10 EASY LOW-COST WAYS TO DECORATE FOR BIRTHDAYS

I LOVE and I mean, L….o…..v….e… me some birthdays!!!I think it’s because it is such a celebration…I mean REALLY true, honest to goodness celebration worthy!!Why you may ask?

We are celebrating the ultimate gift…LIFE!

OK, so the fact that I get to celebrate another year or being here for myself, my husband, my children…I mean, honestly…what is NOT special about that?

Birthdays are amazing and SHOULD be celebrated! Whether that is large or small doesn’t matter and is up to personal choice, but celebrated they should be.I am here breathing getting to be alive and think and type and love right now!!All of the amazing reasons I shouldn’t even be alive right now make me so very thankful that I am alive!!!

I feel the same for everyone!! YOU are special, amazing, magnificent and should be celebrated!!

OK, without further ado, let’s get on with it already..the reason you came here…to get some easy, low-cost ways to decorate for birthdays!

Um, so, yah…this should first come with a warning..I am NOT a great baker, nor a Pinterest worthy decor type of decorator, nor am I a professional birthday planner, but I do LOVE my family and have found some fun ways to always decorate on the cheap and wherever we happen to be celebrating.  That is what this article will be reflecting.  

If you are looking for Pinterest perfect, well, you should probably leave now, but if you are looking for sweet and simple ways to honor your loved one and celebrate in their life, then here you go!

 

10 ways to decorate for birthdays!

 

1.  Use crepe paper and balloons to deck out their bedroom doorway. 

So, this is something my mom did when I was a kid and I loved it so much I carried on the tradition.  Once my kids (or husband) are fast asleep, I get out whatever color crepe paper we are decorating with that year (depends on your theme) and balloons and I just use regular scotch tape and tape lots of crepe paper from the top of the door frame to the floor and almost floor.  I use varying lengths and colors and make them very flowy. 

I know there are those prefab things you can buy, and those are fine, but we love the crepe paper doorway.  Also, I have discovered over the years that the balloons don’t want to stick too well to the crepe paper using tape, so I grab some twine and tie double knots around the end part of the balloon and tape the twine in between the crepe paper on the door frame as well. 

2.  Use cheap table covers not only for tables but for backdrops.    

Dollar store table covers are great because you can dispose of them once you are done using them and they work great for so many uses.  I have used a blue one as a backdrop to attach many under the sea cutouts, a black one to make a space galaxy theme, and would totally use a blue one as ripples on the ceiling if I ever got the chance.  There are so many ways you can use these cheap tablecloths.                                                

3.  Use folding tables for every part of the party! 

Whether its an adult or a kid party, why not use folding tables for all of it?  It doesn’t matter if they are ruined through the covers or if the space is taken up there or if they will get heavy use or get rained on, they will still be fine!  Use them for drinks, food, crafts, games, party favors, gift area, and even a place to put jackets and purses for guests.  There really is no limit to how you can use these babies and they can go outside as well!

4.  Use what you have around your house for decorating. 

One year, my youngest wanted a nature-themed party, and so my eldest took it upon herself to decorate the “theme area”, which of course involved a small folding table covered with a green tablecloth.  Well, it was a beautiful idea and worked great.  She got many of her sisters favorite stuffed animals and made them look like they were hiding out in nature and even attached one of her monkeys around one of the legs of the table.  She even collected sticks from outside to decorate the area.  Her sister was overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness and it looked precious! 

I also quite often use a jar from my “glass stash” and add shredded paper inside of it and decor to go with the theme.  Also, since my youngest birthday is the first of the year, I usually ask her as we are putting Christmas away what she would like her birthday theme to be this year and as she tells me, I discreetly keep anything out from the Christmas stash that may be helpful to me for decorating.  It is way easier to sneak a few things back into the Christmas boxes than it is to get them out and dig through them just to find a few things.  

Oh and I also have a secret weapon in my arsenal that I use to make birthday shirts, custom gift wrapping, decorations and more!  This is my secret weapon and the thing that makes me OH SO JELLY TOAST is that THIS ONE Is the newer version of the machine I have and it’s half the price of my 6-year-old model when it came out! So, if you are looking for the best do it all machine…here you go!

5.  Use lights! 

So, whether these are the strands of lights you keep out year round, or you are getting more out to add around the edge of the table for extra punch, or you are buying dollar store LED candle lights for a little flicker, be sure to not miss out on using lights.  Just like lights make us feel comforted and special around Christmas, it does the same around birthdays. Use fairy lights in a jar, use string lights lining a pathway to their gifts, use LED candle lights on the patio or in a jar, but whatever you do, USE lights!  I personally keep them up year-round because they give me comfort, hope, and peace.  

6.  Decorate the area with their gifts! 

OK, I realize you are probably thinking this is a no brainer, but I don’t mean just set them out and let them be pretty. I mean use them in the design.  So, for example, when my daughter did that beautiful display for her sister of the nature theme with her stuffed animals, she put a couple of the animals on top of the gifts as if they are climbing them. 

You can also use the gifts to make a beautiful centerpiece in the middle of the table and surround them with a set of fairy lights.  You could also put them in the middle of the table and cover them up for like a big reveal style thing.

7.  Use their number! 

So, whether it is a shirt with their age on it that you have hanging up nearby, or a wreath that you added their numbers to,  the candle on the cake, or simply on a homemade card, be sure to use their numbers. 

Here is why I believe this is important. 

There are many people that as we get older don’t like others to know their age or to celebrate, but I think that could be detrimental.  With that mindset, are we telling the younger generation, well, you should celebrate now, cause when you get older there is nothing left to celebrate or be proud of? 

In some cultures, it is a blessing to get to be very old and something to be revered.  I am happy to say that as of this present writing I am 45 years old and I am so thankful that I get to be alive to say that!  It’s LIFE people!  It’s a beautiful gift and we shouldn’t take it for granted!!  Be proud of your number and know that you want your attitude towards your number to be one that can be contagious to others!

8.  Pick a theme and run with it! 

So for me, this one just helps me not be all over the map in my brain and to have a basic idea of colors and style keeps it in check and doable.  I like things to be somewhat cohesive, so that works for me, but you do what works for you. 

So, when my husband FINALLY turned 40, I found this super manly cool vintage 40 theme and ran with it.  It was all grays and blues, which he loves and helped keep my focus on those colors.  If the girls want princess, space, nature, etc. then I keep the focus on those colors and styles and it makes it easier to know what I will be and won’t be doing for the decorating.  Having a theme means keeping my focus and therefore my sanity!

9.  If you do purchase decorations, try to buy ones you can either re-purpose or use again during the year. 

I much prefer to decorate with what I already have.  It’s like a want not, waste not mentality I guess. Obviously, there are some cases where this just “ain’t gonna happen” to use my country redneck slang.  So, for example when I bought my husbands 40th banner and 40th vintage party set, well, he is only gonna turn 40 once, so there you go!

You can totally save other banners that don’t have ages in case your kid ever wants a redo on the same type of party.  One thing that we find fun is to buy some of the wooden stuff from Michaels.  For example, we go to the clearance section and find super cute stuff.  One year, we bought those cute things you can put over your face for pics…mustache, big lips, etc on a stick to use for the party, but obviously, keep to reuse during any time of the year.   We put them into a jar we already had with beads to hold them up and put them as a centerpiece in the middle of the table.  They are wooden and can be painted. 

Another fun thing is to add an element that you can use in their year-round decorating.  One year, I bought them large wooden initials and put in in the birthday decor and let them decorate them.  To this day, they are still hanging up over their beds as part of their bedroom decor!

10.  Use pictures or videos of the birthday boy or girl! 

There is something so special about seeing the timeline of a person’s life and all that they have accomplished or seen or done or been through to remind us just how special their life really is!  This can be in a picture display whether a large frame or banner, or in a scrapbook you had secretly made, or a video of their birth or past birthdays. 

So many ways to show that persons’ life and why and how they matter to you that this one is easily a favorite!!  Even if all you have time to do is order a Walgreens scrapbook online, or set up in your phone a slideshow of the past year, just knowing that you are thinking of them in this special way will make a big impact on the birthday guest of honor!

**BONUS**11.  Shop the Dollar Stores! 

I mean really?  Why would you NOT shop the Dollar Stores?  Their decorations rival that of the big party stores for sure!  I even found adorable lego decorations there before.  They have all kinds of decorations, but you have to know where to look!  

Don’t just stay in the party aisle…venture to the toy aisle where they have balloons, party favors, party cups and so much more!  The Dollar Tree is where it’s at!

Be sure you hit that far wall where they normally keep the tablecloths and plates and plasticware.  They also have super cute clear bowls and such that you can really make stand out with the right filler!

Also, hit the holiday aisles as they may have the exact color scheme you are aiming for which has happened to me numerous occasions!  If you are having a summer party and they want red and white, then check it out close to Patriotic holidays and you can score some super cute stuff!!!  

The main idea here is to GET CREATIVE!  Use the kitchen aisle, toy aisle, and everything in between depending on your theme and roll with it and have fun! And, did you know that you can now shop online and they will ship to your local store or your home! That’s a double win!

 

KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE is the way to go! The most important part of birthdays isn’t the decorating or the gifts or the food…it’s quite simply time spent together. And, I am not referring to “checking the box” time together where you are all in the same room and on the devices and everyone sings. I mean really soul connecting time together. Being together and hearing each other. Whether that be on a walk or reminiscing through an older photo album together.

So, however you choose to celebrate birthdays, remember, the time spent together knitting your hearts together for an even stronger bond is what will last for a lifetime, and then hopefully be passed onto future generations.

 

Well, that’s all for now folks.  I hope there have been some ideas to inspire, encourage, or bless you along the way, and if not, well, thanks for putting up with me this long and I hope you come back for more ideas to hopefully edify your journey of life!

 

Comment below with ways you like to decorate for your loved one’s birthdays and how that impacts your family!  Click one of the share buttons to share on social media if you know someone that may enjoy it!