthday boy/girl. That’s when things start to get expensive.
To help you to better financially prepare for children’s party invites, take a look at these tips.
Look out for in store sales and stock up.
A great little hack for saving money on children’s birthday presents is to stock up on a good deal when you see one. Sometimes supermarkets, such as Tesco or ASDA, have clearance sales to make way for new stock and this often includes items such as toys and colouring books. I’ve found good deals on miniature LEGO sets in the past, as well as LOL Dolls and other popular toys. Save money on children’s birthday presents by stocking up on a few extras so that you’ll already have gifts for the next party you attend.
Bargain shops are your friends.
Not all shops were created equal, and not all children appreciate a gift’s value! Over the years, I have noticed that my child tends to gravitate towards birthday gifts that have been purchased from bargain stores such as Pound Land. Children love these toys and there’s always a huge selection to choose from. Not only are there toys, but these stores also stock colouring books, stickers, sweets, and all sorts of other goodies. When stocking up to save for parties during the year, make sure that you check the use by dates on any sweets or chocolates that you purchase and ensure that they’re in date when your child gifts them to their friend.
Take advantage of special deal events, such as Amazon Prime Day.
If you have some spare cash lying around, it’s easy to save money by taking advantage of special deal events such as Amazon Prime Day. These special events often have huge savings up for grabs on pretty much every child’s toy or item you can think of.
Offer to help the host out with cakes, decorations etc.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: most parents really do not care about presents!
Those children are going to be receiving gifts from their parents, friends of the family, and their other relatives. They’re going to have so many gifts, they won’t know what to do with them all! Most parents really do not mind whether your child brings a gift to the party or not, they’re simply happy that you were able to attend and have fun with their child.
If you’re feeling anxious about turning up empty-handed, you could always chat to the parents and see if there’s anything that you could do to help them in lieu of buying their child a present. Perhaps you could help them to decorate the party venue, or offer to bake the birthday cake. There are lots of things that you could do and it’s likely that the offer of help, and ultimately friendship, would be far more appreciated than another gift for their child.
Create a birthday card with your child for their friend instead.
If going to a party empty-handed is something you’re really worried about, why not spend some time with your child and encourage them to draw a birthday card for their friend instead? As we know, homemade is always best, and when it comes to gifts, it’s the thought that counts!
