Let me go ahead and make the comment before someone else does: “Just don’t do them.”
There. We’ve got that out of our systems- because of course the cheapest way to do party favors is to not do them. But of course, if you want to do party favors, there are ways to save some dollars on these little bags!
Still with me? Hi there! So you want to do party favors. My daughter is 4 and the kids her age and a little older are doing party favors at their birthday parties, so of course she wants to reciprocate.
I’m all for doing a little something- I’m certainly not trying to break the bank over here, because parties are pricey enough, but a little thank you to her friends I can handle, especially since her party is going to be at a local park (ie. lost cost).
So how do you save? You shop holiday clearance, of course! When your kiddo’s birthday is and your theme will play a big part in when you can shop and what you’ll be looking for, but a little creativity can go a long way!
My daughter’s birthday is a few months after Valentine’s Day- and of course, this year kiddo wants a Frozen 2 themed birthday, like every other small child on the planet right now. While browsing Frozen 2 pencils on Walmart, I stumbled across a 16 count set of Frozen 2 Valentine pencils! See where I’m going?
That’s right! I scored the Valentine pencils 50% off- saving me money and getting me more pencils than the regular set. While hunting the pencils, I found Frozen 2 magnets, little boxes featuring tattoos, stickers and self-inking stampers, plus 2 8ct bags of coloring bags- aka, 8 page coloring books with 2 crayons and stickers! I over purchased, figuring 16 would be more than enough for her party. She’ll be thrilled to play with the extras herself!
I spent $6.95 on enough goodies to make 16 treat bags! I’ll finish them off with a few pieces of candy and BOOM! Done! There was a ton of different themes to choose from in the Valentine clearance- Toy Story 4, Avengers, Star wars, Paw Patrol… woot!
If your kiddo is born too late in the year (or too early) to take advantage of Valentine sales, no worries! You can apply this to other holidays. I found some great little “trick or treater” sized play dough containers on clearance after Halloween! These would be great in a favor bag.
Easter is a great time to find little toys that would be great filler! As we go into Easter, keep your eyes on the shelves and start making mental notes on what will work for your kiddo- and when in doubt, find that candy that goes on sale after the holiday.
Don’t forget Christmas- there are tons of little items, from nail polish and bath bombs to small toys! Don’t be afraid to break up packs to make goody bags.
Back To School can yield very cheap crayon packs that go well with any kind of goody bag.
Keep an eye on clearance at Bullseye Playground throughout the year. You can score all kinds of cheap little goodies that will make you the coolest parent ever.
The sky is the limit on what you can find, and thankfully the sales roll throughout the year! If it doesn’t go bad, don’t be afraid to sock something away in your gift closet until the big day arrives- and remember, goody bags don’t have to break the bank. I know my child is just as happy with a 25cent box of crayons and a clearance coloring book as a favor, as she is with a $10 a person swag bag. My goody bags are going to cost approximately 50 cents each by the time I am done with them, thanks to clearance shopping!