Real Moms Plan Parties: Dinosaur Theme Birthday

by Susan Liberatore of Visions2Images 

Let's face it, planning a birthday party can sometimes be overwhelming and costly. Birthday parties aren't meant to break your bank account, but boy it sure seems to happen that way sometimes.

Here are ideas for how you can plan a birthday boy Dinosaur themed party on a budget of $150 to $500! It's really easy and simple; plus we did all the research for you so you can just plan and put it into action!

(NOTE* pricing depends on stores, quantities, and sales.)

Enough chatting, let's get started!

Budget: ($150-500)

Number of adults/kids:40 adults, 10 kids.

It sometimes can cost so much simply because you have to draw the line on who you are inviting. Keep in mind that this is a birthday so you don’t need to invite all the people you don’t talk to! Invite immediate family and relatives that you talk to on a daily/weekly basis. This will help keep the costs lower. 

Event Type: First Birthday

Theme or color scheme: Dinosaur theme! Blue, Green, Orange, with touches of Brown rustic.

Venue: Keep your costs low, and free, by having the party at your house.

We know it can be a lot of people, so ask your guests to bring chairs if needed. Allow room for people to sit and chat both indoors and outdoors. If there is a local place where you can rent out tables and chairs, look into that as well.

COST: FREE

Food: Food is meant to be fun, simple, and delicious. If people offer to bring something, allow them to! Something simple like a side always works out great.

Here are few food ideas for your birthday party:

• Grapes that are purple and green to fit the theme:  COST: $5

• Watermelon: Have a watermelon that is opened and cut into sharp pieces representing teeth and add some fruit inside the "mouth"    COST: $10

• Chips: Keep it simple with some Lays chips. Put two different kinds of chips in two bowls: green and orange. COST: $8

• Pitcher of Lemonade and add in green food coloring. COST: $2.50 

• Macaroni Salad: Super easy and fun to make.  COST: $15.00

• 1 Lb BBQ Pulled Pork + Buns: Put it in a crockpot and let it simmer all day so you can set up decorations COST: $20.00

• Hot Dogs & Hamburgers: 20 Hot Dogs and 20 Hamburgers + Buns. Make sure to have condiments. COST: $20.00

Tableware: Seriously, I LOVE the Dollar Store, it is perfect for times like this. Pick up some plastic disposable tablecloths in Orange, Green, and Blue. Get 3-4, so you can use them on the food tables + gift table. COST: $5.00

Cake: You don’t have to be a baker to make your own cake. It's easy, cheap, and fun. I am sure you know how expensive cakes can be. All you need to do is get two boxes of cake mix (whatever flavors you are wanting) some icing and candles. Make the TWO boxes of cake mix then add blue, orange, and green frosting all around the cakes. Combine the cakes with a tiered look and it will make it look super fancy! Add some candles on top! COST: $9.00 

Outfit: I love this Dinosaur Birthday outfit from Cuddle Sleep Dream!

COST: $32.50

Favors: Make goody bags! Go cheap with the bags. You have 10 kids attending so make 10 bags. Go to the Dollar Store and literally pick up toys and put them in the bag. If you want to get fancy, write the names of each child on the bag so that way each kid knows! COST: $35.00 

Activities:

• Coloring Books: Here is a FREE resource for Dinosaur coloring pages. So all you need to do it print it out!  COST: $0.00

• Sandbox: If you have one this is a great time to use it! You can hide little fossils in the sand that the kids have to find! COST: $0.00

• Water Balloon Fights: If is summertime, let the kids have some fun! Get those balloons from the Dollar Store and fill them up! COST: $2.00

• Pinata:These are a MUST have for a birthday party. You can make your own, or something similar, to it for a small fee. COST: $15.00 

Decorations/Printables/Banner: 

• Balloons: Of course it is not a birthday party without balloons. The Dollar store is great for this! You can find the package ones here and you can blow them up. COST: $1.00
• Streamers/Birthday Signs:You do not need to have the theme for everything as long as you use the colors blue, orange, and green it will all look wonderful and perfect. Make sure to add some brown into the scheme whenever possible. Again you can get these at the Dollar Store COST: $3.00

• Invitation, Party Hats, Water Bottle Labels, Banner and more:Here is a FREE place for all of your stationary needs! All you have to do is print and assemble; it saves you SO much money! COST: $0.00 

TOTAL APX COST $183.00

Note from csd: We hope you found that helpful and gave you some awesome & easy ideas for your party!  And of course, don't forget to check out our Dinosaur outfit!