10 Tips to keep the party under control & under budget

As you all know by now we hosted Joey's 8th birthday party at the house this weekend. It might seem like a stressful task but with a few key strategies (a few I learned the hard way), you'll have a great party with minimal stress and little out of pocket expense!

1. Set a party theme & color scheme! It helps with the planning, decorating, and execution of the party! Consider solid colored table cloths, plates, streamers, and plastic cutlery. Splurge with themed napkins or a few themed balloons. The setting will remain festive but will leave your bank account unscarred.
2. Set a guest limit. Your home is only so big and you don't want too many kids with no room left for activities or games. Talk it over with your child and agree on a number you both can handle. Many times you can have a better party with fewer kids!
3. Consider making your own invitations. There's plenty of online resources that offer free printable invitations. Another option is having your child color a picture of the party theme, scan the image to your computer and use software to scale it down and create your own unique invitation.
4. Send out your invitations approximately 2 weeks in advance. If you send out invitations earlier than this, consider sending a reminder note one week prior to the party date. As for RSVP's, realize you may have a few more guests show up than planned. Include siblings if they attend, no one has fun sitting on sidelines watching everyone else having a great time.
5. Plan plenty of activities. Have a few extra in reserve in case you go through them faster than expected. Also plan activities that can be replayed (games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Hot Potato and Musical Chairs are great) Include some of your planned activities in your invitation.
6. Organize & coordinate your activities into zones. If you're confined to an indoors only party then it's imperative you coordinate your games based on space required for the game and any messes the game may create (popped balloons, piñata trash, etc) so you can keep the party under control with minimal effort. Do arts and crafts early on so the table can be cleared for the cake and ice cream later and the crafts will be dry by the time the party's over. 
7. Reduce the amount of food and snacks offered at the party. Set the party for mid afternoon to avoid feeling obligated to serve "meals" along with the cake and ice cream. Classic cake, ice cream, and drinks will satisfy your guests, reduce your prep work for the party while keeping the costs within reason. Use online sources to turn your homemade birthday cake  into something a professional baker would admire (cake mixes can regularly be bought for $1.00 ore less on sale along with creative frosting techniques can create a envious cake). Be sure to communicate your menu in the invitation so parents will know if they should feed their kids before the party.
8. Do as much as possible before the day of the party! Deep house cleaning, laundry, baking the cake, creating games, etc need to be done anywhere from one to several days before the party. Allow for light cleaning tasks and minimal party set up on the party day will ensure your sanity stays in check!
9. Keep your party area cleared of debris while while the kids eat cake. This helps tremendously for the party aftermath.
10. Finally, keep your camera with you at all times. If your camera has a video recording option be sure to utilize this function to avoid the need for multiple gadgets during the party. Switching between video and picture mode is much easier than switching from one camera to the video camera.

These things helped me tremendously. Some I had to learn the hard way but hopefully you won't have too. I hope this helps with your next party!