Birthday Party on a Budget - Part 2!

Last week I posted about how I am trying to plan a frugal Mickey-Mouse themed 2nd birthday party for my daughter.  I've already talked about how I managed to create cute, personalized invitations for around $3!  Today, I'm going to talk about decorations.

Now, I admit, I am trying to spend as little money as possible on this party.  Not because I don't love my daughter, but because money is tight and she really will not know the difference between an expensive party and one put together on a budget!  That said, most everything I have purchased for the party so far has come from the Dollar Store! 

First of all, I bought red and yellow plastic tableclothes to put on the tables - inexpensive, so you don't mind throwing them in the trash when you're done!!!  :)  I also bought matching red and yellow paper plates and black plates for the kids which I turned into Mickey Mouse heads using black poster board that I also got at the Dollar Store for $0.50 each.  (Will someone PLEASE tell me how to turn the pictures the right way?!?!?  Ugh!)

While at the Dollar Store, I also found large Mickey & Minnie Mouse posters that I bought to hang around the room for $1 each.  My daughter will love having these after the party is over!

One thing that I like to do starting after Valentines Day is look for clearance items that can be used at birthday parties!  Since I have one child's birthday in March and another in May, I can usually find great items after Valentine's Day and Easter that can be used as decorations and/or party favors!  One thing I found at Kroger after Valentine's Day was red, round confetti that I am going to sprinkle on the tables for $0.33 a bag!  (I also found 12 count bags of cinderella stampers for less than $1 a piece to save for my older daughters birthday treat bags!) 

Also on the tables, I am going to be placing pictures of my daughter that I took of her holding her favorite Mickey Mouse doll when I was trying to make the party invitation.  I had to take LOTS of pictures to get just the right one, and I thought it might be cute to use all of the other pictures that didn't make the final cut (most of them are hysterical) to decorate with.  I'm going to have them printed and then glue them onto red and yellow construction paper and place them on photo stands that I got at the Dollar Store last year.  Here's an example of what the stand looks like using her invitation...(I'll update with actual pictures when I get them!)

I am also going to be purchasing plain red and yellow balloons from a local party supply store that I can hang up around the room.

While these decorations aren't much, they are enough to show the theme of the party and will make my daughter happy!  :)  Best of all, they didn't cost much money!  Total for everything mentioned here minus the balloons = about $15!

Look for my next post on what inexpensive party activities and treat bags I have planned!