How To Throw A Birthday Party On A Budget

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Birthdays are important milestones and marking them is very important to some. There are different ways you can mark your birthday, and you don’t always need to spend money or invite people over to do so. However, this is Nigeria and we look for any reason at all to party. So let’s say you want to celebrate your birthday with friends and family and you don’t have a lot of money to spend, then you’re in the right place because this post will show you how to have your birthday party on a budget.

1. Choose Your Venue

This is a big part of cutting down costs. Some people would rather rent a hall for their parties. There are several advantages to this and one of the biggest advantages is that you don’t need to clean up after all the guests are done; your home will remain untouched. But the downside is the cost. How much do halls cost where you live? In the major cities of Nigeria like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, the costs run into thousands and sometimes, hundreds of thousands… Since we’re talking ‘budget’ here, we know that renting a hall is out. The best venue to host a birthday party when you’re on a budget is a home. This could be yours, or that of a close friend or family member. As long as there’s lots of space. If you have space in your compound then that’s just perfect and you won’t need to have everyone inside your house all at once; you can set up outside.

So, cost for venue = N 0

2. Decorations

It’s a party and a few decorations would be nice and if it were a child’s party, they would be mandatory. BUT this is a 40th birthday celebration we’re talking about so if you decide to skip the decorations, that would be okay. Note: If you are the one throwing the party but you’re not the celebrant, (if you’re the child or friend), then you could get a sign maker to make you a nice banner saying something like: Mummy is 40! Be warned however, that when women get to a certain age, they prefer that it not be broadcast to the entire world.

3. Sort out your Menu

This is the most important part of the party. Without food, there is no party. There are two ways you can go about this: prepare real food or stick to small chops.

 

At Naija Housewives, we prefer the small chops option, but let’s be realistic here. People will come to your party, eat till their tummy’s are bursting and still say that you didn’t give them any food because there was no rice and chicken. So here’s what you can do, mix and match. Here’s a sample Menu:

 

FOOD

• Jollof Rice
• Coleslaw
• Fried chicken
• Small chops (Yam balls and Kebabs)

 

DRINKS

• Soft drinks
• Malt
• Punch (Use a zobo base)

Cut down on the malt and if you’re on a really tight budget, take it out completely. Alcohol is expensive so if you can do without it, all the better. Zobo is not expensive, so make a LOT of it and make it sweet. A day or two before the party make lots of ice block (or order from those who make it) and use it to make your punch chilled. Encourage people to drink as much of it as possible.

4. Don’t forget the Music!

Your party just won’t be complete without music, but unless you have a DJ in your family, hiring one will move your budget to an uncomfortable level. If you have a nice sound system and speakers, then use your music collection. If you don’t have an extensive collection, you can ask around among your friends.

5. Sitting Arrangements

Okay, you will need to spend some money here to rent chairs. But you don’t need to rent too many since all your guests won’t be in your house all at the same time. So if you’re expecting about 50 people, you can get away with renting 20 chairs and if there are more than 20 people at any given time, some of them will stand. Make the party as casual as possible so that people will feel comfortable enough to stand in small groups and chat.

 

You can put up a good party without breaking your bank account or going into debt in the process you just need to be creative about the solutions as you encounter each problem.   This is ONE way to celebrate your party. If you’re not in for all the stress of hosting the party, check out this post on using a restaurant. There are several other ways you can celebrate your birthday and if you know of any way you can do this on a modest budget, please share with us and we will post it here and give you full credit.