Budget-Friendly Unicorn Birthday Party

It’s no secret that event-planning just isn’t my thing; each year instead of a party I try my best to entice my kids with alternate celebratory activities to mark their birthdays. Sometimes they bite, sometimes they don’t. When they want a traditional birthday party, I’ll throw them one because I know it’s not about me. And the past couple of times, I’ve actually kind of enjoyed it. {But don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.}

Anyway, my sweet daughter lost the birthday lottery and turned 6 on the day after Christmas. She desperately wanted a party here at the house so I agreed. But there were two conditions. 1) It would not be held on her actual birthday; we would wait a week until the Christmas craziness had calmed down. 2) She could only invite 5 people.

Mom, expectation management is the key to successful parties. She grumbled a little that she couldn’t invite her whole kindergarten class but we got through it. I assured her that she would have a wonderful time and feel special, and that it’s not about the number of people in attendance. And then I proceeded to host the easiest birthday party in the history of birthday parties.

Here was the agenda:

{craft} paint treasure boxes
brief playtime as I clear the table for lunch
lunch
{continue craft} glue jewels on treasure boxes
sing “Happy Birthday” and eat cake
open gifts
playtime

The time flew by as the six little girls sat around the table and talked and giggled and it was the quietest, cutest, and calmest birthday celebration ever. Plus my daughter was happy, so there’s that.

Anyway, on to the theme! Approximately 80% of 6-year-old girls choose a unicorn theme, and mine was no different. Here’s the party we put together.

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Décor:

I bought a Unicorn Birthday Party Set on Amazon because it was cheaper than buying a banner and cake topper separately. Plus it came with a matching headband so my daughter was thrilled with that.

For the color scheme I just went with pastels. I only had to buy 2 additional rolls of streamers because I already had several of the colors in my closet from past parties.

This also made it cheaper to buy plates, because I could just buy plain ones at the dollar store instead of buying more expensive unicorn ones.

The party set I got came with both a cake topper and cupcake wrappers/toppers, but I didn’t need those. So instead I bought cheaper plain white cups and used the wrappers and toppers to transform them into unicorn cups.

Activity:

I’d planned 2 activities, but we didn’t even have time for the second one. Basically every little girl I know collects all kinds of tiny treasures, so decorating a treasure box seemed like a fitting activity. The kids were really engaged and focused – it was so quiet! I had them paint the boxes at the beginning of the party, and decorate them towards the end once they’d had a chance to dry.

Food:

My daughter wanted a meat and cheese board with crackers. And pink lemonade. Add in some fruit and veggies and this was sooooooooo easy. Plus, it’s all stuff that my family eats regularly so none of the leftovers went to waste.

And I made the cake because it’s just a round cake so it’s not that hard. But I did forget to buy fondant so I had to make buttercream frosting instead. It may resemble one of the final products on Netflix’s Nailed It!, but my daughter thought it was super cute and that’s all that matters.

I did splurge on a matching gold “6” birthday candle.

And I made dipped pretzels with stuff I already had on hand because they’re just so darn cute and resemble “unicorn horns.”

Favors:

I hate party favor goodie bags. They’re just full of junk that no one keeps. So when I came across these My Little Pony toys on clearance for $4 each, I knew that they’d be a much better favor. I combined them with suckers from the party store that looked like unicorn horns. Probably unnecessary, but they were a fun little addition.

Budget:

You can throw this whole birthday party for right around $100. I will give you a disclaimer that my actual costs were higher because while I planned the party in my head ahead of time, I did all of the shopping and prepping within a 24-hour period and was more interested in saving time than saving money at that point. But I know that several of my items could have been purchased at the dollar store or at cheaper locations. You may find that you already have some of these things in your home. Here’s a breakdown of what I spent for a party with 6 little girls:

Banner/Cake Topper Set: $14
Toys for Goodie Bags: $20
Suckers for Goodie Bags: $5
Goodie Bags: $3
Plates: $1
Cake Plates: $1
Napkins: $1
Cups: $1
Paper Straws: $5
Cake Mix & Frosting Supplies: $5
Birthday Candle: $1
Treasure Boxes (Michael’s): $6
Jewels for Decorating (using 40% off coupon at Michael’s): $12
Paint: $9
Paint Brushes: $3
Glue: $1
Streamers: $2

That totals $90. I haven’t budgeted here for food, because that will vary based on what you choose to serve. But I will tell you that I way over-bought on the food; the kids didn’t hardly make a dent in the lunch I served so most of the food went into our family’s regular grocery budget for the week anyway.

So there you have it – a celebratory, non-stressful, inexpensive unicorn birthday party for about $100. If you’re interested in other birthday party ideas, check out the links below!

A Lego Themed Birthday On a Budget

Budget Birthday Party Tips

Five Birthday Party Ideas that Require Minimal Planning

Minions Birthday Party Ideas

Alternatives to Birthday Candles