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Forget lavish decorations. Kids hardly notice them.
Litter the ground area with confetti and blow up balloons
galore- that’s all you’ll need for a colourful, festive
setup. |
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Choose not to spend too much on food. Include Junior in
the decision making process: would he like two friends over
for pizzas or burgers, or lots of friends with just chips
and punch? |
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Make cupcakes instead of ordering a fancy cake. You can
even have the guests decorate them as part of the festivity-
just put out colourful icing options, tiny candles, and a
few sprinkles and nuts. |
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Keep watch for free days at museums, galleries, or
theatres for special, memorable outings. |
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Have a limited guest list. Not every acquaintance has to
be at every event. |
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Parks are free. Have a picnic and play some serious hide
and seek. |
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There’s nothing wrong with old-fashioned fun. Skipping,
sprinklers and ball games are awesome summer pastimes.
Marbles and soap bubbles still thrill. Kids still love to go
swimming. |
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Who doesn’t love Play Doh? Fork out for a massive
arsenal of the stuff, then throw in some cookie cutters and
other “sculpture” tools you have lying around. Let the gang
go crazy with their imaginations, then hose them down before
their parents pick them up. |
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Collect a few dozen old magazines, greeting cards,
catalogs and so on. Throw in a few pairs of scissors and
some glue and have a collage party. You could give the kids
a theme challenge to help them focus- “beauty,” “God”
“family” or “Canada,” for example. |
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Simple staples like pizza and a movie are still the
best. |
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Acknowledge that the pressure to keep up with the Jones’
– or the Montana’s- is real. Explain to your child where
that pressure comes from, and why you can’t cave in to it.
Don’t reward the potential tantrum by giving in and going
bankrupt over commercial crap. Reward insightful, caring
behaviour instead by offering compromises. “I can’t afford
to buy you a new pony just because Susie’s mom did. But if
we save on yours and your brother’s birthdays this year, we
might be able to afford the video game you want for
Christmas.” “I am not going to buy miniskirts and makeup
just because Susie is allowed to wear them. TV characters
don’t always show what is appropriate for our family values.
But why don’t we pick up some fun nail polish colours and
have a pedicure party?” |
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There are lots of local talents that need to practice in
front of an audience. Invite would-be singers, jugglers, and
so on to practice at your party. You’d be surprised how many
are willing to do it just for the ice cream! |
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Monkey see, monkey do. It’s all fine and good to tell
your children you can’t afford their every whim, but if they
see you stuffing your cart with every new lipstick or
screwdriver when you’ve got plenty at home, it’s not going
to fly. Practice being choosier and choosing what you need,
with simple, meaningful indulgences that you save towards. |
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Kids love to dress up. Why wait for Halloween? Tell
everyone to come in costume. You can have a theme like
“favourite pop star” or a game where everyone has to guess
what the other kids are dressed as. |
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Never forget the connectivity of the Internet. Put up an
ad asking to rent a giant trampoline from another family, or
buy a used tent for a camping party. |
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The most important thing is to be open about the budget
and involve your child in the process of using it. “We only
have fifty dollars this year. A baseball game at the park
with snacks would cost $20 dollars, so we would still have
$30 left for the pirate books you asked for.” “We have $100.
Is it more important to you to take your girlfriends to the
new Hannah Montana movie, or would you like to have a
slumber party and watch movies with pizza and loot bags?”
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