Free printable
Broke Dads Club · brokedadsclub.com
Birthday party budget sheet
Pick the dollar fence and the kid count first. Then cake, one activity, done.
Full write-up: birthday party math. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser.
The fence
Pick the numbers first. Everything else fits inside.
Dollar limit
Kid count
Date / time
Place
This party is
- Hosting
- Attending someone else's
Spend lines
Food
Cake
Activity
Invites
Gifts / bags
Total
Skip goodie bags if money is tight. Kids remember cake and attention more than plastic that breaks in the car.
Pick one activity
- Park picnic + one game
- Backyard obstacle course
- Fort HQ / blanket fort
- Bake and decorate cupcakes
- Scavenger hunt
- Movie premiere at home
- Other: ____________________________
One theme, one main activity, cake. That is a party. Everything else is garnish.
90-minute run-of-show
- 0-15: Arrive, stickers, free play
- 15-45: Main activity
- 45-60: Cake + song
- 60-75: Open play
- 75-90: Gifts if you want them, then goodbye
Scripts
- To your kid: “Their party was big. Ours will be ours.”
- Hosting: “We're doing park + cake, come hungry.”
- Can't make it: “We can't make that one, thanks for including us.”