Tightwad Tuesday: Birthday Edition

My son turns 3 this week and his party is Saturday morning, so birthday planning is on my mind. My number one tip for planning birthday parties is to keep it simple. It is way too easy for parents to go overboard when the kids could really care less. Here are a few other tips I've learned since having a child:

Paper goods: The best place to buy paper goods is at the dollar store. I usually pick a theme for his party and then buy paper products in a solid color to go with that theme. For his first birthday, I even found Elmo plates and napkins at the dollar store. Many times, these are the same brands as are sold at the more expensive party stores.

Presents: Chances are, your child will be overwhelmed with gifts from family and friends. We only buy 2-3 gifts for our child for his birthday. We also do not take everything out of the box at once. A few gifts are hidden back and pulled out once he becomes bored with his new toys. It is also a good idea to put away a few of their regular toys so they can be pulled out later too. The old toys will seem new again after awhile.

Decorations: Once again, keep it simple. I have a friend who finds coloring pages related to the theme, colors them, then laminates them. She uses this as placemats for when the kids eat cake. The kids love this and usually comment on their placemat. I've also used the coloring sheets as decoration around the house by posting them on the doors and walls.

Favors: Favors are not really needed but they are fun and the kids enjoy them. I started a tradition last year of giving away iced sugar cookies as favors. I make enough so the adults can have them too. I have a set of cookie cutters that are numbers so this year everyone is getting a number 3 cookie. They are also getting a cookie with the theme which happens to be farm animals. Cookies are cheap to make and are a fun project with the birthday child. I made the cookies last week and froze them so it would be less to do before the party. We will ice them on Friday and package them up once the icing dries.

Do you have any frugal birthday tips you would like to share? Feel free to leave a comment or a link to your blog post on the topic.

Mexican Orange-Cornmeal Sandies

I first discovered this recipe in high school when I had to create something from another country for a geography class. I found this in a women's magazine such as Good Housekeeping (I can't remember exactly which one). It quickly became a tradition for me to make these and my friends would request it, along with my pumpkin bread, every year. I stopped making these when my child was born but I plan to make them again in the future. They do take a bit of time but they are fun to make with friends or family and they are absolutely delicious.

Mexican Orange-Cornmeal Sandies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
1 tsp orange extract
1/4 ground walnuts
6 oz. chocolate melting wafers

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, salt and soda in a bowl.

2. Beat butter and sugar in a medium-size bowl until creamy and smooth. Beat in egg yolks, rind, and extract until fluffy. Stir in flour mixture and walnuts. Divide dough in half, flatten. Wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate for 30 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

4. On lightly floured surface, roll half of dough 1/4 inch thick. With floured 3 1/2 inch round or star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out dough. If using rounds, cut each round in half. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.

5. Bake in 350 degree oven about 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on wire rack.

6. Melt chocolate in small saucepan (or double boiler) over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat and dip cookies into chocolate. Place cookies on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Let stand until chocolate hardens, approximately 1 hour. Freeze or store at room temperture.

**This recipe makes 30 cookies if using stars or approximately 60 if using half rounds. I've only made these as rounds and I only dip the round part, leaving the flat side without chocolate.
**If kept covered, these will last a long time (assuming they are not immediately gobbled up!).