Our little man’s FOURTH birthday is coming up! So I’ve been on the hunt for a cheap place to have his birthday party (if we have one at all). Even though we are on a journey paying off six figures of student loan debt, I try to do my best to live an abundant life, birthday parties and all, but on a budget. Kids’ birthday parties are no exception. Just because we are paying off debt doesn’t mean (and in my opinion, shouldn’t mean) that we don’t celebrate life moments, like our little guy’s birth– happens to be one of my favorite days in history. So, here are some cheap places to for kids’ birthday parties.

CHEAP PLACES FOR KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTIES

FIRE STATION. 

Did you know that some fire stations allow kids to have birthday parties there, usually for free? We attended a friend’s birthday party at a fire station and they got to deck out the break room and tour the fire station and firetrucks. The kids were all on cloud 9. My little man cub happens to be obsessed with firetrucks and firefighters so this was a huge hit– and completely free! All the parents covered was cake, plates, and cutlery.

A PARK. 

One of my favorite cheap places for kids birthday parties is at a park. It’s usually free (in some instances you’ll have to reserve tables for a small fee). Clean up is easy because you are already outside. Children can run amok and play to their hearts’ content. The only downside, obviously, is that it’s definitely only weather permitting.

HOME.

One of the all time best cheap places for kids birthday parties is from the comfort of your very own home. While themed birthday parties seen on Pinterest are SO cute– many of the things I see are over the top and seem to be about the parents and less about the kids anyway. Host a simple party at home, with a cake and ice cream and presents and let your kids play with their friends in a very simple way. Your kids will have fun. You won’t be stressed. And you won’t be strapped for cash financially. You could call it a 90’s themed birthday party, that’s how we did it back in the day. 🙂

A TRAIN OR TROLLEY is a cheap place for kids birthday parties. 

When our family went to Dallas a while ago, I saw a group of kids with a dad having a party right on the trolley! The trolley was completely free to ride, and the kids were having a blast chatting it up and watching out of their windows. I thought that dad was a total genius because our little guy (and I’m fairly confident all children) love riding things like trains and trolleys! You might not have a free one near you, but it only costs a few bucks per person to go for a ride. You could bring balloons and presents to make it feel extra festive.

A POOL. 

Looking for cheap places for kids birthday parties? Look no further than a local/community/neighborhood/neighbor’s pool. Every kid loves a pool party and the best part is that it can be free, or really cheap to host a pool party. Assuming you do not have a pool, start by asking friends or family who own a pool if you can host a small birthday party at their place. The next best bet is to pay a few dollars per child to go to a neighborhood or community pool and let the kids have a blast. I was a summer baby and pool parties were my very favorite thing ever. So simple but oh so fun.

A NON-PARTY = cheap place for kids birthday parties

You could also consider celebrating your kid(s) birthday in other creative ways besides having a birthday party. Last year, I gave M the option of having a birthday party or an adventure day. He chose adventure day! We spent the entire day doing things he wanted to do– We went to 3 different parks, swam at our indoor pool (free with our gym membership), ate at a restaurant (his meal was free because it was his birthday — check our my list of birthday freebies here — went to the aquarium (with a coupon, obviously, and M was still free). It was an EPIC day that he still talks about almost one year later! And I’m fairly confident we spent much less by not having a big party. Also my favorite part was that it was literally zero stress and we didn’t have to clean up after. #yes

CAR KARAOKE = cheap place for kids birthday parties

 

When I was in elementary school, one of my friends had a karaoke themed birthday– her mom brought a portable karaoke machine and she drove around in her Suburban picking up all of the kids for the birthday party and we all took turns doing karaoke, driving around, and ultimately going to Sonic for dinner. It was SO memorable and so fun! You could skip the drive thru and bring your own snacks or even a birthday cake!ve a completely over the top ridiculous expensive birthday party to celebrate your child’s big day. There are plenty of cheap places for kids’ birthday parties– all it takes is a little creativity.

What is the funnest and or cheapest birthday party you’ve been to or hosted? Drop a comment below! 

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