Are you looking for party planning advice? At GirlfriendCelebrations, we often receive requests from girlfriends who need party planning tips and ideas to help create a memorable girls night. Recently, our girlfriend Renea didn’t want to gamble on creating a memorable 60th birthday party for her mom, so she wrote to us for party favor advice. Renea is planning a night at a casino for the birthday girl and ten others. She is on a budget, yet wants to be creative and loves crafts. We think Renea’s need for frugal party favors is shared by many of our readers; so we put on our party hats and came up with these budget-friendly favor ideas. The ones we’re suggesting match Renea’s casino theme, but you can adapt them to many kinds of Girlfriend Celebrations! Photo via flickr.

Pick something useful

Being frugal with party favors doesn’t simply mean buying something cheap. Inexpensive favors can be had by the dozens, but—let’s be honest—no one wants a cheap piece of junk. Favors that are merely cheap tzotchkes are going to end up in the trash. Instead, select useful or reusable items that your guests will want to keep. That way, you will all have a reminder of your fabulous girlfriend celebration! Here are our recommendations for fun and frugal keepsakes:

The Group T-Shirt

Decorate T-shirts for everyone to wear. This makes it easier to spot someone in your group—ideal for a crowded environment like a casino. You can easily decorate with fabric markers, fabric paint, iron-on transfers, buttons, beads, rhinestones. Best of all, this party favor that can be worn again and again with memories of a heartwarming night out with the girls. Personalize the T-shirts for each individual girlfriend or, here is an example that might be done for all:

On the front of the T-shirt write:

“Hip Hip Hooray!

        It’s 

     Sarah’s 

      60th

    Birthday!” 

On the back of the T-shirt iron-on a fun picture of the birthday girl. If you like, add some other fun details, such as the date of the trip, or stuff about your girlfriend: “a.k.a honey, mom, nana and chatterbox. Last seen with eleven rowdy women ready to gamble the night away!” or “If you see this woman, take a minute to wish Sarah A Very Happy Birthday!”

The Souvenir Cup

The old college standby still works: Instead of wrapping or gift-bagging each t-shirt, try rolling them up and placing in a decorated plastic cup.  Decorate the cups with your message, such as “Hip Hip Hooray, I’m here for Sarah’s 60th birthday.” Be sure to put each guest’s name on her cup. Decorate with drawings of dice , dollar signs, cards, etc. This would be a fun keepsake for each guest to put her chips or tokens in. You might even get a different color cup for each guest or use the birthday girl’s favorite color.  Tie colorful ribbons around the cup for a festive touch. Try adding a novelty such as this inexpensive crystal dice keychain to hang from the ribbon as a whimsical charm. 

If t-shirts are out of the question, simply fill the decorated plastic cup with chocolates, munchies and colorful beaded necklaces found at any party store. The  birthday guests are sure to appreciate their own simple snacks in a hotel room. The colorful necklaces can be worn in the casino will help to identify someone easily in a crowd.   

“Charm”ing Solutions

If you have wine drinkers in your party, create wine charms for your guests to keep and use at their next soiree. You can easily find casino- related charms at a craft store to be substituted into these simple wine charm instructions. 

Or, a “charming” brooch makes for an eye-catching party favor. Create this unique party favor with personal touches to adorn the beautiful birthday guests. Here is a project sheet with complete instructions for a brooch. Remember to substitute casino-related charms in place of the butterflies for a fun birthday memory.  

Renea, any of these crafty party favors are sure to make your guests smile. We hope you like them. Have a great celebration with your mom and her gal pals! Girlfriends! Can you add any other frugal party favor ideas? Please leave them in the comments. And if you’d like some personalized party planning advice, email us!