The 20s decade of this century looks nothing like its Roaring ancestor from the 20th century. We don’t have lavish parties and don’t enjoy an economic “period of plenitude.” Instead, we have climate change, a global pandemic, and the possible collapse of the global market. Not the best time to be alive.
Despite this more than gloomy reality, we all still need parties and celebrations in our lives. Maybe even because of it, we need more fun and sunny days. That’s why this year, we offer you to forget about all the bad things happening, throw an awesome birthday party for you (or for someone you love), and enjoy your life just because you can. And all that without breaking the bank (and, of course, if you are allowed to have parties right now).
We gathered here simple birthday party ideas for an epic celebration with a modest budget. Let’s take a look at them!
Think twice about the guest list
Do you really need fifty people at your celebration? Maybe use Zoom and talk face to face to some of them online, but for your house party, consider inviting only the closest group.
This way you can have a fantastic day with food, cake, and entertainment of your choice just with your immediate family and closest friends. Trust us: it will be much more special.
Split the gift
Do you really care about gifts, or would you rather spend an amazing night with your favorite people? If you choose experiences over material stuff, you can suggest to your friends to pay for a party, instead of giving you books or makeup.
This way, you will save money and get something more than just stuff: unforgettable memories with your loved ones.
Celebrate with a friend
Do you have a friend whose birthday is close to yours? Maybe it will be in the same month, or only a couple of weeks apart. Here’s an idea: why don’t you have a birthday party together and split the costs?
You can choose the date between your birthdays, or right after them and tell all your friends to come only once. It’s one for two, and you share your special day with a friend: what’s not to like?
Make a cake and a dessert bar
Birthday cake can cost you a lot of money, especially if you prefer tasty and decadent pastry. But, when you pay for a quality dessert, you have to spend a lot. So, why don’t you make a birthday cake yourself?
There are tons of easy and quick recipes for cakes, desserts, muffins, and cupcakes online, and you definitely can find one that fits your skills. It is a cheaper and often more delicious way to have a dessert for your birthday party.
Do not buy invitations
Although birthday invitations can be cheap, there’s no need to spend your hard-earned money on them when you can find alternatives.
You can DIY them, if you have the time, or use the might of the internet and create invitation emails for the guests. They will be as pretty as real ones, but completely free, so you will be able to spend this money on something better for a party. Like food.
Be creative with food
Speaking of food. You can choose different options to save on food for a party. The first one is to make big meals by yourself from scratch and don’t buy anything. Opt for mac’n’cheese, salads, hotdogs, and chicken wings: they are cheap, and you can make many delicious variants of them for every guest.
Your second choice can be to serve only appetizers and finger food. You can chop various vegetables, make delicious meatballs and tiny sandwiches.
If you really want to go to a restaurant, choose places with free birthday meals or massive birthday discounts. It will not be as cheap as home-cooked meals, but you still will save a lot.
DIY the party decor
If you think about the decorations, go to a dollar store, use what you already have, or create DIY birthday decorations. Hail to the dollar store!
You don’t have to have extravagant decorations or fresh flowers everywhere: birthday balloons, party poppers, fun plates, and cups will be more than enough.
But it will be unnecessary if you have a virtual party, we’re gonna be talking about next.
Let’s celebrate online
The most affordable party (and maybe the most convenient one) is an online celebration. Today you can easily login into Skype, Zoom, or Houseparty and drink, eat, and communicate with all your friends and family.
Just make an appointment in one of these programs and start a fun conference. You can send your guests cookies beforehand so that you can “share a meal” of some sort during the meeting.
Take a chance and use a screen recorder to save these important memories for life. It will be a blast.
Have a picnic or a tea party
We love picnic parties because you can spend time outside, have a BBQ, and appreciate the beauty of nature. You will need very few party supplies to have this kind of celebration, and it always creates great memories.
 If you look for something a little bit fancier than BBQ, you can organize a tea party with sandwiches and a tiny pastry. It will be really Victorian and elegant.
Discount scavenger hunt
Many companies offer free birthday stuff to their clients, and you must use this offer!
You can look through local companies’ websites or search on Groupon to find discounts for birthdays. It can be your chance to throw the craziest party of your life for half off!
Conclusion
Birthdays are important, so don’t take them for granted and miss them. If you have money troubles, you can be creative and make a grand celebration even on a budget.
It is not about the price of your party. It is about you and your family and friends bonding. So use our advice, have a great party and happy birthday!