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You are here: Home / Blog / Party like a Minion on a Budget

Party like a Minion on a Budget

July 16, 2015 By Shann 76 Comments

My Little Minion

If you’re looking to throw a Minion party for your little one, I’ve got plenty of inexpensive, easy ideas.

Party like a minion on a budget

Last Fall, we celebrated Mr. B’s 5th birthday with a “Minion” themed birthday party.  Since there have now been three movies with minions, The Minion Movie, Despicable Me, and Despicable Me 2, there are plenty of minions to be found everywhere.

I have seen all three movies about a billion times thanks to the birthday boy, and now the twins.  There actually pretty cute movies, and I thought it would make for a fun party.  Plus, I LOVE a good theme birthday party, as you know.

What I do NOT love, however, is spending a ton of money for a party.  I want my birthday boy, or boys, to have fun, and my guests to have a good time, but I need to make sure I keep to a budget.  After all, I work on occasion, but basically we’re a one income family. Luckily, I like the challenge of saving money, and I also love to make things myself.

So, how do I do it?  Here are a few of my tips.

I’ve also included some of my Amazon Affiliate links for you. Just click on the picture of the product, and it will take you right to it. It costs nothing to you, and it will help me run this blog.

Money Saving Tips

1.  Always be on the lookout for future parties.

I have a couple of boxes in the basement filled with things I’ve found for 70% to 90% off from Target’s Dollar Spot.  Since my kids are pretty young, they are pretty flexible on what their birthday theme will be.  As they get older, I’m sure they will have more input, but for now, I’m stocking up.

2.  Be willing to make a few stops

Not only did I shop at Target, but I went to Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreen’s, The Dollar Tree, Boston Store, Michael’s, and even Pick ‘N Save to find things.  I compared prices online, looked in every clearance bin, and sometimes waited for things to go on sale before buying them.  I also used Amazon (We have Prime so I have free shipping,) and Walmart’s site-to-store option so I didn’t have to pay for shipping.  If you want to get the cheapest items, you need to give yourself enough shopping time to make it happen.

I may go a little overboard with this one, but I LOVE to shop.  You definitely don’t need to hit every store.

DIY

3.  Be willing to get creative and think out of the treat bag…I mean box

I found a lot of cute things to go inside a treat bag for the guests, but couldn’t find any cheap bags that would fit the items.  As I was browsing Michael’s summer clearance, I found yellow sand buckets and water bottles.  At $0.29/piece, I was going to make them work.  I think they turned out pretty good, plus they double as something the kids can actually use again.

I filled the buckets with a $1 coloring book, and split up packs of graham crackers, cheese crackers, fruit snacks, stickers, and bouncy balls.  I also made all of the birthday banners, signs, etc.  I used yellow place mats that were 70% off at Target for one banner, then sticky foam paper combined with the kid’s pictures for some other ones.

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4. Make Your Own Decorations, Buy things you can reuse or Use things you already have.

Instead of balloons (which scare me around little children,) I bought some purple and yellow beach balls.  I took black pipe cleaners and attached them to a curtain rod.  I also used black tape and sticky, white foam paper to make the faces. They were really cheap from Amazon, plus I can just take off the faces, and use them at parties in the future.

For Birthday signs, instead of store-bought, I made my own.  On one sign, I found a Minion word translator, cut out all the words, and then drew a few Minions on it too.  If you don’t like to draw, just cut out pictures you find of Minions. They are everywhere…even McDonald’s bags right now.  Or check out Etsy for cheap, cute printable images.

I also decorated with Picture collages I had made at Walgreens.  I had my son wear his Minion hat and pose with a few, and then used all those pictures in a blown-up collage.

For a Minion Birthday Banner, I used yellow placemats from Target, black tape, and sticky white foam paper.  I then took down our window shade, and clipped them to the curtain rod.

We also wanted to hide…I mean decorate our living room carpet.  We took foam tiles that we had from the kid’s playroom, and made a pattern of grey and yellow to match the colors of the party.  We just flipped the green, red, and blue tiles upside down.

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Party Food and Games

5.  Focus on Fun, Not Food 

Kids don’t really care about eating at parties, with the exception of cake.  So, we made the party in the middle of the afternoon, not during a mealtime, then just had snacks and cake.  I had some family members offer to bring stuff, which also cut down on the budget.  I also just bought plain yellow plates, napkins, and plastic ware.  They still matched the party, and were a lot cheaper than the licensed party stuff.

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I made sure to have games for the kids to keep them entertained.  We had a Pinata stuffed with some candy and fruit snacks, and also Pin the Patch on the Minion.

Remember the party is for the kids, so games and fun are a must.

Minion Party games

Party Helpers

 

6.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

We enlisted the help of our parents for childcare.  I needed to head to the store by myself a few times, and we also needed to clean up for the guests without interruption.  I am really blessed to have family near by that’s willing to help, but if you don’t, try asking friends to help out.  You can always return the favor.

And speaking of help, if you ever need mine in planning, decorating, or shopping for a party…you know where to find me.

If you like what you just read please click to send a quick vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs- The best mommy blog directory featuring top mom bloggers

Filed Under: Birthdays, Blog, money-saving, Parties Tagged With: amazon prime, balloons, beach balls, birthday cake, Birthday Party, budget, decorations, Despicable Me, Minions, party, pin the patch on the minion, pin the tail on the donkey, pinata, simple food, Target, Themed birthday party, walmart

Comments

  1. good enuf mommy says

    July 16, 2015 at 8:02 am

    Wow! You did amazing!! The decorations look awesome and you didn’t break the bank! My son would love this!!

    Reply
  2. Heather Serra says

    July 16, 2015 at 9:31 am

    Oh my goodness, the Minions are so huge right now! I love what you were able to do with that yellow sand bucket. So creative! You have a very keen eye darlin’!

    Reply
  3. Robin Masshole Mommy says

    July 16, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    I get tons of stuff on clearance at Target, too! Most of my stuff comes from there actually!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:52 pm

      LOVE Target!

      Reply
  4. Becky @ Disney in your Day says

    July 16, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    There are so many adorable ideas here! I’m with you, I love a good themed party but I don’t want to spend too much money. Those buckets are amazing – cheap and they look great!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:52 pm

      Thank you Becky!

      Reply
  5. Kelly Hupp says

    July 16, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    Making your own decorations can be one of the best money savers but there are so many great tips here I will be utilizing these ideas for our next party! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:51 pm

      You’re welcome, and thanks for reading!

      Reply
  6. triciathegoodmama says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    Great post! My son is just a little young for Minions, but I admit that movie looks so cute and funny! I love how easy it is to throw a party around them. Your decorations are great!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:51 pm

      Thank you Tricia! Just wait a couple years, and he will love them.

      Reply
  7. Debbie Denny says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    I love all these ideas. The bucket is so cute.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  8. Dayne says

    July 16, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    I’m an adult, and I STILL want a minion party. Is that bad?? Stealing this idea for my bday! 😀

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Ha! Not bad at all! I just use my kids as an excuse 😉

      Reply
  9. sicorra says

    July 16, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    I love how the yellow buckets look and I bet kids love those way more then a bag. At least they can take the bucket and play outside or at the beach too.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      Exactly. Thank you!

      Reply
  10. mommyversuslife says

    July 16, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    I will do this when my youngest turn 2!! Thanks for sharing x

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      Awesome! Thanks!

      Reply
  11. Stephanie @ The Dish BCS says

    July 16, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Very cute!!! I love the clearance section at Target. I found some really cute Spritz party bags and bought them just because! Some day I WILL need them 😉

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      Exactly!

      Reply
  12. Astrid says

    July 16, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    These are great tips. I particularly like #5, which isn’t so much aobut the money as it is about kids enjoying themselves with a sense of balance.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:48 pm

      Exactly. Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Heather says

    July 16, 2015 at 5:57 pm

    Help is something I don’t have, but I love all your minion party ideas. My three year old has a birthday in November and this would be a great theme!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:48 pm

      Thank you! Wish I could help out!

      Reply
  14. sweetteaandhydrangeas says

    July 16, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    Those decorations are so cute! They came out great!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  15. Rebecka says

    July 16, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    This is so awesome! My son loves Minions (like, I just made Minions on our bananas, kind of like). We may need to throw him a Minion party for his birthday in November.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      Yes, I saw your Bananas…so cute!

      Reply
  16. Natasha says

    July 16, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Nice job! I especially like the buckets and water bottles! Very creative. It is total minion mania right now!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      Thank you! I know…they have taken over!

      Reply
  17. Megan VW says

    July 16, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    Great Tips! I never thought to stock up in advance until we found a crazy deal last summer. It really saved us boatloads.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 8:46 pm

      Yes! thanks for reading!

      Reply
  18. Brooke says

    July 16, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    Oh how creative! I love the water pails and water bottles!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 10:58 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  19. Cynthia @craftoflaughter says

    July 16, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    you did an incredible job! I love it.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 10:59 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  20. Betsy @ Happily Ever After Etc. says

    July 16, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    So cute! I love how you made everything minion themed! It’s such a great idea to stock up on items that you can use later on… especially when you know your kiddos love a certain character!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 10:59 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  21. Curtis Joseph says

    July 16, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    My younger cousin would love this! He is such a big minions fan and loved the movie a lot.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 16, 2015 at 10:57 pm

      Awesome .Thanks!

      Reply
  22. Jaya Pandey says

    July 17, 2015 at 9:39 am

    How perfect is this…I do buy stuff from time to time too when I find them discount and know that they will be of use but I sure can’t surpass the efforts u have put into this party. We love minions (who doesn’t ) and my daughter’s birthday is coming up and minions are on the list among other themes. This post is of great help to me irrespective of theme. I can start early

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:14 pm

      Cool. Thank you!

      Reply
  23. Bethany says

    July 17, 2015 at 11:37 am

    Very great ideas, I think I might make my daughters first birthday minion themed!!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:13 pm

      Cool!

      Reply
  24. Ourfamilyworld says

    July 17, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    My daughter loves the minions and her birthday is coming up. She’ll love a party like this.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:12 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  25. Liz Mays says

    July 17, 2015 at 12:11 pm

    Your yellow bucket idea was positively brilliant. I am so, so impressed with it and it’s ADORABLE.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:12 pm

      Thank you so much Liz! 🙂

      Reply
  26. Donni says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    What a fantastic idea. I love the buckets! I love Target’s Dollar Spot, but I always tell myself that I don’t need it right now. This is exactly why I do — I can save it a future event.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:08 pm

      Yes! I have many storage totes ready to party.

      Reply
  27. twitchetts.com says

    July 17, 2015 at 7:17 pm

    I am Loving these ideas!! My kiddos are obsessed. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 17, 2015 at 9:07 pm

      You’re welcome..and thank you!

      Reply
  28. Shannon says

    July 18, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    This is so cute! I’m impressed! And totally addicted to the Target Dollar section as well… I swear everytime I go I’m buying something new for my desk or home.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 19, 2015 at 9:36 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  29. Angela Morales says

    July 19, 2015 at 5:21 pm

    I love these tips! The dollar spot and clearance at Target is my faaaaaaaavorite. I’m a back aisle shopper for sure!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 19, 2015 at 7:07 pm

      Ha ha! Yes! Love those endcaps.

      Reply
  30. Tanya says

    July 19, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    I love the beach balls! You had very creative solutions! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 19, 2015 at 7:07 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  31. Britt says

    July 22, 2015 at 10:58 pm

    You throw an awesome birthday party! I love all the minnion decorations. You did such a great job!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      July 23, 2015 at 7:07 am

      Thank you so much Britt!

      Reply
  32. satrntgr says

    August 7, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    How fun!! I think I might want this for my own birthday next year! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 7, 2015 at 5:44 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  33. momilyhomily says

    August 8, 2015 at 5:00 am

    Great tips, Shann. It’s amazing how much money you can save by being thoughtful and planning ahead. My husband just reminded us we need to be thinking about a Halloween costume. Ugh! Is it that time already?? Good to be co-hosting the #homemattersparty with you this month. I’m learning so much! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 8, 2015 at 9:06 am

      Thank you so much! Yes, it’s great to be co-hosting with you too. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  34. alaynascreations says

    August 8, 2015 at 11:08 am

    Minions would be such a fun birthday party theme. Looks like you did a great job. I love the buckets and water bottles!
    I’m looking forward to a month of great #HomeMattersParty fun with you!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 9, 2015 at 2:38 pm

      Thank you! Me too!

      Reply
  35. Sarena @ Teal Inspiration says

    August 9, 2015 at 12:14 am

    These are all really great tips. And the Minion party looks so adorable! Thanks for sharing. It’s great to be co-hosting at the #HomeMattersParty with you!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 9, 2015 at 11:54 am

      Thank you! Great to be co-hosting with you too.

      Reply
  36. vmorgan456 says

    August 9, 2015 at 4:30 am

    Great tips for a great party. My grandson really likes the Minion’s too! It’s great to be co-hosting with you at the #HomeMattersParty

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 9, 2015 at 11:53 am

      Thank you! Great to be hosting with you too 🙂

      Reply
  37. Michelle James says

    August 10, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    This is adorable. My favorite are the yellow buckets for treat bags…brilliant! I should host a minion party for my adult friends. LOL! My kids are not at home anymore.

    I am excited to be co-hosting at #HomeMattersParty this month with you! Your blog is fun!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 10, 2015 at 1:48 pm

      Thank you so much! Great to be hosting with you too!

      Reply
  38. Sonja @ SustainMyCraftHabit says

    August 10, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    Great birthday party tips! I am just starting to plan my daughter’s 6th birthday and budget is definitely on my radar. Glad to be cohosting with you on #HomeMattersParty.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 10, 2015 at 11:04 pm

      Thank you! Happy to be hosting with you, as well. 🙂

      Reply
  39. mmgmom says

    August 11, 2015 at 9:40 am

    I love the bucket idea. What a great idea. Thank you for cohosting #HomeMattersParty.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      August 11, 2015 at 12:36 pm

      Thank you! I’m having a great time with the #HomeMattersParty Link up. Thanks for including me!

      Reply

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Shann Hi! I'm a mom, writer, and dancer. I love sharing my parenting experiences, my healthy living tips, my money saving ideas, and our travel plans. My passion to help other women inspired this blog. I hope you'll stay a while and come back often.

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