A Birthday Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank

Unless of course…you want it to.

There are countless new celebration themes that come out each year. It makes sense, because who doesn’t want to be original? But there are unlimited ways to be original. Check out a few below.

Venue

Your venue is one of the first things you should choose when celebrating. Dallas and the surrounding areas have an option for every budget. This is typically the first big expense in planning an event. Do you want a blank canvas or a place that’s fully decorated? This of course depends on the type of person the host is. No matter the choice you must consider your audience. If mobility is a factor, a multi-level venue could be a hindrance. Is parking easily accessible? Is the host expected to clean after the event? These are the type of questions you may need to consider and you have plenty of options, but don’t forget someone’s living room, backyard or a park can cost close to zero.

Food

Vegetarian, Chicken or Surf and Turf. A caterer an take care of all of your culinary delight. And does DFW have a plethora of options. From favorite local cuisines to extravagant foreign ones, but what tone are you trying to display. Is the food choice important to the event (Cuisine’s around the world theme) or is it simply a requirement, because people have to eat? Is the event during an expensive meal time, such as dinner? Or is it between major meal times (maybe around 3 pm) where you can offer small bites. Does the guest of honor have a favorite dish that they want shared with the audience? Food is another place that gives you major options, can be a major expense, but can also find major savings. All big box stores have catering trays that are a fraction of the cost of your favorite local restaurant. And of course homemade rotel, cut up fruit and a potluck barbecue can go a long way.

Decorations

In the age of what’s instagrammable, the pressure to have a grandiose photo opp can be enticing. Who doesn’t want their face plastered along the walkway adorned with 2,000 balloons? Well, there are plenty of people who don’t want that, but either way, it definitely makes a statement. Grab a box of balloons, pull up a link on youtube and anyone can learn to create a balloon garland. Of course it may not look as great as the professionals, but can still be a lovely display. A backdrop can be a banner nailed to the wall or simply the tree out front. You can even forego traditional decorations and opt to have everyone dress in the same color or theme. After all, decorations are simply the look and feel of the party. This can be achieved in more ways that spending money on every single detail.

Entertainment

Not everyone opts to have entertainment at their celebration, so we’ll start by saying that’s the cheapest way to go. Just being around friends and family can be entertaining enough, but if you want to add something that will keep people busy and get them talking try traditional entertainment like a band and/or DJ. Try non traditional entertainment like dancers, magicians, clowns, characters to fit your theme. Or just keep it simple with a dominoes, card table. Get people involved with group games such as tug of war or minute to win it games. Your true friends and family don’t need much more than great company to be entertained.

That’s it, tell us how you keep the costs down at your favorite events. We may add those ideas to this post.