Putting the "Good" in Goodie Bags

Are your kids like mine?  They LOVE goodie bags at birthday parties.  No matter what is in the bag, they are so excited to get a little trinket or token to bring home from another kids' birthday party or an event.  And as a mom I get really excited about putting together my kids' birthday parties and that includes making up some sweet goodie bags.  But...when the parties get bigger it's hard to shell out the $$ for 20 goodie bags if you want to put more in there than just a sticker and some fruit snacks. 

And that is where my love of savvy shopping comes in!!  With a little bit of pre-planning and some bargain hunting skills you can please all of the little guests at your kids' parties without breaking the bank.  I watch clearance sales all year and save the things I find for my kids' birthdays.  For example, my son is having a baseball birthday party in a few weeks.  I scored some mini Royals helmets at Target on clearance a couple of months ago that will be added to some baseball cards and some gummie hot dogs and crackerjack I got on Amazon.com at a discount and we're good to go!  I'm even more excited about my daughter's goodie bags for the pool party we're planning for her.  Just yesterday I found that the "dollar spot" at Target was marked down to 90% off!!  (So...doing some quick math...that made everything just 10 cents!).  I picked up a bunch of sand buckets and pool balls there (getting enough for her entire preschool class for just a few bucks) and then got some pool toys at 75% off that I will also include.  I'm estimating that each goodie bag will cost about $1, but they would have cost $5-6 or more if I would have got everything at full price! 

I think that the dollar section at Target or the dollar store is a great place to start, even if you aren't getting things 90% off.  They often have great items there.  Also watch for things like pencils and little trinkets at post-holiday sales.  Even though the little tubs of Play-doh are Halloween colors, they could still be perfect for your childs' birthday party in March! 

Bottom line is that by buying ahead and taking advantage of sales and clearance deals you can not only save on birthday gifts for your own child, but you can send home all of their friends with more than just the standard goodie-bag-o-junk for less than those pre-packaged goodie bags cost.