Birthdays only come once a year, so making them special is super important! However, budgets and schedules and all kinds of other things come into play. Life doesn’t stop because a birthday comes up, so how do you balance making your child’s birthday special without spending a ton of cash? Have no fear – making your child’s birthday amazing without breaking the bank is what this article is all about!
Decorate!
Use lip stick to write on the bathroom mirror. You could use a dry erase marker, too. It would probably be easier to clean off. 😉 But, no matter what you use to write, make it special! Add a few balloons and streamers and make it look like party time!
Wake them up
…by singing “Happy Birthday” to them! This is the best way ever to wake up on your birthday!
Pretend you forgot
If you don’t do the wake-up song, pretend you don’t realize it’s their birthday. Then, have a special breakfast ready for them when they walk into the kitchen, with everyone in the house ready to jump out and yell “Happy birthday!!”.
Decorate your car
Use a window marker to write a message getting people to “HONK” for the birthday boy or girl!! “Honk! It’s my birthday!” “Honk for the birthday girl!”
Send a love note
If it’s a school day, make sure you send a note in their lunch! You can even go to school and spend lunch with them. Bring a cupcake and make it extra special.
Copy cat!
If it’s not in the budget to go to their favorite restaurant, bring their favorite restaurant home to them! Yep, that’s right – copy cat recipes are all over the web, so why not use them? Look up their favorite dishes and recreate them at home for their special birthday dinner. Who knows, yours might end up being their favorite!
Get creative with their birthday cake!
You don’t have to order a cake from a bakery for it to be amazing. Use an old favorite for the recipe (like red velvet!), then let them help decorate it with sprinkles, frosting, and their favorite candy!
DIY it up!
Want to have a birthday party, but don’t have a lot of money? Scour Pinterest for birthdays on a budget. Before long, you’ll be DIYing and crafting your way to a birthday party that your child will never forget!
What’s your secret for making your child’s birthday special without spending too much?

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I love the honk its my birthday idea 🙂
I know! That’s one of my favorite! Genius, right? 🙂
Great tips! For my son’s 18th birthday, I woke him up by blasting Alice Cooper’s “I’m Eighteen”. It was classic!
Cher @ Designs by Studio C recently posted…Build a Country Cabinet
I love all of these ideas, especially the love note one!
Jessica recently posted…Empathy v. Sympathy
Thanks for the wonderful tips!.
We have just finished my daughter’s birthday celebration on 19th. We shall use this tips for next time…