Throwing a fabulous kids' party doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little creativity and smart planning, you can serve up delicious snacks and treats without overspending. Here are 10 easy hacks to help you save money on kids' party food while keeping everyone happy and well-fed.

1. DIY the Cake

Custom cakes can be pricey. Baking your own cake at home can save a significant amount of money. Use simple ingredients and add a personal touch with fun DIY toppers, sprinkles, or colorful frosting.

It can take a lot of time and space. If you have limits in these areas, a supermarket cake might be the best choice. It is affordable and saves you time.

Pro Tip: Read our Guide to Budget-Friendly Birthday Cakes here.

2. Plan a Simple Menu

Keep the menu straightforward with kid-friendly favorites. Focus on a few crowd-pleasers rather than a wide variety of elaborate dishes.

Budget-Friendly Ideas: Mini sandwiches, veggie sticks with dip, popcorn, and fruit skewers.

3. Go Big on Finger Foods

Skip full meals and opt for finger foods that are easy to prepare and eat. Finger foods are often cheaper and require less cleanup. Finger foods are the perfect birthday party snacks!

Snack Foods for a birthday party: Bite size cheese cubes, crackers, pretzels, mini pizzas, and chicken nuggets. Many venues on Sharesy have kitchens. If you want to heat up food at your venue, check out our kid's party venues here.

4. Buy in Bulk

Purchase snacks and drinks in bulk to save money. This is especially helpful for chips, juice cartons, and party favours.

Savings Tip: Check for deals on family-sized packs or bulk buy snack assortments. Your local supermarkets often run deals so in the run up to your kid's birthday party start stocking up on bargains.

5. Make Your Own Party Platters

Store-bought platters come with hefty price tags. Make your own fruit, veggie, or cheese platters. Buy the ingredients separately. Then, arrange them on takeout trays, wooden boards, or plates.

You can prepare these in advance. Just make them the night before the party. When it's time to eat, simply uncover them. One less thing to think about on the day of the party.

Pro Tip: Arrange the platters in fun shapes or patterns to make them visually appealing.

6. Serve Homemade Drinks

Skip expensive bottled drinks and juices by making your own drinks. Lemonade, fruit punch, or squash are easy and inexpensive options.

Money Saver: Use large pitchers instead of individual servings to cut down on waste.

7. Stick to Seasonal Produce

Fruits and vegetables that are in season are more affordable and taste better. Plan your menu around what’s currently available.

Seasonal Favourites: Watermelon and berries in summer, apples and carrots in fall.

8. Use Simple Decorations That Double as Food

Edible decorations can save money and serve as snacks. Think cupcake towers, candy jars, or colourful fruit displays.

Idea: Create a rainbow fruit platter as both decor and a healthy snack.

9. Get Creative with DIY Snacks

Make simple yet fun treats at home instead of buying expensive pre-packaged ones.

Fun Ideas:

• Popcorn mixed with colourful candies
• Decorated sugar cookies
• DIY Pizzas (if you have access to an oven) You can buy pizza dough, make your own or use tortilla wraps. Have pizza toppings like, tinned sweetcorn, tomato puree, sliced olives, ham and grated cheese for the children to make their own pizzas.
• A popular choice for parties now are snack boxes. This fun, mix and match option is super easy to organise. I did this at my son's most recent party. Here is my step by step guide:

1. Prepare sandwiches (ham, cheese and jam) ahead of time, wrap them and label them. I asked for parents to let me know what their child wanted in advance so I knew how many of each to prepare. I did make a few extras just in case but by doing this I saved time and food waste.
2. Put a selection of crisps in a basket or container for the children to choose from.
3. Have a selection of biscuits for the children to choose from.
4. Have a bowl of fruit for children to choose from. We had tangerines, apples and bananas.
5. For another healthy option, chop up cucumber and carrot sticks. Place them in paper cups for kids to grab from the snack line.
6. Finally, we decided not to have juice cartons as we were mindful of the waste. so we gave each child a cup and had squash in jugs on the table.
7. If you are having the same type of snacks, you could just load all of your food items into the snack boxes and label it with each child's name.

10. Ask for Help

‍Don’t be afraid to ask friends or family to pitch in with a dish or two. Potluck-style parties can significantly reduce your food costs.

‍Bonus Tip: Assign specific categories (like drinks, savoury snacks, or desserts) to avoid duplicates.

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Final Tip: Check if any of your guests have allergies or food intolerances before the event. This way, you can prepare food for everyone.

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By using these budget-friendly hacks, you can create a delicious and fun kids' party spread without the stress of overspending. Happy party planning!