It’s been over a month now since Valentine’s Day actually happened so I figured it was as good a time as any to get a post up about how I did this budget-friendly party. The story goes, my husband goes out of town on a work trip, so I decide to have some of my favorites mamas over with their babes to exchange valentines, and then I black out and throw a full-blown party. Luckily, this is not the first time that this has happened. Why is that lucky? Well, you see since it’s happened before I know all the tricks to pulling this off in a budget-friendly way, you know the kind that won’t make my husband call me from his work cruise (it’s a thing) to ask if I’ve lost my mind. I’ll give you two words as a hint before I get into the nitty-gritty, Dollar Tree.
3 Tips for a Budget-Friendly Kids Holiday Party
- Shop CHEAP for decorations and details. Think Dollar Tree, the $1, $3, $5 section at Target, places with coupons like Michales. Scroll to the bottom of the post to read what from this party came from which store
- Ask guests to bring food to share. I guarantee nobody minds pitching in and they might even enjoy cutting out heart-shaped PB&Js. Remember these tips are for a kids holiday party, not birthday. Don’t ask people to bring food to your kids birthday because that’s just weird.
- Cater to your audience. I knew that I was throwing a party for kids 3 and under so I didn’t put too much pressure on myself. Coloring, eating, wreaking havoc on my living room, and passing out valentines. No party that has a tight agenda is successful, you don’t want yourself or your guest to feel pressured. Plus, this means you end up saving money because you’re not buying a ton of extra games or supplies for activities. Trust me.
*all photos by the lovely Brooklyn Wagner
I’m not kidding when I say that 85% of the things I used for the party were from the Dollar Tree. The rest I got on mega sale or with coupons, because duh. Here’s the breakdown of what you’re looking at.
Dollar Tree
- mini paint canvas & easel set
- “vase filler”
- glitter heart confetti
- sparkle heart centerpieces
- heart & xo cut out tissue paper
- ice cube trays
- crayons
- Valentine’s Day stickers
- Valentine’s Day stamps
- brown bags to decorate for valentines
- heart glasses
- heart necklaces
- paper plates
- streamers for the photo backdrop
Target
- heart tablecloth at the food table
- red tablecloth for kids table (never buy dollar tree tablecloths, you’ll regret it)
Michaels (always google for a coupon)
- heart table runner for kids table (actually a banner)
- pom pom banner for photo backdrop
- circle banner for photo backdrop
Hey girl, go ahead and save me to your favorite Pinterest board:
