Then I read that she pulled the whole thing off for $150 and I almost died. How did she do it? I, of course, had to find out Jenifer’s secrets, and she so generously agreed to share them here. We won’t tell, Jenifer, we promise!

My daughter, Ellah, has a love for ballerinas and dancing. When I was shopping at the Round Top/Warrenton Antiques Show in Round Top, Texas, I found a stash of vintage little ballerina prints. I purchased them for her room, and when she saw them, the gasp she took helped me to decide the theme of her 3rd birthday – a vintage ballerina.

Vintage ballerina print in spray-painted frame

When planning my two children’s birthdays, under one month apart, I know we cannot break the bank two months in a row on birthday parties.  Although I’d really love to do it, I guess God really didn’t have birthday parties in mind when He planned our children.  I also work with plenty of moms through my store with similar circumstances or moms who just want to save money.  Perfectly understood.

1st Tip – K.I.S.S

My first money saving tip is always the theory KISS: Keep it Simple Sweetie.  I am with the idea ‘less is more.’  My daughter’s party was very, very simple.  I kept the party small which helped cut the cost.  We invited family plus a few of my daughter’s closest preschool friends, about 25 guests including the children. 

I served less expensive foods by having a simple brunch.  Breakfast foods can be inexpensive to make!  My husband and I cooked french toast, pigs-n-the-blanket, oven baked ham and swiss sliders (via Pinterest – so easy with very few inexpensive ingredients), chicken salad croissant sandwiches, homemade raspberry muffins and we had a simple green salad and fresh fruit in season. My mom brought the chicken salad, so my most expensive menu item was lovingly donated. 

Chicken salad croissant sandwiches

Pigs in the blanket

I kept the ballerinas’ activities so simple.  Since coloring is a 2-5 year old favorite, I printed off a ballerina coloring page free from the internet for the girls to color and decorate.  I also purchased foam princess crowns and foam stickers on clearance for $5.00 total. 

Crowns to decorate

The girls had a blast creating their own princess ballerina crowns to wear during the party.  The last activity was, simply, dancing.  All party guests either wore their own tutu or we let them wear a tutu from our play clothes.  The little ballerinas cut a rug with what you might call very modern, interpretive dance moves – so entertaining and it was free!

2nd Tip – Use & Reuse

This is a fun and important tip: Use and reuse what you have!  I love “shopping” the house (and my mother’s house) to find what will work with my party’s theme.  I think it’s perfectly acceptable to ask family and friends to borrow items that could work for your party.  Get creative with the stuff you already have.  The vintage ballerina prints that I purchased for my daughter’s bedroom were some of the main party decorations I planned to use, but they didn’t have frames.  Lo and behold, in my search, I found three identical, unused frames in my garage that happened to fit the pictures!  That was a score.  The frames were black, so I purchased spray paint to coordinate with the party color scheme and simply spray painted them and hung the art.  Easy and inexpensive. 

Absolutely everything that I used to serve the food and candy I either owned myself or I borrowed from my mom’s vintage dish collection. 

Borrowed vintage dishes

The pops of turquoise you see in the platter and round place mat I already had.  Another party item I reused was the large mirror seen in the outdoor table photos. The mirror was kept from our bathroom remodel and worked as a great ballet mirror.

Ballet mirror from bathroom remodel

3rd Tip – Use your connections

Here I saved most of my money on the most expensive parts of the party – the photography, the cake, the bunting, the invitations and party accessories – all because of people I know.  Do you have a friend or family member you know who takes better photos than you?  I do!  A good friend of mine is the photographer of Jennifer Schattle Photography.  Jennifer and I partner together on projects every year including my children’s birthday parties, so I am blessed to know and work with such a talented friend.  Of course, you don’t have to know a photographer.  Ask people you know who can help! 

I also know someone who bakes – conveniently, my husband.  He is not a professional, but he grew up baking with his grandmother and does a wonderful, tasty job.  We insist on baking our children’s cakes/cupcakes every birthday, so we save money in that department yearly. 

Caked baked by Jenifer's husband -- incredible!

In addition, I have an aunt who owns a custom sewing business, Kustom Kids of Kingwood.  When I had decided on the ballerina theme, I knew I wanted a bunting.  I shopped around and found that they were a little pricey for me.  I contacted my aunt and she quickly put together my requests (and my favorite piece of the party) for a fraction of what I would have paid anywhere else. 

Bunting sewn by Jenifer's aunt

Finally, I own my Etsy store Hello Love Designs where I sell printable party invitations and party accessories.  I also work with one of the top US press printing companies allowing me to have my invitations professionally printed for cost.  I printed out the cupcake toppers, tent labels, and favor tags on my own home printer, cut, and we were ready to party!  I have the Little Vintage Ballerina birthday invitation and full printable party collection for sale in the store.

Custom invitation designed by Jenifer

Cupcake toppers and tent labels designed by Jenifer

4th Tip – Use printables

I LOVE printables!!  Printable party accessories add such detail to a party and save money at the same time.  You can purchase anything from full party packages to just the pieces you need for a low cost.  Then all you have to do is print, cut them out, and you’re ready to add beautiful detail to your party.  If you’re really on a tight budget, there are many blogs, designers, and sites who offer free party printables.  You will spend a little time assembling, but the money you save is so worth it!

5th Tip – Use Etsy

For me, Etsy is an indispensable source.  Great deals are to be found everywhere!  Etsy offers such a variety of products, styles, and prices that everyone is happy.  I found (another favorite piece) a vintage floral sheet that I used as the table cloth outside at a great Etsy store called Eager Hands.  It was so reasonably priced, and the seller was kind enough to throw in sweet little “extras.”  In fact, the eyelet trim I used to trim the party hats came as an “extra” from her shop. 

Eyelet trim on party hats

I also purchased the cupcake liners from The Cupcake Social used to serve candy, Ellah’s tutu from Cheeky Chic Baby, and Ellah’s headband from Prim Couture Shop – all on Etsy.  Note:  Ellah’s birthday outfit was not a part of our party budget.

Ellah's birthday outfit

My one “splurge” item was the floral arrangement and, truthfully, it wasn’t all that expensive.  I took the florist my pitcher, an inspiration photo, and a budget and they worked up something gorgeous that I could afford.  I always plan and shop ahead comparing prices.  I try to avoid last minute purchasing which can end up costing me more money.

Thank you, Jenifer, for sharing all your tips and your beautiful party with us. You did an incredible job!

To see more of Jenifer’s designs, check out her other pretty parties on our site and her Etsy shop, Hello Love Designs .

I saw Brenda F’s Backyard Carnival Party and almost flipped. The attention to detail was amazing. Then I discovered she pulled the whole thing off on a budget of $464 for 70 people. That’s about $6.50 per person.

Of course I had to learn her secrets, so here are Brenda’s top 5 tips on saving money throwing an amazing party. Take it away, Brenda…

TIP 1 – Don’t be Shy

Because I knew my theme early on, I was able to talk to the manager of our local Dollar Tree store about a “Big Top” promotion they were having in their candy department throughout the summer and requested that they give me the empty boxes.

Once I was given the go-ahead for pick up, I was able to fill up my SUV with these adorable red & white striped boxes AND she threw in a colorful plastic sign that said “Candy Zone.” It worked perfectly at our candy buffet table. These items were FREE, and were going to end up in the trash if I hadn’t spoken up.

Empty carnival boxes from the Dollar Tree

When a Facebook friend who lives locally posted pics from her grandson’s carnival party, I immediately sent her a message to ask if she wouldn’t mind letting me borrow some of her decorations before I spent money on purchasing those very same items myself. She was happy to loan them to me, as they were just going to sit in a box in storage otherwise.

Borrowed items and prize table

Because I didn’t have the extra money to hire professional entertainment, my husband entertained our guests with his juggling skills and I taught myself how to twist balloon animals by watching tutorials on Youtube. I also asked friends to assist me. One friend was willing to play the clown, one did face painting, and two others helped me with making balloon animals. 

My husband, the juggler

My friend as the clown

Lots of balloon hats

My friend helping with face painting

I called our local feed store to ask about their pricing on hay bales and asked if they were available to rent instead of purchasing. As it turns out, we were able to purchase them upfront and return them later, undamaged, and we received all of our money back. I loved the old-time look that the bales provided, and they also doubled as extra seating. Ultimately, they didn’t cost us anything and because of the significant savings, we will be using them a lot in the future!!

Free bales of hay for sitting

From other friends, I received an old fashioned popcorn maker to use for the day, a candy claw arcade game, and I was also offered two cartons of flossing sugar, cotton candy cones, and paper popcorn bags.

All other tables and chairs were borrowed items as well.

I know it seems like a lot to borrow from others but when you really need to save money, take whatever is being offered and it never hurts to ask for help. Most people are happy to oblige!

Tip 2 – Use What You Already Have and DIY Whenever Possible

Collect items around your house that may fit into your theme, including bowls and serving dishes. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box to repurpose items, but you will be surprised at what you won’t have to purchase.

Search the web for free printables and royalty free clip art. You can use Microsoft Office and your free basic photo editing software to customize your own invitations, labels, banners, and other party decorations instead of purchasing them at party supply stores. The DIY custom touches are what really “wow” your guests! It doesn’t matter what your skill level is with crafting, there IS always something that you can find to do yourself. Sometime’s it is just as easy as hitting the print button.

I purchased a DIY printable package from an Etsy shop: Bee and Daisy. I searched until I found the best deal. It was $12 for the blank invite, pinwheel patterns, cupcake toppers and wraps, napkin rings, labels, a tee shirt transfer, and a banner sign. All other printables used were found online and were FREE. But don’t allow yourself to get carried away with printing. Ink is expensive and this ate up much of our budget.

Invitaton

I bought a T-shirt at Target at $4.99 and I already had the iron-on transfer sheets lying around, so I printed out the image, and in 1 min. his birthday shirt was complete!!

And to think that I was originally going to buy him a custom T-shirt with a $29 price tag + shipping. Ouch!

I fell in love with cotton pom-pom’s this year and created a #4 to decorate the dessert table backdrop. Using cardboard from an empty cereal box, I traced out the number, cut the shape out, and filled it in with small and medium sized colorful pom-poms and I used the jumbo pom-poms for making the fun garland by using a travel sewing kit and attaching each pom pom to thin ribbon. A hot glue gun would work just fine, too, but I really wanted this one to last so that I could re-use it again in the future.

Pom pom backdrop

Using some of the “Big Top” boxes that I received from the Dollar Tree, I made a circus train, and used inflatable animals, that we already owned, to sit in the train cars and welcome guests as they walked up to our front door.

Homemade circus train

I transformed my son’s puppet stage as the “Ticket Booth” just by blocking out the painted clock with a picture of a clown and stringing a small banner on it.

Homemade ticket booth

For the photo booth: I collected our own sheets and bought cheap curtain panels to use as the backdrop and placed old Halloween costumes into a storage trunk to be used as photo booth wardrobe props. Easy!

Photo booth

Before selling old toys on Craiglist, or donating them to Goodwill,  I decided to give them one last go ’round and I incorporated them into our theme as well. Our son’s battery operated Thomas the Train Railroad was set up and we also used both his rocking horse, and stick horse for some “Pony Ride” fun!

Thomas the Train ride

Penny toss

TIP 3 – Buy Decor That May Possibly Fit into Other Parties in the Future and Always Hit the Clearance Section First

I find that it is best to stay clear of any party theme that is commercialized or too theme specific. It is almost impossible to use those same supplies in the future, lending them to the “one-time only” option. Example: When looking to purchase a printed cardboard cutout, I opted to buy the Hot Dog Concession Stand instead of buying the Carnival Barker because I can get so many more uses out of it.

Concession stand cutout

Try to use color combinations that are easy to find and that can be used again. I like red, white and blue. The best reason I can give for this is because after every Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, party supplies in those colors are found extremely discounted. It is then that I stock up! This same combination also worked great for our son’s train and baseball parties that we have done for him in the past.

Also, when looking for possible favor bag items, I always look in the clearance section of stores first. It is not uncommon to find great favors there that are well made, allowing us to gift our guests with something more than the same junky toys that are usually found in favor bags, and that every parent hates! This year, those items found did not cost any more than $0.49 each and they were used at our Prize Table.

TIP 4 – You’re Not Feeding the Army

Outside of hosting a dinner party, you are not promising your guests that they leave with full stomachs. I always keep this theory in mind and inevitably, I am always left with extra food. To save additional money this year, I offered party guests food and snacks that gave me more quantity with lower costs.

The food

For example, we served corn dogs that gave 16 servings for $5.00. I purchased one large watermelon instead of a fancy fruit tray and served corn on the cob at 10 ears for $1.00. I spent $2.00 on bags of small carrots instead of serving a veggie tray that would only get half eaten.

I also purchased Goldfish crackers and gumballs that I individually wrapped into small portions, using clear bead bags that I got from the craft store. It allowed us to stretch the servings better than using the pint size snack bags and instead of over-filling the peanut bags with loose peanuts, I stuffed those into small snack bag first, to help keep them fresh, and to assist in filling up the paper sack, which allowed me to to use only one bag of peanuts and not having to purchase any more.

I also decided to use small cellophane bags again to showcase the cotton candy, instead of using the cones, because it required less product per serving and we had less waste.

TIP 5 – Plan Ahead

The first money saving tip will always be to plan ahead.

When your theme is chosen early, you have the time to search out party decorations and supplies at a reasonable cost, and/or either make them yourself.

Because I started planning our Backyard Carnival early and had an idea of what props I wanted, I went to children’s consignment stores first and placed all the items on their “Wish List” and they contacted me when those items came in.

This was a huge time saver too! I did not have to visit these stores more than once and several of the items wouldn’t be something they would have taken otherwise, because they aren’t a high demand item, or that they were in less than perfect condition.

Simply put, if they weren’t on the list, it would have been a missed opportunity. I was also able to negotiate better prices this way because they were making money on things that they never had to place on a shelf.

Secondly, I asked my friends that frequented thrift stores and yard sales to be on the lookout for certain items. They found me a brand new, never used, cotton candy machine for only $6, a baby sized pool and an entire shopping bag of rubber duckies for only $0.50 (to be used for one of the carnival games), a new face painting kit, and a crystal cake plate for only $1.50.

BREAKDOWN OF EXPENSES

Our party expenses totaled $464 for expecting 70 guests.

Food- $165 (includes drinks, snacks, candy for buffet table, and birthday cupcakes)

Printing- $60 (includes cost of printable package and paper too)

Party Props- $27 (includes hot dog stand, circus canopy, and dessert table decor)

Oriental Trading Co.- $49 (includes all misc. party supply supplies but I got free shipping)

Craft supplies-$50 (includes paint, glue, tape, paper lollipop and wooden craft sticks, fabric and ribbon.)

Serving pieces- $34 (includes paper plates, cups, utensils, peanut and pickle bags, paper straws, and 2 large netted style outdoor food covers)

Prize and Party Favors- $44 ( includes cost of prizes provided at each carnival game station, the Prize Table for every guest and custom party favor bags for the children only)

Helium Tank Rental- $35

*I could have saved even more money if I didn’t insist that every part of the house was decorated….that is Tip #6. lol

Thank you Brenda, for these smart and creative tips. Your party looked  amazing!!

If you haven’t seen the whole party, please check out all the photos. It’s worth a serious look!

And in addition to the invitation, party circles, “Bewitched” banner, goodie bag labels, and party labels Betsy designed, she also created this adorable “cootie catcher” fortune teller that will keep your kids entertained for hours.

DOWNLOAD THE HIGH RESOLUTION FILES FOR PRINTING:

• Invitation
• Party circles
• Goodie bag labels
  
• Party labels
  
• “Bewitched” banner
• Cootie catcher

Here are some photos of the collection in action…

The fabulously fun cootie catcher…

And if you don’t know how to fold an cootie catcher, here’s a video to help.

Thank you, Betsy for designing this adorable vintage collection. To learn more about Betsy and see all her festive designs, check out her company, B.Nute Productions.

Need more inspiration? Check out all of our free Halloween printables and Halloween parties on our site.

I found this gorgeous and simple tutorial on adelynSTONE and thought it would be perfect to share.  Kristan, the woman behind adelynSTONE, says the secret to her recipe is cream of tarter and not a lot of salt.

Plus, I love how she packaged it in little plastic baby food containers. Great idea!

My husband and daughter made some yesterday to try it out. It was simple to make, and had a super smooth texture, better than any other homemade play dough we’ve tried. As you can see, my daughter loved it.

Here’s the full homemade play dough recipe. It’s definitely worth a try, great for a rainy day activity or for some fun cheap party favors.

They created this adorable candy tree topiary for their Y’s Diapers and Wipes Shower using Smarties Pops and marshmallow rope. I just love it.

Maria, Kristina, and Roxana were kind enough to put together this tutorial and wait until you see how easy it is…

Supplies:

• Large foam ball
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Stick
• Vase
• Foam & artificial grass from Michaels
• Poofy marshmallow rope or candy necklace from It’Sugar
• Smarties Pops unwrapped from CandyDirect.com

Directions:

STEP 1 — Cut half off the Smarties Pop sticks.

STEP 2 — Start inserting the Smarties Pop sticks into the large foam ball.

 STEP 3 — After you are done filling the foam ball with Smarties Pops, add the stick to your vase and insert it in your large foam ball.

STEP 4 — Tie the poofy marshmallow rope around the stick to cover it. You could use the candy necklace instead; if you use the candy necklace you will need a glue gun to glue it so it will stay in place.

STEP 5 — Add your ribbon and you’re done!

Candy tree topiaries makes such a great addition to your party!

I couldn’t agree more! Thank you, lovely ladies, for putting this tutorial together. To learn more about MKR Creations and see the other amazing parties they’ve styled, please check out their vendor page on our site.

It turns out they’re not hard to make, and you just need a few supplies. But they can be a little time consuming depending on the size of the pom pom, so be warned.

To see the whole tutorial, check out this post on Victoria’s blog vixenMade.

Thank you Victoria, these are just beautiful! And if you haven’t seen Victoria’s Pinkalicious Party you are in for a treat!

If you make some fabric pom poms please send photos, I’d love to show them off.

As you may know from reading my blog, I’m a huge fan of personalized anything at parties.

So when I saw these personalized pedestal letters spelling out “Tyler” in the middle of the dessert table at T’s Summer Stripes Sprayground Birthday Bash, I had to know how Zoila made them.

Here is her easy tutorial, so take it away Zoila!

Festive Pedestal Name Display Centerpiece: (Or as I like to call it: Finally Getting Use Out of Those IKEA Frames in the Back of the Closet)

Materials Needed:

• Wooden or cardboard letters suitable for painting – approximately 5” high (we found ours at Michael’s)
• Craft paint
• Coordinating patterned or solid / textured cardstock
• ZOTS™ 3D clear adhesive dots
• IKEA® TOLSBY double-sided pedestal frames – only $0.99 each
• Paper trimmer or scissors
• Paint brushes

Step 1:
Plan which color you will use and which cardstock pattern / solid you will use as a backing for each letter. (Much easier to sort everything out before you are putting them together.)

Step 2:
If you haven’t already done so, setup your frames by attaching the pedestal and peeling the protective cover off BOTH sides of each of the clear plastic protectors.

Step 3:
Prep and paint your letters (front, sides, and nooks and crannies) in coordinating colors for your party theme. No need to paint the backs of the letters. Depending on how light or dark your letters are going to be, you may need
a white base coat or several coats of paint. (We did about 4 coats per letter using a basic all-purpose, water-based paint.)

Step 4:
Trim your cardstock to fit the frame at 4.125” x 6.125”. Each frame will use two pieces of cardstock, front and back.

Step 5:
Insert the front and back pieces of cardstock on the outside of the plastic protectors. In other words, the two photo protectors will be sandwiched in between the two pieces of cardstock. Make sure the cardstock faces outward. The letters will be adhered to the cardstock, not the frame itself.

Step 6:
Once your letters are dry and ready to adhere, place a 3D glue dot at the top and bottom of the letter.

Step 7:
Press onto the cardstock that is to be the front of the frame. (Be mindful of where you are positioning the letter as these glue dots are a bit hard to reposition.) The letter should float a bit in front of the frame and if the letter is wide enough, will be layered over the frame. Repeat for each of the letters.

Step 8:
Enjoy the oohs and ahs when people admire your craftiness.

Thank you Zoila for this easy tutorial! To learn more about Zoila and see her beautiful printable designs, check out Squared Party Printables.

If you haven’t seen the rest of T’s Summer Stripes Sprayground Birthday Bash check it out.  What a fabulous summer dessert table, love all the vibrant colors.

Ooh la la! I saw Heather L’s Pink Parisian Patisserie Party and I was swooning — all that pink, all those treats, all those fluffy pom poms!

Then I noticed the budget… $75! Can’t be done, I thought. But I was proven wrong. Here’s how Heather pulled it off…

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I LOVE to throw a party!  I have so many ideas running through my head, it can get overwhelming at times.  However, I get a reality check every time I think about actually implementing all of my crazy plans when I remember the “B” word – BUDGET. 

As a stay at home mom of five, with a hardworking husband who has recently started his own business, I feel that it is my job to keep a very strict budget when it comes to party planning – but still make those in my life feel special and spoiled!  Over time, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for creating a fabulous party on a budget.  Here are a few ways I saved money but still managed to get the look of a more extravagant party.

TIP 1

 Use what you have, borrow what you don’t!  This is my favorite tip, and I cannot stress this enough.  For this particular party, my daughter wanted a cupcake/bakery theme.  As I was thinking of ideas for the party, I realized that a French bakery theme would be cute – especially since my daughters’ shared bathroom is decorated in a pink/black Parisian theme. 

I simply borrowed some items from their bathroom – like the metal Eiffel tower, a small painting, a cute poodle, and much more!  I also pulled many things from both daughters’ rooms.  If it was pink or black, I grabbed it =) 

Eiffel Tower borrowed from her daughters

Stuffed poodle borrowed from her daughters

I had a ton of tulle on hand (that I have kept since my 12 year old daughter’s fourth birthday!) so I used tulle on everything.  For NO money, I had instant party décor.  As you are deciding on a theme, think about what you have in your house that matches your colors – maybe there is a red bucket, a cute aqua shelf, or a pink bird cage that would look just PERFECT dressed up for your party.  Additionally, borrow what you can – for my Paris party, I borrowed several serving plates/platters as well as both tablecloths I used. 

TIP 2

Don’t plan your party during a meal time.  I purposely planned our party for 2:00 – 4:00 pm.  I knew that I couldn’t afford to serve a huge spread of food, so I kept it light and simple – and it was perfect for little tummies! 

I served cupcakes (baked at home using boxed mix and canned frosting that I piped on to look more “professional”), sugar cookies I baked and decorated myself, marshmallow pops (I already had the marshmallows and just purchased pink candy melts with a coupon), a little candy, and some grapes and pretzels to balance out all the sweet stuff.  I already had the grapes and pretzels on hand for my kids’ lunches, so I only had to purchase a few items.  Our drinks were inexpensive “Shirley Temples” made with Sprite and grenadine. 

Homemade sugar cookies

Homemade marshmallow pops

The kids had plenty to eat and most even took some treats home with them.  If I had served lunch, I would have busted my budget for sure.

TIP 3

Start planning early.  I always start planning my parties well in advance.  One reason for this is that I just can’t help myself – I’m always looking forward to the next party =) 

The main reason, though, is so I can start looking for items that are deeply discounted that go with my theme.  You can find cute buckets, frames, serving pieces, scrapbook paper/supplies, etc. on major clearance at craft stores if you know what you are looking for.  It might be on sale six months before your party, but if you know your theme ahead of time you can purchase it at a great price.

TIP 4

Use party printables (reasonably priced ones).  In my opinion, cute party printables really do make your party.  However, you have to factor in the cost of purchasing them as well as printing them.  If you purchase a very expensive party printable package and then go to the office supply store to get it printed (or use up all of your own very expensive ink!), you might be shocked at how much of your budget is gone.  Shop around, and find a reasonably priced printable package.

Inexpensive printables

I was able to find a great one for my Paris party for only $10!  Even if you can only afford to get one printable item, such as cupcake toppers/party circles, print a bunch of them and use them everywhere.  Other than cupcakes, you can use them as favor tags, to dress up store bought party hats, or even glue them to ribbons and have them hanging from your chandelier.  For my Paris party, my very talented mom embellished the already adorable banner that I printed, and it looked like a million bucks!

Embellished banner

TIP 5

Do it yourself.  People tell me all the time that they “can’t” make things, or they “aren’t crafty.”  Well, let me tell you – if you have a small budget, you’ll figure it out quickly =) 

Every single party I do, I make most of the decorations.  There are SO many tutorials out there in blog land – just Google what you are looking for and you are sure to find instructions on how to make it.  Everything might not be perfect, but my kids don’t care – and they are SO proud to tell their friends, “My mom made that!” 

For this party, I wanted a beautiful floral arrangement for my front door, and while I do consider myself pretty crafty, I am NO floral arranger – at all!  But, I was determined, so I purchased five bunches of flowers at the Dollar Tree and played around with them in a door bucket I already had until I achieved the look I liked.  I tied a little ribbon and tulle around it, stuck in a party sign (and a cute little poodle) and voila! I can only imagine how much I would have paid a professional to design that bucket for me.  Certainly more than the $5 it cost me =)

Home made flower arrangement to welcome the guests

Home made hair flower party favors

Here is the breakdown of the cost of my party.  (My mom purchased the adorable little macarons from Trader Joe’s as well as some of the candy):

• Printables/printing – $15
• Paper goods – $12
• French cupcake tags (used as party décor) – $4
• Flowers (from Dollar Tree – five bunches) – $5
• Candy – $6
• Poodles (party favors – purchased from Oriental Trading) – $15
• Craft supplies – $9 (I already had many supplies on hand, such as ribbon, glue, tulle, rhinestones, etc.)
• Baking supplies – $8 (had some on hand, only needed to purchase candy melts and some extra canned icing)

Total spent:  $74

Just amazing, Heather! Thank for sharing all your smart tips. It shows that with a little ingenuity, you can add lots of special touches without spending a fortune.

If you haven’t already, check out the rest of Heather’s chic party.

Long story short… My daughter loves piano, so my husband found a used keyboard on Craigslist. We picked it up in Manhattan Beach (about 40 minutes from our house) and there’s a HomeGoods nearby. My husband, being the kind, generous, and patient man that he is, hung out with my four-year-old, while I got to shop.

It turns out that HomeGoods is owned by the same people as TJ Maxx, where I went a few weeks ago, so it was no surprise that they had many of the same items, but much much more. The store is heaven if you love parties, entertaining, and decorating. I felt infinitely creative just walking through the door.

Here are some of my favorite finds…

Perfect for a baby shower or tea party $12.99.

Mod cake plate $12.99.

Great for serving water on a long table or putting flowers in. $5.99 each.

Each tea pot was $9.99. You could dress these up for an Alice in Wonderland tea party.

I've always wanted one of these to add lemon and basil to my water. $16.99.

You can't tell from this photo but these are huge. $7.99 - $14.99

I'm always looking for a new cake stand $14.99

One of my white essentials. $12.99

Silver is more expensive, but I thought just one. $19.99

Beehive drink dispenser $19.99

So many good finds at HomegGoods. If only there was one closer to our house… Actually, maybe it’s a good thing there’s not.

What are your favorite finds at HomeGoods?

Since we’re all trying to save money throwing parties these days, I’m always looking for new ideas. 

Mariah L threw this incredible Sock Money Baby Shower and I can’t believe she did it for $100!  I had to know more (and make sure she wasn’t lying ). So here’s what she had to say about her party…

I was born a natural social butterfly and have always loved to plan and host parties. From holidays to birthday parties, I can find any excuse to throw a fabulous party! Having a fabulous party doesn’t mean you have to spend BIG. I believe the little details are what set ordinary events apart from extraordinary events, even in everyday life!

My sister was hosting a baby shower for a good friend and asked me to help her with the shower. We had a small budget; again I throw lots of parties, so I have to keep things reasonable. She told me the mom-to-be was decorating the nursery in Sock Monkeys and I knew immediately this would be a great theme for the shower.

Here are 5 of my tips for throwing a fabulous party on a budget and how I did it:

TIP 1

“Shop” your house or borrow items. When planning the party look around your house and find inspiration and decorations from items you already have.

• I decorated my twin’s nursery with Sock Monkeys so I knew I had lots of items at my disposal to decorate. The look and feel I decided on for the party was inspired by my twin’s room. I used vintage toys and sock monkey’s from their room to decorate with.

Vintage toys

• I also borrowed a tricycle and red wagon from a friend to complete the look.
• I had fabric scraps leftover from my twin’s bedding so I used those to create the banner and some of the table runners.

Toys borrowed and already owned

TIP 2

Keep it simple. You don’t have to buy extravagant decorations or have a huge spread of food to throw a great party. For this party the decorations were simple, but the impact of a few key items created the perfect atmosphere for the party.

• •I did splurge on 2 items and those were the sock monkey cookies and cake pops, however I only ordered enough to add that extra little detail. I filled in the rest of the sweets with cake pops I made and store bought cupcakes.

Sock monkey cookies - a splurge

Sock monkey cake pops - another splurge

•  I kept the food very simple by making mini portions, putting the fruit on the skewers and dressing up pasta from a box mix. I was able to stretch my budget farther a little farther by keeping the food simple.

Pasta from a box and fruit on skewers

TIP 3 

Dress up store bought items. You can make simple and cheap store bought items look like a million bucks if you take the time to dress them up.

•   I bought red & white polka dot cupcake liners that I found at Hobby Lobby for only $1, I added those and custom cupcake toppers to store bought cupcakes to create a cute and custom focal point on the table.

Store bought cupcakes dressed up with cupcake liners

TIP 4 

Reuse & Repurpose. Stop before you throw it away can you use it again? Like I mentioned before I have lots of parties so I have an arsenal of supplies on hand that I can reuse over and over again.

• I made tissue paper pom poms (which are inexpensive to start with) for my daughter’s Strawberry Shortcake birthday and saved them to reuse at future parties. Those pom poms can be a pain to make and I knew I could at least reuse them for Christmas so I stored them in the attic. They add pops of color throughout the house and provided a backdrop for the sign-in table.

Reused tissue paper pom poms

• The cute banner was made using my Cricut, scraps of fabric, polka dot wrapping paper ($1 at Target Dollar Spot) and some of my nephew’s onesies.

Made with a Cricut and onesies

• One of my favorite details was the individual crudités. I used candle votives I had to make individual crudités and served them on a tray I keep in my bathroom for display.

Crudite served in candle votives

TIP 5

Make an investment. Invest in items you can use over and over again.

•   I was super lucky to find the white square plates and serving tray on clearance at Walmart a while back (only $1 each!) and it’s been one of my best investments! I simply add a piece of scrapbook paper that coordinates with the party.
• •While I’m a DIY girl who loves to create things, I can’t ever make the invitations look as good as the ones you can buy! I usually invest in custom printables and have been lucky to work with some amazing vendors. I try to spend $20 or less, but they really help make things look extra special.

Party Expense Break Down

Here is how I spent my budget on the Sock Monkey Baby Shower. I had lots of things already on hand and my sister was able to do all of the printing for free.

Food – $30
Cupcakes – $12
Custom Cookies & Cake Pops – $38
Paper goods – $6 (bought at Dollar Store)
Fabric – $2 (I only bought 1 yard of the Polka Dot fabric and used a coupon, the other fabric I already
had)
Printables – $20
Total – $108

*My sister spent an additional $40 on the party favors, but this was not part of my budget. She also had several left over she plans to give as teacher gifts when school starts.

Okay, so you weren’t lying. Thank you, Mariah, for these great tips, and for sharing your party with us.

Check out Mariah’s other fabulous parties on our site. You will be impressed with what she can do!