#selbsseries | 3 ways to save on your kid's birthday party


I recently celebrated Iman's 2nd birthday. I never had any intentions to throw a birthday party for her but while planning I got so distracted with pinterest inspiration. What was supposed to be just cake cutting became an almost legit party with 30 guests who came over.

It was so easy for me to go to a party shop and grab all the things I needed but when I did the math, I was going to spend hundreds of dollars or maybe close to  thousand. Is that worth it? She's only 2 and I doubt she will remember anything. 

I decided to DIY as much as I could, to save money and also let Iman be part of the process. 

1) DIY plates and cups

The theme I had chosen for Iman's bday party was Elmo. I saw many elmo/sesame street party sets online that costed a bomb. Yes they look good but if i had to buy 50 paper plates of ready elmo design, I would have burst my tight budget. If I recall correctly it was $1.50 per piece compared to 50 cents per piece for red plates. So this was what I did. Idea from pinterest - cut out circles and made eyes and nose for elmo. Same goes for the cups. 

elmo

2) Make your own goodie bag and deco!

When I was hunting for the goodie bag itself, it was tough because many shops didn't have Elmo themed. By the time I was at this, getting online from overseas was also too late due to shipping. Again, I scrolled on pinterest and got some ideas. I searched for elmo pictures online, printed them out in front of Iman and pasted them on the bag. She was super excited that she kept carrying the bags around. 

elmo

As for the cake, I knew bakers would charge a premium a 3D elmo one. I also tried Prima Deli but apparently its a copyright issue that we cant have elmo printed on the cake. Thank god I had photoshop skills to quickly whip out a small banner to just stick it on the cake. Again, I did it in front of Iman so she could see the whole process. 

elmo

I had lots of foam boards and clips so I also printed more Elmo and cookie monster for the table deco. Subtle but I thought they turned out cute!

elmo

As for the other deco things like balloons, elmo helium balloon and metallic frills all about $40 from Party Wholesale. And the plastic table cloth was only $2 which i found from Bugis street - one of those cheap shops. It was the last lucky piece.

elmo

elmo

3) Reuse things

Because my family is huge, we had a separate one with my in laws which we celebrated at their JB home. It happened the week after so I brought all the deco and paper plates, cups over! I didnt spend much at all except for cake and some light bites.  So the next time you need to make multiple rounds for your kid's bday, just reuse things. Our little ones don't mind, all they want it to blow the candles!

elmo

elmo

elmo

 Some other things that added to the theme! Elmo outfit that I got from Shopee for $7! Thank god it came on time!

elmo

DIY Elmo face made of fruits! Healthy and looks so good!

elmo

 

And of course I can always count on my family to make a party happen. Whats a party without people and kids! 

elmo

elmo

It was really busy during the party, making sure there were enough food and kids were happy. Looking back, Im glad I did it, coz when I saw this photo - everything was worth it. Dear Iman, I hope you'll always be smiling inside and out, no matter how tough times will be. Remember the simple things and that you don't always have to buy expensive things to make you happy. Its the process that matters!

Love, 

Selb

elmo

 


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