Frugal First Birthday

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Our motto for birthdays around here is “keep it simple”. While I do feel the day of my children’s birth is worthy of celebration, I prefer small family gatherings over expensive venues.

My sweet baby boy turned one year old on Tax Day. However, we just recently had the official celebration, postponed just for Grandma’s visit. I can hardly believe how fast the year has flown by! Colin is such a joy, bringing smiles and laughter into our home each day.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from his frugal birthday bash:

Colin-happy A present!

cake-blocks

Frugal cake decor with alphabet blocks 🙂

Colin-ChristianCousins! Colin with my nephew, Christian (3 months older)

chandelier-partyMy chandelier decor was inspired by Myra, with ribbons and a few classic wooden toys. So cute!

candleOne candle, of course.

eating-cakeHis first taste of his very own cupcake. Messy but fun!

Balloons, cake, ice cream, streamers. Simple and frugal, yet meaningful. Just like my girls’ birthdays.

How do you make your children’s birthdays special without breaking the bank?

Comments

  1. Chhaya says

    The birthday boy is so very cute with his toothy grin !
    Loved your decorations …Whats co-incidental is that I got the exact same shirt for my son’s 1st birthday ! Looks like your son had a blast !

  2. says

    We always do ice cream cake, cupcakes, or a cake just for the 5 of us on the day of the childs birthday with our presents. Then we schedule a party with family/friends as requested by the child in their theme. This year my dd12 soon 13 wants “The Great Outdoors Party” with a sleepover. Since backyard still has a pile of dirt we will do this a week later on Saturday nite with her friends then Brunch with the family. That’s the plan right now.
    .-= DeniseC´s last blog ..Last Day for a Party =-.

  3. Mary Ann says

    My daughter is in college now, but for about four straight years when she was in elementary school, she celebrated her birthday with friends at a University of Alabama gymnastics meet. Alabama has a great gymnastic team–usually a national championship contender–and fans would fill up the basketball arena for the meets. It was great entertainment.

    I made the invitations on the computer. We usually took two vans loaded with girls. The children’s tickets were $2 each. We drove from Birmingham (about 50 miles) and ate at a Fazoli’s that offered a 99 cent kids meal. I checked with the Fazoli’s ahead of time to see if it was OK for two adults to bring in about 10 girls, and they were delighted to have us. They reserved tables for us, decorated (what a wonderful surprise!), and allowed me to bring in a birthday cake for dessert. So, for $3 a girl, plus gas, we had an experience those girls still remember.

  4. says

    Hi there! I am stopping over from Frugal Friday. I enjoyed your post about a frugal first birthday party. The cake was just too cute! I love decorating cakes with toys for the kiddos.

    When you get a chance, stop by Free 2 Be Frugal.

    🙂

  5. Hasina says

    He is adorable enjoy everprecious moment, my kids are older teens but each birthday was planned around what they liked from American Girls ‘Tiny Things’ to ‘Ballerina Picnics’ to ‘fire trucks’. We just hosted a birthday of ’22’ HS girls for our exchange students at the beach, with BOGO sale on Turkey Meat , that I froze until needed, water and juices on sale, hoagie rolls and decor from the dollar store. we spent a total $20. Our decor even kept the seagulls away, and our host daughter has great memories of her birthday.

  6. says

    Wow! I can’t believe it has been a year already. I followed you all through the pregnancy, seems like just yesterday. He looks so cute enjoying his cake!! Happy B-day 🙂
    .-= Kitty @ Coupon Divas´s last blog ..Sign Up for Free Coupons From Home Made Simple =-.

  7. Nikki@couponcookin says

    Great Party. The cake looks amazing. Just visiting from Mrs. Moneysavers. Check out my giveaway;all you have to do is leave a comment.

  8. Melinda P says

    What a cutie pie! I love your cake idea!! I *might* have to steal it! 😉 Basically, I gather things all year long with b-day parties in mind. I haven’t thrown too many children’s party yet, but this year, I have a baby boy turning 1, a girly girl turning 2, and my older boy turning 4, and we have NO extra money, so buying party stuff on clearance ahead of time is a must. I also plan the menu around whatever I have on hand and/or whatever is on sale (with a coupon of course) the weeks beforehand. 🙂

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