A mother from Newmarket, Ont., says she kept her son’s themed birthday affordable by holding “Halloween in March” with activities and decorations she could make or already had.
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Marjorie LePoidevin, a mother of two from Newmarket, Ont., wanted to give her costume-loving son a themed birthday without filling her home with expensive character outfits or paying for hired performers.
Instead, she had an idea: “I said, let’s do Halloween in March,” LePoidevin recalled, describing a celebration built around costumes her son and his nine-year-old friends already owned.
In the living room, the group dressed up in homemade decorations and took part in activities including bobbing for apples, making mini-presentations about their get-ups and receiving awards.
LePoidevin said the homemade food helped keep costs down, including eyeballs (made from grapes) floating in punch, finger-shaped cookies and muffins finished with spiderweb icing. She added, “It was really reasonable, and the kids had a blast.”
LePoidevin, head of marketing at Upper Canada Child Care, said birthdays for young children can bring pressure to splurge, with parents often seeing “picture-perfect celebrations” online.
She pointed to advice from Ali Harris-Saunders, corporate and community relations manager at the Credit Counselling Society, who said the first step is setting a budget by deciding what you can comfortably spend and building the party around that amount.
Harris-Saunders also said overspending can happen when people try to match someone else’s celebration and urged parents to avoid aiming for a pristine, “Instagram-ready” event, noting that children are more likely to remember how the party felt than what it cost or how many decorations there were.
Among the costlier items to avoid, Harris-Saunders and LePoidevin pointed to branded, licensed decorations and life-size figurines, including character actors or performers, which LePoidevin said “can run into the hundreds of dollars just on decorations.”
For items parents do want to buy, the guidance included hunting for deals months in advance, and if they want to “splurge a little bit,” putting aside smaller amounts over time to reduce financial stress when the party arrives.
On location and activities, experts suggested using free spaces such as parks, playgrounds, trails, community centres or backyards, with Harris-Saunders saying activities that let kids move on their own—without requiring a lot of supervision—can work well.
For older kids, Harris-Saunders suggested a bike or scooter expedition with a treasure hunt, while LePoidevin recommended having a Plan B for weather-dependent activities.
When deciding how many children to invite, LePoidevin said parents should not feel obliged to host the entire class, adding that small gatherings can create more meaningful experiences while also lowering costs.
Other recommendations included sending invitations privately, with Harris-Saunders noting that digital invitations can be cheaper, and keeping food simple with do-it-yourself options such as brownies and musical chairs.
For parties that stretch between meals, the advice included hosting from 2 to 5 p.m. to save on food purchases, along with using self-serve items like a popcorn bar or fruit and veggie cups.
LePoidevin also said parents can limit party favours and toys, pointing to the cost of loot bags that are often disposed of quickly after guests return home.
She said one approach that worked for her was telling her children, “the gift is either a party or a present,” adding that “They chose the party every time.”
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