Party bag toys - how to make great value loot bags on a budget

Hard work, isn't it? You have to think about where to hold the party, how many people to invite, what games to play, what food and drink to have, what cake to bake and which kinds of party bags to offer round at the end.

And those party bags can be hard work to put together - not to mention expensive. But there are some ways you can cut down on the costs of buying party bag toys, so let's look at how you can make this task as easy as possible.

If you want to keep costs down and buy cheap loot bag toys, you need to make sure you aren't going to be rushing round trying to find suitable items at the last minute.  Buying online is often cheaper than buying in the stores, because you have a wider range to choose from and postage is often quite reasonable as well.  You might also get a discount for buying in bulk from the same place.

Make sure you know what your budget is first of all. Find out how many party bags you will need and then divide that number by the budget you have set aside for them. This will tell you roughly how much you have to spend on each bag.

Aim for four or five items in each bag, plus of course the slice of cake. And don't forget you have to buy the bags as well.

It's a good idea to work out how many of each bag you will need. Since you can theme boys party bags and girls loot bags differently, the kids will appreciate getting something more specific to their likes and dislikes.

For example boys love themed party bags on pirates, cars, cartoon characters and much more besides.  Girls love princesses, fairies, creative items and other similar things.  Some items will be suitable for both boys and girls, so make sure you have a good mix of items to buy and fill the bags with.

You will need to think about buying two sets of party bags as well if you want to theme them differently for the boys and girls.  Either that or buy something more generic that both of them will like.

Your party theme could well have a direct influence on the kind of party bags you create. For example if it will be mainly boys at the party you might decide to opt for a pirate theme.  In this case you should try and find some of the following items to fill the loot bags with:

1. Pirate stickers
2. Pirate temporary tattoos
3. Model pirates to play with or paint
4. Pirate colouring books with small pencils or crayons
5. Pirate eye patches

For girls you could pick a fairy theme and look for some of the following items:

1. Fairy stickers
2. Colouring in books filled with fairies
3. Small fairy wands
4. Fairy temporary tattoos
5. Mini fairy themed jigsaws

As you can see once you start thinking along the right lines you will find there are plenty of things you can buy to fill the party bags with.

As you can see, if you set your budget early, give yourself enough time to find and buy everything you need and shop around for the best prices, creating your own party bags doesn't have to be as bad as you might think.

Just remember to figure out the split between boys and girls, and plan your theme(s) accordingly. And don't forget to buy a few spare items in case you end up with a few extra guests!