Kids’ party ideas that don’t break the piggy bank

Eleanor Douglas-Meyers is a crafty mom from Uitenhage who writes about DIY, parenting, natural hair care, fashion, food and fun on her blog .

The cost of kids parties adds up fast. Well, technically everything adds up fast these days, the economy better make a quick turnaround or people will need to take out loans for milk and bread. I don’t want to have to put a down payment on eggs, people! Avocado prices are bad enough ...

But I digress, it’s my son’s birthday next week and like with most things in my life, I like to look at ways to make things easier and cheaper while sticking to a theme.

My soon-to-be four-year-old suggested that I only give out three party packs and he will just remind the other kids that he loves them too.

In lieu of that, I chatted to kiddies party planner Tanya Bekker of Monkey Magic Functions who gave me a few ideas.

• Candy necklaces come in bulk packs and can add a fancy effect to a princess-themed party without breaking the bank;
• Bulk jelly sweets are a cheaper option and you can decant it into smaller, themed packages;
• Mini biscuits, such as mini cheddars and mini Marie biscuits, are always a winner and can be bought in packs of six;
• Party bags of chocolate like smarties or chomps are a cute addition and the serving sizes are not too big;
• Lollipops are also not very expensive and can be bought in a colour that matches the theme.

Dealing with pre-diabetes myself, I try to stay away from too much refined sugar and will substitute some of the sweets with something healthier (not all of the sweets, it’s a party after all).

Some of my healthier options are:

• Small boxes/packs of raisins;
• Apples as they are healthy, tasty and rather durable (durability is good with preschoolers);
• Lightly salted pretzels;
• Homemade cookies or mini muffins;
• Trade the juice for milk or water;
• Fruit rolls.