For most parents, the day their child arrives is one of, if not the most memorable day of their lives. This date will forever be etched into their lives and never forgotten. Every year on this day, different cultures have certain traditions to celebrate another year of life. For a lot of people, they celebrate every year as they go through adulthood too, but financially, birthdays can be especially hard on parents’ wallets. Many people prepare for the day by purchasing gifts, organising a party or day out, and planning a cake and decorations. If you have more than one child, the costs can add up quickly. On the other side of the coin, you feel the desire to give your child a great day – their face when they see the wrapped presents and decorations does give you joy. It’s not an expense that most parents would want to cut completely.
So, what can be done? Is it possible to do birthdays on a budget? It’s definitely possible – read on for my top tips to celebrate another year of life without breaking the budget. When money is tight, you have to think outside the box. These tips can be applied to any birthday celebrations, although I’ve aimed it directly at children.
1. Have a present rule
Have a present ‘rule’ for example the rule of 3 or rule of 5. Buying presents can get out of control and sometimes results in a sea of wrapping paper flooding your living room, your kids’ eyes flickering with greed as they throw aside one present to tear open the wrap on another. Is this a pride of lions on a hunt or your precious child enjoying the gifts you worked long and hard to buy and wrap? Eliminate this by employing a gift-giving ‘rule’. The rule of 3 might entail 1 present for playing, 1 to wear and 1 to educate. If you want your child to open more than 3, a rule of 5 might work: 1 to read, 1 to play with, 1 to wear, 1 to eat, 1 to educate. If these rules are understood by everyone, there won’t be any complaining on the day or long lists of present wishes in the build-up. It also helps to teach your child restraint as they reach an age to understand. If they can only choose one toy to play with, this requires thought and restraint, a very important life skill.
2. Reduce, reuse, recycle
Consider the impact on the environment of buying and wrapping the presents you gift, as well as decorations, party bags etc. Here are a few ways you can reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to your child’s birthday:
- Save any toys or clothes that get donated to you through the year, especially useful for expats. As so many people come and go, people often give me clothes, toys and equipment through the year and instead of giving them to my child straightaway, I hide them away and gift them on birthdays. It might not be new, but it’s new to them, and just as exciting to unwrap.
- Reuse decorations and gift wrap. Every year, the same banners are stuck on the walls in our house. I don’t need a special theme every single year, especially when they are young. If you buy general decorations and maybe if your child has a favourite TV show or character, just buy one item in that branding might suffice. Reusable wrapping paper is a fantastic idea and I also use Carrefour’s brown paper bags to wrap presents and decorate with some ribbon or a bow.
- You could consider cutting out cards – what is the likelihood that someone will keep it? It will be either thrown in the bin or stuffed in a drawer. Think about why you are giving the card – is it truly what you want or are you just robotically following a tradition? If you really value cards, then carry on, as long as it is a conscious decision that brings you and the receiver joy and happiness.
- Think about alternative gifts – could you gift an experience or trip or membership to your child rather than another ‘thing’. They might end up valuing it more. For example, if your child enjoys horse-riding, you could gift them 10 riding lessons to take through the year.
- Could you make the cake yourself? Think about the size – yes, a three tier professionally-decorated cake looks great for a photo, but do you need it? Your child could still blow out candles on a smaller, home-baked or supermarket-bought cake?
3. The most expensive option may not always be the best option.
This is especially true when your children are young. For example, for my daughter’s third birthday, I wanted to do a family day out that involved some sort of swimming and waterpark. I considered whether to make the trip to Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi, which would have been 3-4 hours of travelling in the car, expensive ticket entry and most likely a packed venue.
Instead, we made the short drive to the Mercure hotel on Jabel Hafeet, which has 3 waterslides and a play area as well as the main swimming pool. The cost of entry for 4 of us was the price of one ticket into Yas Waterworld, and we enjoyed a more relaxed day with less crowds and less travelling. We all thoroughly enjoyed the day, and it didn’t break the bank or the budget.
It might not always work out like this but think carefully about the reason you might be choosing the most expensive or luxurious option. The same might be true of party venues – scope out several before deciding – just because something costs more, it might not be intrinsically better. Are you paying for a brand or is it genuinely good quality?
4. Sell before you buy.
I always declutter before a birthday. Plan in advance and declutter before you even begin planning presents so that you don’t end up purchasing something that you already have stuffed in the back of a cupboard. The act of decluttering can remind you of just how much stuff you already have to maintain, clean, organise and store, and could get you to think twice before swiping your credit card on Amazon for all the latest gifts and gadgets.
It creates space for the new things, particularly if you’re having a party where guests will more than likely bring gifts. It gives you ideas about what your children actually need. For example, your child may have outgrown their puzzles or the play doh might be drying up. If so, replacing these items might be useful gift ideas.
If you’re really frugal, you could try a zero-based gift budget. During my no spend year, I decluttered before my kids’ birthdays. The money I made selling items, I used to buy my child’s gifts. It was great for my minimalism journey, the environment and my wallet. And my children were none the wiser.
5. Be grateful and aligned with your family’s goals.
Children’s birthdays are rife with the ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality. As a parent, you love your child and want to celebrate their birthday; you want to see their face light up at the exciting gift or party and wonder at the amazing cake you present them, their eyes twinkling as they blow out the candles. I am not here to tell you not to do any of that. Just strike a balance between your long-term goals and priorities and a birthday celebration which you could be paying off for the next 2 months but is forgotten within a week. I celebrate my children’s birthdays, but I create a budget and stick to it and try to think outside the box – here’s how:
Create a budget and plan out the birthday at least a couple of months in advance. That gives you time to save, allocate the money, declutter and shop around for the best prices. Items for your budget might include cake, presents, decorations and day out or party. Decide on an overall budget for the whole occasion, then assign money to each category, depending on its importance. For example, if the party or activity is most important to your family, allocate the most money to it, and continue like that until you reach the least important item. It might look something like this:
Birthday Fund: 1500 aed
- Day out: 600 aed
- Party: 400 aed
- Gifts: 200 aed
- Cake: 150 aed
- Decorations: 80 aed
- Contingencies: 70 aed
Keep some money in case you go over budget on one of your categories – it’s always better to overestimate than underestimate the costs. Ideally, for the long-term, once you have the total amount you spend on birthdays for all of your children, divide by 12 and save as a sinking fund each month. If you feel the sinking feeling that because you’re setting a budget for your little angel, it somehow negates your love for them, ground yourself in gratitude.
Be grateful for what you do provide – a consistent, safe and happy family home all year round. Money you don’t spend on one-time-use plastic plates and decorations now can be invested and spent on helping them with university fees or a deposit for their first home or buying a car. Which do you truly think they will value more? Only you can decide that, but I know for me, a balanced budget between now and the future is the most logical and loving decision.
