Please tell me it's possible to organise a 4 year old's party for less than ?150 !!!!!!!!!!

[halcat]

My DD is 4 in January and from what I've found out so far it seems that hiring a soft play place or a hall plus entertainer would rack up as much as ?150 before I've even blown up a balloon. So I'm pretty keen to just do it myself but don't know where to start.
Does anyone have an brilliant ideas for activities/games that would keep 15 4 year olds quiet for an hour or so before the cake and sarnies come out?
Please help or I may have to force my DH into a clown costume for the afternoon ( and I'm not sure my marriage would survive it...)

I hired a local church hall (they asked for a donation only), blew up loads of balloons, got bubbles for everyone, bought a face painting kit from ELC, got cheap snacks etc from supermarket and a large watermelon (it was in the summer). I had the wherewithal to do some simple games - musical chairs etc - but the kids really just wanted to run around playing with the balloons and blowing bubbles. The most expensive thing was the cake (about £20). Oh I took a load of shakers and noisy things down with me too.

We do ours at home but never with more than a dozen children. We always have a theme - have done Harry Potter (years ago, when it first came out), Fairies, Pirates, Puppet Making and show, Lemony Snickett, old fashioned tea party etc etc. I organise it to the second as I'm afraid my nerves couldn't stand them running around, so we have a range of games to fit the theme.

I make the invitations, either handmade or on the computer (in fact, I'd love to do this full time!!!), so these are always pretty cheap although time consuming.

I always make the cake to fit the theme too (this probably costs about £6 once I've got things to decorate it). I buy a couple of "big" prizes for pass the parcel etc, again to fit the theme and never more than £1.50 each and then a range of smaller prizes that go in a lucky dip for the other games. Party bags - never more than a pound each and again, to fit the theme.

They have all been fancy dress parties too, so usually spend a couple of pounds in a charity shop for bits and bobs to cut up to make costumes. Food is either hotdogs and salad, followed by icecream and fruit salad, or traditional party tea. We usually try and make the food fit the theme in some small way too.

I don't think I've ever spent more than £50 on a party.

Can you tell that I love organising parties? If ever I get fed up of teaching, that is what I'd like to do - although dh would have to start earning more first I think!!!!

Thanks for all your tips, I am writing them down, keep em coming! Meanwhile after finding 3 chucrh halls that charge ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY POUNDS (after which I needed a swift drink and a lie down) I have found a community centre type place that's only £35. Phew.

gosh what happened to the days when parties were held in the home, with party food, cake and games like pass the parcel, dead lions and musical chairs?

i would hope you could spend less than £150 on a party for 4 years olds! it's for the kids, not the adults; they'll be more than happy.

Missybabang, I quite agree, that's the point of my thread! I don't have room to have it in my tiny house though and when I started looking into hiring places, even little church halls etc, they were asking like £100 just for the room. Hence the cry for help.

Anyway have finally tracked somewhere down that is not stupidly expensive and am going to use all these ideas to have exactly that, a traditional party with party games etc.