...of Creative
Frugality
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Creatively Frugal Goody Bags
What are your tips and tricks for creating fun and festive goody bags for
party guests without spending a lot of money in the process?
"It's not
necessarily the most frugal idea, but I prefer my
children receiving/ giving goody bags that are one
'serious' item rather than a bag of junk. My
daughter still wears a t-shirt she was given at a
party two years ago at her best friend's party.
And last year, at my daughter's horse-themed
party, we gave out paperback copies of the classic
book, 'Misty of Chincoteague.' Later in the year,
one of my daughter's friends named that as her
favorite book in a book report for class! I
consider it sort of frugal, because the children
are getting much more long-lasting reward for
these goodies than the ubiquitous bag of stickers
and pencils." ~ Cindy B
"I usually try to be practical. I have
found in the past that goodie bags in general
usually turn into clutter or trash at the bottom
of the toy box. My daughter just turned 5 in
December and here are things that I've done in
the past.
* Look for the travel size Color Wonder sets.
They go on clearance every couple of months at
Walgreen's and other pharmacies. I usually pay
$0.98.
* Have your child make something. This year she
decorated shatterproof ornaments $0.05. Last
year she made homemade coloring books for the
cost of paper and crayons on clearance $0.10.
Next year we will make recycled crayons FREE!
Melt down all broken crayons into shapes and
give in 4 or more packs.
* Cute socks or mittens for under $1.
* Buy mini art canvas at your local craft store
for about $1.10 & have your child paint her
friends a picture (her self-esteem will
roar).
BE CREATIVE & ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR CHILD.
You'd be amazed at the talent locked away in
their little hands." ~ Laurie
"Have
kids make their own goody bags! Include a craft
project into the birthday party. There are tons
of great ideas on-line that you can fit to
particular themes. We had fun making clothespin
bees, coffee filter butterflies, and cotton ball
caterpillars for a bug themed party. Then, just
give them a brown paper lunch bag to use for all
of their creations. They can even decorate the
bags to help identify them. At another party I
attended, the mother handed out empty bags and
the children collected the toys and candies from
a piņata to take home. There is also a fun
party game, played like hot potato, where
children pass a large present around a circle.
When the music stops, the child with the present
unwraps one layer and finds a small goody
(lollipop, small toy, etc.) and then leaves the
circle. There are enough layers for each child
to get something.
" ~ Jeanette
"I'm a little on the crafty side, so to
me, goody bags are as much about
presentation as content. You can pick up
a large pack of white coffee filters and
rubber stamps at the dollar store too.
Did you know that coffee filters can be
stamped on or painted on? Flatten out the
filter, use ink or craft paint to stamp images
randomly on the outside. Let them dry. Place
a handful of candy or trinkets in the center
of the filter and gather up all the edges. Tie
with a matching ribbon (It helps to have an
extra set of hands for the tying.)" ~
Sarah
"We usually do goody bags for our
children's parties. However, for my
daughter's upcoming birthday we are opting for
a different spin. We are doing a pinata
and the goodies will be the candy the children
will receive from the pinata, followed by the
birthday girl adding a couple of small tokens
to the each child's bag (i.e. character ring,
stickers) after the pinata candy collection.
We also always give each child a balloon
(taken from the party decorations) at the end.
Another nice way to keep the cost down is to
make food for the goody bags. For example,
make people 'puppy chow' for a dog theme
birthday party, or cut out party themed
cookies made and decorated with the birthday
child's help are a big hit. Chocolate candy
molds can also be found for just about any
theme. Regarding the bags themselves: my older
daughter wanted to decorate her goody bags for
her last birthday party. I gave her brown
paper lunch bags and craft supplies and they
came out very cute." ~ Jen
"Why not Goody Boxes?!
They can be made from plain, colored or even
gift wrapping paper that you have on hand (thin
paper is easier to fold than thick). How about
making a box that would hold a cupcake to take
home instead of a bag of goodies! We first
learned about these boxes at a summer school art
class when my kids were little. You can also
make these boxes to give a gift in, when you're
invited to a party!
Goody Box:
- You can make
the goody boxes (or have the kids make them
as part of the party) from plain white paper
you have on hand. The kids can color or
decorate them or the birthday child can
water color them in advance so they're dry
by the party date. You will be making
two of these, one as a top (12 1/2"
square) and one as the bottom (12"
square). Use any size paper you wish as long
as one sheet is 1/2" smaller than the
other. http://tinyurl.com/275zhg
- Here are a
few visuals from YouTube:
http://tinyurl.com/yqkkua
http://tinyurl.com/2yqn6h
http://tinyurl.com/2myk3r
(done by a young boy)
http://tinyurl.com/23vc5m
(my personal favorite)
Dollar Bill Box:
- This is
a very small 'match box' which would take
two new, or very crisp one dollar bills. You
would make these in advance of the party and
give one box to each child instead of a
goody bag, weather or not you put something
in the box is up to you (maybe a small
folded Thank You note from the birthday
child is all that's needed). You could also
make the box with 5, 10 or 20 dollar bills
to use as an adult or child's gift
(Christmas, Graduation, Birthday, ect.)
http://tinyurl.com/aj9je
Have fun!" ~ Lyn Y.
"I'm deep in
the planning phase for my daughter's birthday,
so this topic is near and dear to my heart.
She'll be 7 this month. We only have parties
every other year, which helps to hold down
costs. In addition, my goal for this year's
party was to use what we have around the
house for as much of the party as possible,
including favors. I'm an avid knitter and I
happened to have a good deal of feltable wool
yarn and a great little purse pattern. I
designed a heart motif for the bag and 'Sweetheart
Party' became the theme. I knitted 8 purses and
felted them and the girls will take these home
as their goodie bags filled with heart cookies
they will be decorating. Having the kids make
their own favors means that the cost of the
activity isn't just spent on the activity; it
covers the cost of the favor, too.
In the past, I've
downloaded printable coloring pages based on the
party's theme to make coloring books for the
favors. The kids have colored the covers and
I've added either crayons of colored pencils
(bought on sale at back-to-school time for just
this reason) to make a fun gift for the younger
crowd to take home.
For my son's 9th
birthday this past fall, we had a 'Wacky
Olympics' theme and the favor was their medals.
We stuffed little yellow party bags with
extreme candies (like Red Hots and Zots) and
hung them from ribbons. Everyone got a gold
medal! We've also made really big chocolate
chip cookies and wrapped them in foil and hung
them from ribbons for other Olympic parties.
I think that if you
can tie a favor into the party's theme, it is so
much more thoughtful than an obvious bag of
plastic junk from the Dollar Store, and it often
turns out to be just as economical. Start by looking
at what you have available to you and what your
strengths and interests are and plan your theme
and favors around that. The costs will be
low while the fun and creativity zooms to new
heights!" ~ Anne Margaret
"As a mom,
I dread having a goody bag come home with a
dozen items for me to pick up off the floor.
So I try to fill my kids' goody bags with
perishable items. This way, the goodies
can be consumed as treats and then tossed in the
trash. For example, I usually put a juice
box and some type of individually packaged
treat, like Goldfish or Cheez-its. I
purchase the juice boxes and treats on sale
during the month or so prior to the birthday
party. I also like the $1 sticker books
you can purchase at A.C. Moore Craft stores.
This is a big item (+500 stickers for $1).
Also, during the year, I try to find on
clearance items like pencils or erasers or
school- related items for the treat bags.
I think a goody bag only needs to have 3-4 items
in it to be fun and affordable." ~ Michele
"There is a
restaurant called Eskimo Joes that sells its
22oz cups in all colors. They have one
cup that glows in the dark and two that change
color when you put cold drinks in them.
If you order them by lots of 10 you get them
for $.60 each. I have used these as
goody bags for my order children and their
friends. I would recommend calling in
your order because that's the only way to
specify which cups you want. An Internet
search might turn up the same cup for cheaper
without the logo." ~ Kathy
"Instead of
goody bags, I took pictures of all the kids at
the party. When my child wrote her thank you
note, I included a picture from the party. The
kids enjoyed getting mail and they had a
memory that lasted longer than a sticker or
pencil. My kids are all grown now and they
still remember to write the thank you
notes." ~ Mom R.
"If you had a helper,
take a digital picture of each guest with the birthday
girl, download it and print it out before each
child goes home. One year for my daughter's party (and
the guests may have been a little older,) the
girls decorated their own frames with glue and jewels
and inserted their photo before they left.
We have a bunch of natural
quartz rocks all over our area and yard, so the kids
painted clean rocks and carried them home as
paperweights. I have used smooth river rocks as 'prayer
rocks' for my 5-6th grade Sunday school class. I
try to stay away from the candy and junk food for goody
bags. I like the idea of pencils, extra balloons, themed
stickers, little note pads, colored pencils -- anything
artsy!" ~ Colleen in GA
"For several of my
daughter's parties, I bought a bouquet of carnations
from Walmart or Sam's (generally about $8), wrapped one
or two (depending on the number of guests) with
pretty paper and ribbon, and gave them out at the end of
the party. The girls loved them, they were beautiful and
unusual, and I didn't have to buy a bunch of useless
junk that usually comes in the goody bags." ~ M.A.
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"One of the best ideas
I've seen for goodie bags was at a party that my boys
attended at a friend's house. The mother had set aside all
of the kids' meal toys that her children had received
throughout the year - and from those of friends who didn't
want to give them to their children. She used those and a
large mixed bag of plastic bugs (it was a boys' party) to
create a theme and fill the goodie bags.
In my neighborhood the
struggle is what to do for a take-home craft and one of
the most fun that I've done and the least expensive was to
save up the food can lids (my can opener leaves a smooth
edge) and paint them red. I hid them around the house and
the yard for the kids to find them as a treasure hunt. I
had each child bring a picture of him/herself along to the
party and we glued them on and the kids used paint pens,
stickers, etc. to decorate the backs before I put varnish
over them. I had punched a hole in the top of each one
before-hand to make them into little Christmas ornaments
(my son's birthday is in November). I also wrote the
child's name and age and the year on each on as a
keepsake." ~ Melissa
"Depending upon the
event, there are many options.
* Brown paper bags, or make fabric bags. If you
don't sew, ask someone with a machine. Gather
extra fabric you have stashed about (or even ask
the sewer if she has large enough scraps) and make
simple fabric bags.
* If all the kids do not know each other, wear name tags
and play get to know you games. If the kids all
know each other, skip this part. Each child puts their
name in Big Letters on their paper bag or on a piece of
paper safety pinned to the fabric bag.
* Add a 'My Favorite
Recipe' Card. This is especially great if the birthday
child has food allergies. This is a chance to share a
recipe for a yummy treat with others. It's
education and a personal gift. You or the b-day child
can explain their food allergy or medical condition and
what that means. It's a huge, gracious and loving
door opener for kids/parents who always wanted to know
more but were afraid to ask. Who knew there were vegan
cake recipes? Share a slice of who you are. It means
more than you think. You can also ask the party
guests to bring their own personalized favorite recipe
for celebrating a birthday. Tell them how many to
bring. When they arrive, they can put them in each other's
bag. It's a great memory keepsake of friends in
later years. Our Family has two standards -- Recipes Or
'My Favorite/Proudest Project This Year'. Always a hit!
* Index cards (or one
piece of paper) of b-day girl's favorite recipes,
decorated with crayons or as you choose. Added:
Put Ups, Popcorn/Popcorn Bal. Kool-aid packet.
Photo, Penny Present.
* Index cards (or one
piece of paper) of boy's favorite how-to hobby
project, decorated by the birthday boy. Added:
Put Ups, Popcorn/Popcorn Bal. Kool-aid packet.
Photo, Penny Present.
As a goodbye game, have
people write 3 put-ups for three people on the back of
fun wrapping paper, or index cards or paper decorated by
the birthday kid. Put ups are nice things you like
about that person. Even have the adults in
attendance write put ups for children that are not their
own such as 'I like you,' 'You are funny,'
'I like that you helped me serve cake.' They can
also add things about things they like about them at
church, at school, at play time: 'I like that we can
talk about books we have read.' Then they
individually put them in the right bags.
* Add a popcorn
balls. Or colorful popcorn seeds in a baggie and
taped on the bag is a handwritten message, 'You made
my party pop! Thanks for coming to my party.'
* Add a packet of kool-aid. On the back the attached
note: 'You're sweet. Your next party is on
me!'
And you have just given
the recipient their own party tools -- popcorn and Kool-aid.
Ownership is everything. Not the amount of $$ to get
expensive favors.
If you have a helper at
the party with a digital camera and you are savvy
about printing them yourself, add a picture of the
party guest with the birthday child. These can
be posed, or candid. Moms love to put these kind of
goodie bag treasures on their fridge or in scrapbooks.
You could also pre-bag a picture of the b-day child in
their favorite outfit, or with their pet or on a
family trip. This photo gift is different than school
pictures and means that the child has let their
friends in on a special part of their life that they
may not get a photo of. Have the birthday child
write about themselves or a special note to the
specific guest on the back of the picture.
Another frugal idea is having the birthday child get
shiny new pennies from the bank. Let them own this
experience by asking the teller themselves! On
construction paper tape a shiny new penny. Let
the child decide if this is a gift of a lucky
penny. You can write, 'I'm lucky to have you as
friend. This is a lucky penny!' or if you don't
want to encourage 'luckiness,' write about a penny
saved is a penny earned and that they are rich because
they have a friend like you. Simple is good. Symbolism
is good too.
I've also seen it where the birthday child does quotes
research, or the history of the penny research, money
related bible quotes, and makes their own Certificate.
Tape on the penny as the 'seal' after its signed and
dated, rolled up like a diploma with raffia or ribbon.
Presto! Simple but memorable goodie bag substitution!
I once had a child use the certificate maker on a
printing program and make each guest their own
personalized certificate of honor! They were so
creative! I could never have thought of half of what
came naturally to her. This could also be hand-created
for those who don't want to bother with computers.
The more they own the
creation of the goodie bag treats, the better the
treats are. Candy is never needed.
A great frugal and
appreciated wedding favor can be handmade soap. Ask
around. Someone you know probably makes their own
soap but doesn't advertise. And far cheaper than
buying handmade soap at the store! Send out as
a cube or as a slice. Wrap in fabric, or if
you find a washcloth stack sale. White washcloth
wrapped in the bridal party color ribbon. Honest!
The card can read, 'Thanks for celebrating our
special day. It's nice to see you clean up well!' or
something equally as witty. Be sure to include who
made it and their contact info if they are
interested in some cheap advertising or mention
'We thank Aunt Amanda for making this
special gift.' Sure beats pastel mints no
one ever eats.
* Philanthropy Goodie
Bag Gifts -- Especially for older children who are
passionate about a cause close to their heart.
Tally up how much you would spend on goodie bags
and gifts. Ask child where they want the
money donated. Donate that amount.
* Have the child
create a certificate in the guest's honor for them
explaining how a gift was made in their name to
the non-profit and who/what the money will help.
Also have the child explain why they care about
that organization. I have seen this be the
most powerful dynamic in a group of friends.
They talked about what mattered to them. And
eventually over time each child did the same for a
birthday they had.
One child cared about
Grandpa's heart attack. We introduced him to the
Heart Association or he could donate to the ward
at the hospital where grandpa stayed. He wanted
to help the heart association. We went down
to the office and he explained what he wanted to
do. You should have seen the look on their faces.
He even brought a picture of him and grandpa
fishing so they could see grandpa too, even though
he's gone. He got free pens from the local chapter
and a hug from the director. I've never been
more proud. His certificate had the same
picture of him and grandpa together and Heart
association pen was his gift to his party
buddies.
Another wanted to
help the Humane Society and the girls brought in
small kennel sized flannel and polar fleece and
even towels. The girls cut them, knotted
them and delivered them to the humane society for
part of the party.
One of the boys cared
about a local creekbed that was junky with
garbage. He told his party friends to bring grubby
clothes. They cleaned the creekbed and then
came home to party and celebrate. It was
amazing to see so much caring in action. A dad
brought his video camera and captured it, plus
took each child aside on the scene and had him say
something special about the birthday boy.
The things those kids said melted your heart.
Give them an
opportunity to make a difference on the day they
celebrate as their own. You'll be surprised
and inspired. The party all but plans itself.
Music Mix CD
Photo Mix CD
Seed
packets
A few bulbs for
planting with instructions.
* For young readers,
get nice used books at garage sales. Picture
books for younger readers and chapter books for
older readers. Have the birthday child make
bookmarks. Encourage literacy without
breaking the bank!
* For girls. knot
ribbon around black hair elastics. Always a hit,
but really frugal fun. You can even have the girls
make them as an activity. Girls love it when
they see their friends wearing them at school or
at church. 'Mom! Mom"! Molly was
wearing our hair ribbons today.'
* Tye Dye your own
Goodie. We asked guests to bring a clean
white t-shirt once. One girl brought a bag of new
white socks instead. We tye dyed on the drive way,
left the shirts out to dry having cake inside and
everyone took home their own goodie treat!
Great for guys or gals.
Online:
Photo Personalized
Card Decks from online specialty merchandiser (Google
search and compare prices). Some require minimum
of 25 decks per order. What is not used at the
party can be given as thank you gifts to
friends/family who send in cards/gifts and shared
with others throughout the year.
Happy goodie bag gift
giving!" ~ Bee
Editor's Note: Thanks to these readers for taking time to share
their ideas!
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