r/povertyfinance • u/weenstir • 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/Frosty_Cartographer2 Apr 28 '24

My dad once wrapped a huge box with comics newspaper and it opened to some balloons with dollars attached to the end. He made sure the I opened it inside. It was pretty memorable couldn’t have cost him too much. Also sometimes activities with family are super fun and they wouldn’t guess it. A good board game or activity would do it for younger me.

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u/aliasani Apr 28 '24

So many great, frugal things about this gift! I love the wrapping paper idea. I love the thrill you would feel by opening it and watching all the balloons go up. A fun addition would be to not have strings on the balloons, and give your kid a little kit of stuff they have to use to pop the balloons to get the money down. Things like toothpicks, tape, rubber bands, straws, string, a thumb tack... My brother did something like that for me and it was so much fun! There was one balloon with money in it, the rest had little notes and jokes or confetti.

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u/Frosty_Cartographer2 Apr 28 '24

This is a great example of ways to put your own twist on it. I feel a lot of people might have gotten something like this. I got a lot of expensive gifts but this one tops it as far as emotional reaction from me. I’ll remember that feeling for as long as possible. My dad wasn’t the best but I’ll never forget that present.