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You can be as creative as you like and add your own themed image or photograph of your child.
Don't worry about putting them in envelopes - that's just an added unnecessary cost! 2: bake a birthday cake at home So many parents seem to order an expensive birthday cake from a shop nowadays.
Some of my fondest memories are of my mum's homemade birthday cakes, made with that one special ingredient you can't get anywhere else - love! If you're a really bad cook buy a ready made cake from the supermarket and decorate it at home to achieve the personalised look.
There's no need to 'keep up with the Joneses' by purchasing an expensive professionally made cake.
3: buy party bag fillers in bulk Work out how many children are attending the party and buy a batch of party bags.
Choosing and purchasing the filler items separately will also make it easier to save money.
Buying ten or twenty items as a job lot is much cheaper than buying them all individually.
It's also cheaper than buying ready made up bags to give out.
As long as you plan ahead and make sure you buy everything in plenty of time to make up the bags, you'll be just fine.
4: go for classic party food Jelly and ice cream - we all remember having those at our parties when we were kids.
And treats like these never go out of fashion.
Add a couple of creamy toppings and you're all set to go.
Other cheap foods to try are sandwiches and finger rolls, with egg mayonnaise, cheese, tuna and sweet corn and ham as potential fillings, and the ever popular mini sausages on sticks.
Pasta dishes are great too, especially if you perk them up with a tomato sauce and some mini meatballs (also easy to make at home).
5: opt for cheap or reusable decorations What type of decorations do you remember from the birthday parties you had as a kid? The chances are the first things that will 'pop' into your mind - so to speak - are balloons.
The great thing about these is they are great fun to play with during the party as well.
I can certainly remember playing with one and trying to keep it off the floor for as long as possible while batting it towards different people.
Reusable decorations are another way of saving money.
Cotton birthday bunting is a beautiful decoration to add to your birthday box that can be reused year after year (and washed if it gets a bit grubby!).
6: set your budget! This should really be the number one item on our list, but adding it last will make it stick in the memory better now you've read our hints and tips for keeping the birthday party costs down.
By setting a budget in advance you'll find it much easier to spend what you can afford, rather than going over the top.
You may also find it easier to spread things over a couple of months rather than buying it all at once.
Buy the party bags and fillers first as they'll keep, then the decorations and finally the food.
And then, once the party date arrives, enjoy!
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