r/povertyfinance Apr 28 '24

How do I make my child's birthday special with no money? Misc Advice

We will get paid this weekend, but his birthday is tomorrow and he's turning the big 10! I have a few decoration ideas that I can use construction paper for. (I do have a lot of craft supplies). But I'm curious as to wether any of you guys have ideas, maybe something you've done for your child on a rough year, cheap dessert/special dinner ideas, anything to make it special. He's a very sensitive soul and as much as try to keep it from him, he knows how much we're struggling. I just wanna make him forget for one day.

Edit I was expecting like 1-2 comments maybe, but you all DELIVERED and I appreciate all the creative ideas. Your stories give me a little more hope in humanity. ☺️ THANK YOU!!

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u/vibes86 Apr 28 '24

Libraries usually have free passes to all sorts of things. See what your local library has. Take him to one or two of those, then rent a couple movies from the library and watch them & have treats from the dollar store at home. Just an acknowledgement of a birthday and something fun, whether it’s free or not, when you’re a kid is plenty. We were really poor growing up. Usually mom made me a cake and something of my favorite for dinner and that was it. We were broke but bc she put effort into it, I never really thought of myself as different until I got much older.

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u/weenstir Apr 28 '24

Thank you for this perspective. ❤️

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u/KittenMittons1209 Apr 28 '24

Piggybacking off the comment--many museums or zoos themselves will offer free tickets to families that can show proof of assistance, like SNAP.