I think Trouble’s Sweet Shop may have been my very favorite of all the parties I’ve ever thrown.

It is hard not to feel happy when surrounded by candy.

And surprisingly, 24 children ages 6 and under at a sweets-themed party wasn’t as out-of-control as it might sound.  Of course it did help that the guests waited until they were leaving to fill their goodie bags.

Party Details

Our budget for 50 guests was $200, or $4.00 per person.

Sweets {$75}

The candy was pretty crucial to the theme and I needed a LOT of it to fill those jars (which were borrowed from a friend.)  I ended up ordering most of it from Oriental Trading Company, which had a great selection of retro candy at very reasonable prices.  I also kept an eye out for candy deals while doing my regular shopping, and ended up scoring some great deals on Skittles, M&Ms, & gummy colas.

For party favors, each child got to fill a paper bag (etsy.com, $6) with the candy of their choice.   All the kids were also given their own candy-colored toothbrush tied with tags that read, “for your sweet tooth.”

Crafts & Decorations {$50}

A significant chunk of my decoration budget went to the balloons, which cost about $20.  Luckily most of the other decorations–the paper buntings, pinwheels, glitter lollipops, party hats, ruffled crepe paper, & tissue puffs–were all DiY projects that cost far more in time than money for materials (click the links for tutorials.)  I bought a Sweet Shop themed book of scrapbook paper on sale at JoAnns for $9, then used coupons to get a great deal on the ribbons (which required more than one trip.)  I also waited until the fabric I wanted was on sale, and then used items I already had at home to complete most of my projects.

The biggest “splurge” for my decorations was the pink & white paper straws (etsy.com, $8).  I loved how cute they looked all line up in the mason jars!

Food {$30}

The menu was purposely kept very simple this time around because I didn’t want to waste any time stressing over the food.  A couple of weeks ago I scored a fantastic deal on premium hot dogs, which made them the obvious menu choice.  Paired with a gigantic watermelon and a few bags of stockpile potato chips, we were able to feed 50 people for about $15.  The remaining $15 went to ice cream, cones, & syrup (all purchased with coupons.)

The retro plastic hot dog trays ($2.50 for 4, Amazon.com) were purchased using a gift card earned with Swagbucks.   Since I didn’t spend any out-of-pocket money on them AND because they are reusable, I didn’t include them in my party budget total.

Drinks {$35}

We saved money by mixing up a giant container of lemonade using juice we had squeezed and then frozen from our own lemon tree a few months ago.  We served it in (plastic–no glass by the pool!) mason jars accented with paper straws.  We also served a variety of soft drinks and juice boxes, all of which came out of our stockpile.  Of course no matter how hard I try, I can’t ever seem to find beer for free.  Maybe someday!

Activities {$5}

The kids spent at least the first half of the party in the pool, which was a great way to wear them out.  Later they had a blast playing a “candy toss” game made with bean bags wrapped in cellophane to make them look like candy. As the evening wore down and the kids wore out, I played a Candyland DVD (purchased used on Amazon.com) on our big screen movie projector.  The movie surprisingly had excellent reviews and all the kids–even Trouble–sat there quietly through the entire thing, which gave the parents a nice opportunity to sit and relax as well.

All in all, it was a very fun evening, and I can’t wait to start planning my next event.

After all, Princess turns 5 in just a few short months!

The internet and blogosphere is an almost never-ending source of inspiration, and many sources contributed to the ideas for this party.  I posted my original inspiration board here, and I also found some great ideas at HowDoesShe.com (the ruffled crepe paper backdrop for the candy table), ThoughtfullySimple.com (giant lollipops for the walkway), and TheFavorMaker.typepad.com (toothbrushes as favors–genius!)  Hopefully this party will inspire you to not only throw a fabulous party, but to do it on a budget!

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