Seeking Inexpensive Ideas for Party Bags

Try TARGET. Their $1 area (at the front of the store) has everything, including gift bags to put those favors in. I got all my daughter's party favors from there. They have everything, even books...and coloring books too (for $1!!)

with 20 kids, it will be hard to keep it under $100. But I think you can probably pull it off or spend no more than $100 by going to Target..

good luck.

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Sounds like you've gotten some GREAT responses!

I have to say, I agree with the moms that say, there's really not a need to do a goodie bag! Very few kids need more little tiny toys that break anyway...and then you've spent money on something they'll forget about by the time they get home!

Do something edible - it's cheap for you, and it won't clutter up someone else's house! Maybe candied/caramel apples? Or someone said cookies - you could decorate them with each child's name, and your daughter could help you so she's involved too. You could even do a thick sugar cookie on a lollipop stick and make it like a flower...or do a short stick and decorate like a golf ball on a tee!

Have fun, and don't break the bank! It's totally not worth it. Taking the kids mini golfing is alreay plenty of money spent. No one is going to think ill of you for nixing the goodie bag, they'll probably be grateful! Maybe it will begin to turn the trend back! :)

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Bake cookies and put in a pretty bag, Michael's $1 section has good stuff. There were some kids nail polish that were 3 in a pack, divide it up. Find things that come in packs and seperate. Tie a couple with a ribbon.

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I have to agree with the other mom's about not even having goodie bags. It's just more useless stuff to dispose of into the environment. Who started this tradition anyway?! I have my own theory on this, but I won't bore everyone!! I do think 7 year old party attendee's are getting old enough to realize the party is not about them, but the birthday boy/girl. I explained this to my kids at about 5 years old. They may not have liked it at the moment, but 20 minutes later it's forgotten. It's really how we train them what to expect.

Going a step further...there is a trend startng at my kids school, where the birthday child is actually asking in lieu of gifts, that everyone bring cans of food to donate to a food pantry. We are a big community service school, and the kids are learning an extremely valuable lesson. They still get plenty of presents from family, and they also get the fabulous feeling of helping others. Think of the tradition this can start for our communities! I love it.

This is way more than asked for in your post...
Bottom line, I vote on 86ing all goddie bags!! They are a particular pet peeve for me!

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Definitely try Oriental Trading Company - the least expensive way to do themed party favor bags.

Good luck!

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Hello B.,

I know my kids both love getting a Baskin Robbins giftcard, usually the amount is $2.00 enough to buy an ice cream cone...Hope this helps and she has a great birthday. (=
I have 2 wonderful girls too!

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Hi, B.

I cannot stress this tip enough: DOLLAR STORE and WalMart!! My daughter just turned 6, and we had 22 kids here (and I survived! heheh). Here is what we got for the bags.

Dollar Store:
2 pkgs. bags (12 in each)= $2
24 horns/noisemakers (3 in each pkg.)= $8
3 sheets of stickers- (one pkg. had 2 sheets) = $2 (I cut the stickers into sections for each bag)

WalMart:
Huge bag of pinata filler = $8
This was great because it had not only lots of fun, wrapped candy, but also had flip frogs, tops, tiny water guns, stensils, etc... Yeah, cheaper candy and toys, but hey.. it's a goody bag.. not a gift bag! ;-)

Total for bags: $20.00!! Less than a buck a kid, and my daughters both said they were great bags and would have been happy to receive them at a party.

You've had some great ideas. I hope this helps! Have fun.

L.

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I am doing a Luau theme party in a couple of weeks and have the same concern with not spending a ton of money. I am picking up $1 flip flops at Michaels and having the kids decorate them at the party. But for your party, call ahead and find out the childs shoe size and decorate them ahead of time. If the party is all girls, it will be easier! Tie ribbons around the strap, hot glue flowers or use stick-on jewels to dress them up. You can probably get away with $2.00-2.50 per pair of shoes. For the boys, you may have to get a little more creative or just go any buy the truck-airplane type building kits for $1 at Michaels as well, you will find them in the Summer craft area. Good luck!

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My daughters are 13 and 10 this year. I HAVE NEVER DONE LOOT BAGS. EVER. I have never understood why every child got a present??? To me that devalued the birthday experience.

As a thank you, my child will write a hand note and every child gets a picture with the birthday girl and the present they received from them as well as other “candid shots” from the party (I am taking them anyways!) after the event. This is so much easier now with digital cameras!

At first, my husband was mortified that there would be no “gift bags” but I will tell you…EVERY parent thanked me for not sending home JUNK! AND parents who have been to more than one party and expect no gift bags, STILL THANK ME…YEAR AFTER YEAR. Others have even begun to follow my lead.

The party is about fun and togetherness, not the gift bags. And on a side note, as a Family Health Coach… I ask that you please don’t give out candy.

Remember it is not about keeping up with the Jones’, it is about your ideals, your principals and your values. Don’t let what others “will think” be your guide. It is your family, your son’s birthday party, you will decide what will happen there. And you are also setting precedence for years to come.

B.

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I have a bday party this afternoon for my son. I bought everything for the goodie bags at the Dollar Tree. Some things came in packs of 6! I got a pack of the cello bags 20 for 1$.

T.

I agree with the photo idea. If you really want to make it special then maybe hit the dollar stroe for some inexpensive frames (or walmart or michaels) and jazz them up a bit. They will cherish the pic more than a bag of junk.

If you're even a little handy with a sewing machine, and had some old fabric, you could make capes for the entire party. This may sound daunting, but I once did it for my daughter's pre-school class of 24 and it really wasn't any big deal. I cut out 24 rectangular-(ish) pieces of fabric,hemmed them, and sewed a long piece of pre-made tie across the top of each one---voila, a "cape" the girls were made of princess fabric and the boys were camoflague green and black. But anything would work out well, even if they were all one color. The kids absolutely loved them as they were very unique, and they put them on and "flew" around. Another idea: sock puppets. Use old socks, slit the top where the toes go across the seam, put a cheap paper plate in as the "mouth" and staple or glue one flap on top and one flap on the bottom, creating a big huge "mouth". Then you can glue a piece of red for the tongue, and any old buttons could be eyes, etc. If you have a bunch of notions you want to get rid of, this would be good. A package of big googly eyes wouldn't cost much, plus a few pieces of felt for tongue, bows, etc. If you want to get really involved, and have yarn, you could glue some "braids" down the side to make "girl puppets" etc. Or if you had it all ready, you could have the kids do it. Oriental Trading Co. also has clearance kits for kids that are excellent prices for a dozen of them. Have fun and good luck.

I read some of the responses -- great ideas. One more for an expensive bag is a plain, old brown (or white) paper bag and let the kids decorate it with stickers, stamps, markers, cut-outs from old cards, etc. etc. "Kills 2 birds" by having an activity and a customized bag for the take-home goodies. Also, stay with the KISS principle == Keep It Simple Mom (ok, a little literary license :) ) You don't need to go overboard; pick a budget, stick to it and DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT NOT SPENDING MORE. The purpose of the party is to enjoy each others company, not an over-the-top take home goodie bag. Have Fun. (My 'kids' are 26 and 21 -- save the money for the over-the-top 21st birthday party in Las Vegas -- we survived !!!! lol )

I like to go to Michaels. They have lots of great stuff for $1.00. For Co-Ed parties, I've done a mix-match of drawing/writing tablets & markers. At just $1/each, that's $2 per child. Instead of making a party favor bag, I'll just throw them all into a basket and as the children leave, let them pick a tablet & markers.

i dont like when we get party bags from others and i dont like giving them either. instead i recomend going to the dollar store and buying coloring books or books for the kids.

Hi, If you want to go to www.orientaltrading.com and type in the word 'golf' you will see hundreds of party favors for goodie bags for kids. That is, if you want to stay consistent with your party theme. If you want another theme, they have it all, at super cheap prices. They sell items by the dozen or more. Yesterday I received my order from them for my son's zoo theme birthday party and was THRILLED with the result for our goodie bags...all zoo themed and it only took 10 minutes online to pick out everything I needed.

I love photos as favors. Take a group photo at the beginning of the party, or a photo of each partygoer golfing the 1st hole, and have someone in charge of running them to a 1-hour photo to print out (usually about 20 cents each). For a few more cents per print, most photo processors (in places like WalMart or Walgreens) have a do-it-yourself "prints in minutes" machine that spits out your prints almost instantly. If you have an Internet enabled phone or PDA, you can send from there and just send someone to pick them up before the party's over.

Or, buy a box of golf balls and permanent markers in colors, and let each child color & use their own ball. Bring a few extra in case one ends up in the water, so everyone has one to take home.

And there's nothing wrong with just candy, (uninflated) balloons and noisemakers in goody bags! :)

I agree no party bags full of cheap toys that do not last more than the ride home. I am guilty of this in the past but I have stopped. Especially at the age of 7. I think no bags or I do just one nicer item. Such as for all girls maybe a lip gloss or chapstick if there is boys or a puzzle book or even a reading book. You can find them for a $1 or two?? At Micheals they have small journals for cheap which is a great gift, a place to teach then to write and express themselves. But, I also think taking them minature golfing is gift enough:)

I always gave bubble blowing liquid. Put a piece of construction paper around it and a bow on top. They girls can open them up and use them. Even at 7 the love the stuff. The other thing would be a super bouncing ball or a jump rope. Doesn't have to be lots, just one or two things. You could put that item and a little candy in a fancy bag. You can usually get them in the 99cent store. Walmarts has bubble stuff in packs that make it quite inexpensive. I always kept a tight budget on parties, but the kids loved them and remember them. You are already paying for the golf which is expensive. I had most of my parties in our tiny back yard. We did treasure hunts...I made up clues that the party goers read and went around the yard and house (when older neighborhood and followed to the next clue. The last clue ended up with a "treasure"...usually candy bars that I knew they would like. The picnic table had balloons and streamers hanging over it. Table had a party cloth on it and a cake that I made with cupcakes around it. I served only cupcakes and ice cream in cones. The table had the party favor of usually bubble blowing stuff...sometimes decorated with
construction paper to look like the themes ..sometimes animals. With girls you could do a decorate your own cupcake with icing and sprinkles...they would enjoy that.
Have fun and one more suggestion...don't invite that many children...only a few close friends...my sons usually had about 8 and their two brothers.
H.

I bought a bag of inexpensive gold and silver sunglasses for my daughter's disco party. I think that they were only about $1-2 each...Party City was the store, I think. Maybe that and a flavored chapstick that you can buy in multi-packs.

Do people still do gift bags? In this economy? I wouldn't expect one (as a party guest). One small trinket or memorable item is enough. IMO.

Hey B.,
How about gift certificates to Baskin Robbins for each child? I just did this for my daughter's bday and everyone LOVED it. You can purchase $2 gift certificates, that will save you a bundle. Plus, if you have leftovers, you're not stuck w/ candy or cheap trinkets. You can actually still use them with your family! Good luck!

My first suggestion would be if you have a dollar store near you that would be a wise choice. They have a huge variety of toys and candy, etc. for boys and girls. You could get stickers, candy, toys, and many other stuff. You should have your daughter help pick some stuff out for her friends, after all she knows them best. If not the dollar store I would suggest going to walmart, they have a small, but fun toy secton for about $3.00 or less and by my experience kids seem to enjoy it. Kids love to play just give them a little variety give them some fun pencils or crayons or markers and maybe a notebook they love to color.

dollar stores have that fun sidealk chalk, sand toys and stuff like that, so give a few items and fill the bucket with some candy, you can write the Childs names on the pails to make it more personal.. Just a few ideas, but check it out!

I know this sounds crazy, but what and where did these silly party bags come from. What a waste of money! This doesn't help your situation with cutting costs if you are compelled to have them...I know my kids threw away the bags when they got home because they were just junk and candy. sour puss I know...!!
maybe the other Moms would love it if someone just said
I'm not doing the party bags from now on. Big idea, how about a balloon from the $1 store that is helium that will last a few days and call it good.? be brave
D. That will still cost over $20 right. yikes

For my sons party I went to Michaels. They have craft kits, puzzles, and other toys and stuff for $1.
We had about 15 kids so I bought one for each, we wrapped them up like presents and each kid got one. $15 total plus two pieces of candy attached to the ribbon on the gift, the kids were so thrilled to get a "gift" too. I heard no complaints, from a group of 9-10 year olds thats saying something.!
Even if you go to the Dollar store by the time you buy several things to fill a bag, you're spending a lot. This was so the way to go!
Good Luck!

i went to party city and got bulk items. for my daughters second birthday this is what was in her favor bags- i used brown lunch bags- star shaped sunglasses, twisty straw, little bottle of bubbles, a noise maker and a color page. i printed the color page and also decorated the bag with print offs. i think i spent about 30 bucks on about 10 kids. i made it work for the age range that was at her party (20months to 6 years lol). but you dont really have to do party bags. maybe even just goto the dollar store and grab a bunch of puzzel/coloring books and let the kids pick one on the way out. its all up to you.

How about getting some Tee, ball marker, fun sun glasses and plastic golf balls. They all come in packages so you can get a couple and split them out into bags.

Try the dollar store! My son is having a bowling party and I found miniature bowling sets there for his party favors. I also remember seeing some mini golf sets (like a ball and club kinda thing).

I've been to parties that don't even give out bags and it's no big deal. I would never spend $5 per child. I go to party stores and they have big bags of trinkets, and I buy bags of candy, and I probably spend about $1 per child, and the kids seem totally happy with it.

With summer approaching, check out the swim section for water ballons or pool toys.

Some of our clients have bought new or slightly used books to put into the party bags. They told us that books are much better gift than some useless toys that just got put away once the novelty wears off, sometimes as soon as they got home. Look for our ads under "local business reviews" or PM me.

My 7 yr old still loves bubble juice...and pretty pencils or pens...or what about game tokens...arcade games?

Personally I can't stand getting those little party bags full of little toys from party city, they clutter the hosue. I always get some sort of useful gift. The first year I bought those cute melamine plates at Target with matching cups. I just went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond the other day and got these ceramic plate with four special markers that the kids can decorate the plate and it doesn't come off. They were $4.99 and I used the coupon that is $10 off $30 or more. I used three of them, so instead of $100 it was $70.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&...

Hi
Target, and Michaels have great $1 sections. Michaels has some great little art projects. Also, you could bake and decorate some cookies withyour daughter, and put them in a pretty bag with a ribbon tie.

Good luck

How about a $2 gift certificate to Baskin Robins for each person? My son got this at a party and was very excited about it.

For my son's 7th birthday I got mini Wii Controller candy dispensers at Walgreens for $2 each. I had to go to 2 different Walgreens to get enough. Both the boys and girls loved them. A box of fruit snack gummies for $10 at Costco and celophane bags (24 for $2). So I spent less than $3 per person.

Good Luck planning the party!

Dollar Tree! Also, there is NO law that says you HAVE to have party favors...folks will understand if you don't. By the time they get home they are forgotten anyway...just a thought :)