Children love parties and there’s nothing more amusing than a tea party to help urge their to need to entertain peers. Tea parties can be a great way to get adults and children together for some fun while helping improve your relationship with your children’s friend’s parents. Tea parties can be a huge burden on your budget with all of the planning and major purchases needed to successfully host a party. There are many ways around the prices though. If you’re looking to give your child the tea party that will have their peers begging you to host another party soon. So, enjoy your children while they’re young and have some fun with your party. These financial tips will help you find ease with your party while enticing you to enjoy the fun being had around you.
1. Home Made Snacks
There are a wide selection of snacks that can be purchased at the store that are perfect for a tea party. However, purchasing snacks can really cut down on your budget especially if you’re providing for a larger guests list. There are numerous snacks you can make at home that are incredibly inexpensive and will delight even the pickiest of eaters. One great snack for your party is simple veggie sticks and a dip. You can easily buy a stock of celery and bag of baby carrots to make the vegetable incredibly inexpensive. Dips can be as easy as peanut butter that you already have in the cabinet or a homemade ranch dip. Of course, if you want to take things on a sweeter level you can easily make mini scones or cookies from ingredients that you already have at home. If you want to add a special touch to the treats then try to keep extra purchases to a minimum.
2. Tea Set
Serving up tea is one of the most important aspects of the tea party, so make sure you have something great to serve it in. The best way to save money on your party is to use a tea set your already own, but if you’re currently without a tea set the you’ll need to find one. There are a lot of places that will sell you gorgeous tea sets, but finding one at the right price might be tough. One place to start is a thrift store. Typically you can find various different tea sets, althoug many might not be complete sets. This is usually fine when you’re serving to children as most tend to want their own unique cups. If you don’t have any luck at a thrift store then you may want to check at your favorite stores clearance section. Shopping online clearance might also a great way to find a tea set that you’ll especially love. If you’re still having trouble finding something great then you may want to head to the toy section. There are many tea sets are low in price and will work just fine for a child’s party.
3. Make Invitations
When it comes to inviting people to your party you may want to steer clear from purchasing invitations. Kids tend to love to get crafty so grab your favorite papers and let them create invitations for each of their friends. There’s a lot of ways you can get crafty with your invitations so make sure you gather the crafting supplies you have around the house. One easy way to get incredible invitations is to cut out little pictures of tea cups and kettles from magazine and glue them onto construction paper. You may also want to add plenty of glitter and other fun crafting materials like macaroni noodles and pipe cleaners. If you’re planning on inviting a lot of children then you may want to skip on sending the invitations through the mail. Instead, have your child dress up in her favorite tea party outfit and have a family day where you deliver each of the invitations in person. You could also send them with your child to school, but make sure you follow the school’s rules for invitations.
4. Games
Entertaining the children at the party will be one of your toughest feats. Instead of paying for entertainment you should look around the house for toys that could easily be turned into games. One simple game is musical chairs which only requires music and a few chairs to keep the game rolling. You may also want to look into finding items that will make a great scavenger hunt for the children. Board games are also a simple way to keep kid’s entertained, but don’t worry if you don’t own any. There’s plenty of game boards you can print out from the internet that will help make your party a success. You could also take things on the traditional route and start a game of crochet or badminton. You can usually find a set for either game at a very low price, but make sure to try used sports stores before you go out and buy a new set.
5. Grow Tea
If your household goes through a lot of tea then you might want to consider growing your own. There are many places that will sell plants that can help you get started on this amazing hobby. Tea can be tricky to grow but with a few free online tutorials you will easily be on your way to having delicious home grown tea that saves you a lot of money. Of course, you’ll beed to be able to have the tea planted and growing before you can plan your party. With the home grown tea you’ll be able to cut down a huge expense for your parties and you’ll be able to host more parties in the future. With your home grown tea you’ll also be able to cut down on a household expense so you won’t have to spend as much on groceries.
6. Dance
One great way to make your tea party memorable is to add a little dance. Kids love to get out on the dance floor, especially if you have some of their favorite music to dance along to. If the weather is nice then make a fat surface in the backyard to ensure a safe place for kids to enjoy themselves. Of course, if your prefer to keep the party indoors then you may want to clear our the dining room table and chairs in order to have a danger free zone for the kids to cut loose in. If the dancing isn’t starting off so well then try to get into the dance mood yourself. One of the best ways to liven up the party and get more kids participating is to teach kids different dancing. Micheal Jackson’s Thriller and the Electric Slide are some of the more exciting dances that kids tend to take to.
7. Dress Up
There’s nothing more exciting for a child than to dress up for a special occasion. With your party you should always make sure to have plenty of costumes for the guests to dress up in. It doesn’t matter if you are using over sized clothing or old Halloween costumes as children will adore playing a character while they’re at the party. If you’re looking for a cheap way to find costumes for your children then you may want to look at the thrift store. Most thrift stores will have a combination of clothes that range from classic party style to the traditional wedding dress. This can really let kids imaginations run wild as they create a persona to use at the party. Of course, you may want to keep it simple. If this is the case then you may want to do a quick scan of your own closest to see if there is anything unique children might want to dress up in.
8. Crowns
Hosting a tea party can be a royal event for a child, so make sure you’re stocked up when it comes to crowns and tiaras. Most children will want to feel extra special when they come to the party so make sure you make it look and feel like the children are royalty. This is easily accomplished by buying tiaras in bulk. This should be very cheap at a party store or even a dollar store. However, you may also want to set up an table for children to build their own crowns. This can esily be done with construction paper or cardboard that you pre-shape for the children. You shouldn’t need anything more than basic supplies like a glue stick and markers. Of course, the more elaborate the crown the more special your child will feel. So, make sure you have macaroni noodles that can easily be colored and maybe a few embellishment of party jewels that can be glues to the crown. This will take up some of the party time and will allow the children to express themselves.
9. Bulk Buys
Tea can be expensive if you go to the store and buy different flavors of the smaller packets. Typically your best choice for buying tea is to get it in bulk. There are plenty of stores that will provide you with large boxes of tea for only a fraction more than you’d pay for a smaller package. This is great for the tea party as well as the amount of tea used in your household. If you prefer to use loose tea then you may want to shop online for discounts that will far outweigh those of bulk stores. You may even be able to stock up on your favorite flavors so you won’t have to worry about grocery shopping for the beverage any time soon. If you’re planning on buying paper plates or plastic cups then you might also want to get these items in bulk. This can really save on the clean up time for your party and if you have a large group of people it is easier to accommodating with larger packages. You may also be able to find packets of sugar and cream in bulk packages which will really make your tea part seem even more incredible.
10. Coffee Pot
Making tea the old fashioned way can be time consuming, especially if you need to serve a lot guests. Most kettles require you to heat the for some time which can really your gas or electric bill go up more. One simple way to reduce this problem is to make your tea in a coffee pot. The tea simply goes in the filter area, or can be left in the pot while the coffee maker brews the perfect cup. Another great reason for using the coffee maker is you’ll be able to keep the water at a safe level to serve to children. The coffee maker will also quickly brew the different flavors of tea so the children don’t have to wait longer periods to get the tea of their choice. The coffee maker will also allow you to do other things, like serve the snacks or entertain the children, while the tea brews. This isn’t always possible when working with over the stove kettles or pots of boiling water.
Hosting a tea party will be a lot of fun if you take your mind off of the finances and put it back onto the party. There doesn’t have to be a lot of stress if you just follow a few simple steps to help save you the most on your fabulous party. With these simple techniques you’ll be able to have some tea party fun with your kids as often as you feel the urge to.
