A pizza party with backyard games is always fun and not very expensive.

Camping in the backyard can be lots of fun too with a self organised disco or so and fairy lights in the tree. I’m sure they’ll have loads of fun

A trip to the local park or beach. Snacks and cake is a must! Drinks maybe a few outdoor games to play if you’re expecting a few. You don’t need to spend heaps to have a good day

Choose a local park with some shelter in case of poor weather and provide chips, popcorn, fruit, and a cake. Take some sporting equipment like balls, frisbee, etc, and let them loose. They’ll have fun and it wont cost you much at all.

Like others suggested as well I would do a dvd movie night followed by a sleepover. You could let them make their own pizza in the evening or so, but really I found food is not the most important. They’ll have fun anyway.

Lots of good suggestions. How did the party turn out?

I never had problems with my kids because they are the easiest to budget. I used to say invite only so many and just keep it simple. Bargain shops always for cheap decorations and supermarkets got everything , the frankfurts, crackers , chips. My son was the only one invited to a friends birthday one time because he sent an invite out to him without his mother knowing , so they had a great time together and I said you are a special friend .

I did an 11 years party on a budget one year .. And it was s huge success I had cup cakes pies pasties etc Then we had a pamper party where I bought some cheap face paint kits and shared then amongst the girls and they painted each other’s faces .. Then I painted each girls nails in a choice of my nails polishes I already had at home .. They also got given a bag each to fill with lollies of there choice and a cup cake as they were leaving .. They thought it was great and had a ball and did not cost the earth

Pretty sure she would love a sleepover. Pack them all in on the floor in the lounge room. Organise some DVDs, a couple of games maybe. And if funds stretch far enough, see if you can get some creams, nail polishes, even cucumbers for a girly pamper session. Camping can be cheap, and fun. Or you could have a party and ask guests to bring a plate of food and maybe games to play. Then you can spend your funds on party bags etc

Group bike ride and picnic or icecream at the end? Camping trip with a campfire and toasted marshmallows with a bush walk

Depending on how “girly” she is, I would suggest buying some travel or small cosmetics, creams and sprays, nail polish etc and do up some pamper packs. Invite a couple of friends over, set up a room with pillows and nice things and let the girls go.

At this age they are ready for sleepovers; keep the numbers small; dvd’s, snacks, music, pass the parcel is still fun at this age; scrunchies, cheap bracelets and other such items are good for pass the parcel. Mattresses in the lounge for the sleepover and pancakes for breakfast in the morning.

I’ve found kids of varying ages love to do craft projects at parties. Maybe check out all the craft ideas on this site or google some ideas to see what you might be able to do with stuff you already have around the home. Kids have fun just getting together and dancing and eating cake – you really don’t have to spend a lot of money. Good luck!

Depending on where you live and what the weather is, perhaps you can have a special picnic with fun games. Ask some older people how they celebrated for game ideas. Another fun party is a sleep over with some friends and movies and foods, music etc they enjoy. Or they could have a cook up in your kitchen. You can treat her and her friends to a facial and teach them some grooming tips. They might like to put on a concert and do skits, have a themed costume party. Or take her and a few friends to a museum and art gallery this may be something they have never done before. Ask your daughter for ideas, she will know what will be a good fit with her friends. Rember less is more!

Try a sleep over either with a couple of friends or if not friends cousins and take them to the pools or something if it’s hot. check out free things to do in your area on google can give you great ideas

i totally agree with grabbing a few things every week. buy things from a discount shop. food is the big expense so finger food is great. To the kids, it is eating on the run because they are busy playing. make things like egg sandwiches, fairy bread, nutella fairy bread, cheerios/mini frankfurts, party pies, bbq sausages

play games like possum, tunnel ball races, musical chairs and winner gets to pick from a set of blown up balloons, and pop to see prize. be crafty but the kids will be happy socializing

It’s harder today to have an affordable birthday but, it is achievable. I start by adding 1-2 party items in my grocery shop ahead of time. Kmart & similar stores have plaster models in kits that you can share among the guests and they can paint them to take home (very cheap), add some dancing music (string up Christmas lights around the room for atmosphere) and when they get tired have afternoon tea & cake (cup cakes you & your daughter make & decorate). Go to Cheap as Chips/Reject Shop for goody bag treats (glow sticks, erasers, pencils) anything that comes in multi packs works out really cheap when divided up. Good luck, don’t stress and have fun.

For one of my son’s birthday (he was about 12) we had a sleepover with all the usual party food at night. DVD’s and games were the in thing, so after cutting the cake that’s what the boys did.
Serve popcorn and soft drinks. In the morning we took them to a local park and cooked eggs, sausages, and bacon on the BBQ. They had a short game of football then the parents came and picked them up about 8am at the park.