Here are some ideas that are working for us:
- Tell people in the invitation to please bring a wrapped book, new or used in good condition, in lieu of a gift. You wrap a few extra because some people always forget the book, and then all the kids get to take a different one home. No junky favors, no overgifting, still fun for kids.
- Host the party at your home. Even though the Gym parties and petting zoo parties are lots of fun, kids have a great time with a couple simple games in the backyard. Musical chairs, pinatas, beanbag and ring tosses, arts and crafts, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, etc. are timeless games that kids still love. A clown doing face painting, either professional or amateur (find a friend or relative to put on a costume), is low-budget and entertaining.
- Bake the cake. I happen to like cooking, but I truly feel it is not that time-consuming or difficult to bake a simple cake. One year I spent more time ordering and driving to pick up a dry cake that I could have baked myself for a fraction of the cost. All home-baked cakes have to be better for you than most storebought ones...who knows what's in a store-bought cake?? Dyes and preservatives for sure...and home-baked ones taste delicious! Plus kids like to help make it, and it's fun trashing the kitchen together. To save time near the party, bake it a few weeks ahead and store it in the freezer, and then just take it out and frost it the night before.
- Skip the balloons, and go for streamers. Streamers are just paper, and they're old-school festive. You can hang curled ribbons around in places where you might have put balloons, and it's all re-usable and recyclable.
- Skip the paper napkins....they're so wasteful. Cloth napkins don't have to match at a party, so pile up all you have, and if you have to go for a cartoon paper plate for a star wars or dora theme, fine, but limit it to the plates so you cut down on paper waste.
- Skip the plasticware. For silverware, we use an old set of stainless steel that we use for parties. We don't care if they get lost or accidentally thrown away, and they are easily washable. If you compromise with the paper plates, it is super-easy to wash a pile of silverware after a party.
- Skip the paper cups. I personally keep lots of $1 glasses, and have always allowed my kids to use glasses because they look great and are inexpensive to replace. For outside, or if you really prefer plastic, save all those restaurant character cups...at this point, I have developed quite the stack for parties.
- Make simple and healthy kids' food. In past years I have made macaroni and cheese, salads, etc., but I don't always have time for so much cooking, and neither do most moms. I have also sought out healty pre-made foods, but that is quite expensive. This year we're making homemade pizzas. For this the prep is super-easy...dough is quickly made ahead and sitting in bowls rising, or even pre-rolled on baking sheets, vegetables and pepperoni and cheese are prepared and ready to go, and we're using pre-made sauce. So we have to do is turn on the oven and bake, and the kids can have fun making them. I think you can bake several at once with convention bake.
- Involve relatives and close friends. Let people help you, and help other people when they need it. It is SO more manageable and easy this way. My mother-in-law usually helps make some kind of dish for the kids' parties, and a neighbor helped cook when I was especially busy. My dad always helps frost and decorate the cakes, which we get into (too many engineers in the family who like construction).
- Don't clean. Either pay someone to help, let a friend or relative help, or just don't do it. Or, do the mini-clean, where you vacuum a little, and pick up, but skip the dusting and windowsills and floor mopping that no one notices anyway.
- Be creative. You can have a great eco party without spending every night preparing, and without overspending.
