How a thrifty mum throws a birthday party for 10 kids for less than $100

October is (along with September) the most common birthday month in New Zealand. Which means that all over the nation, even the most cash-strapped of parents are feeling the pressure to throw parties right now. For Alix Mahy, becoming a mother at 19 and having three children by the age of 25 taught her a lot about feeding and entertaining kids on a very tight budget. She shares how she pulls together a birthday party for ten with just $100 to spend.

Alix Mahy had to grow up fast when at 19 she learned she was pregnant to a guy (also 19) who she’d known for just three months.

But her short-time boyfriend “turned out to be a good one” and, almost seven years later, the pair are still together, living on the outskirts of Christchurch and raising three kids, aged six, two and ten months.

Naturally, money has been tight. But Alix, who became a parent before she had a chance to get a career off the ground, has found a way to combine two burgeoning talents: cooking (she worked in a few kitchens as a teen and now has a family to feed daily) and budgeting (clearly another necessary skill). The result is @onehandstirring – her Instagram and Tiktok accounts which feature cheap, accessible cooking for families.

“I have more time than I have money at the moment, so a huge thing that we do is we shop at multiple different places,” says Alix. “I know that's not realistic for everyone, but I sometimes save up to $50 a week from shopping at two supermarkets. I do everything online, because otherwise I’m taking three kids to the supermarket. But also because then I can see everything in my cart and I know exactly what I'm getting and I don't get the surprise at the checkout.”

Alix says she prioritises eating well over almost everything else, making sure that the family always eats plenty of meat, fresh fruit and veggies. That means that clothes are bought at op shops or sales. “Every week I'll go into The Warehouse and Kmart and I'll just do a quick scan of the clearance section to see if there’s anything in bigger sizes for the kids. And I collect things throughout the year for Christmas, so that's not such a big shock.”

Alix’s suburb is home to a lot of young families – few of whom seem to be struggling quite as much as hers, and so she strives to make sure her kids never feel like they’re missing out. “I’m not trying to impress anyone but I don’t want my kids to feel like they stand out,” she says.

Birthday parties are an example, she says, of the pressure to spend, with parents feeling they need to throw something “Pinterest perfect... And, you know, it doesn’t have to be,” she says. “Kids don't care about the balloon arches and grazing tables and all of that. It’s just not needed. As long as everyone's fed and happy and having a good time, they don’t need bouncy castles and professional entertainment.”

1. Ask your kids what they want. Ask them what they enjoyed at other kids’ parties. Often it will be something like a simple game or type of food. And then make sure to highlight those things.

2. Keep it in-house. Don’t feel you need to go to a venue or hire expensive forms of entertainment. A party in your backyard will be just as much fun, even without a bouncy castle or a paid juggler.

3. Get the kids doing something hands-on. They like getting dirty, getting messy, painting or some kind of craft (see below for craft ideas). If you let the kids play in the mud they’ll think it’s the best party on the block.

4. Swap the goody bag for a take-home craft activity. Not that I’m anti-sugar but kids don’t need a bag of extra sugar or plastic junk that will break in the car. Instead try getting the kids beading bracelets, painting small canvases, or painting terracotta pots (see below).

5. Make mini everything. Small portions are easier for little hands, look cuter on the table, lead to fewer messy leftovers and (bonus) are cheaper.

6. Create interactive food. Let kids decorate their own biscuits, taco cups, or fairy wands (see below). They love creating, it’s cheap entertainment, and then they eat up all the mess.

7. Make a visually exciting table with bright colours. Rainbow jellies, veggie dips, and fruit skewers make the table more festive and visually exciting and create atmosphere without expensive decorations.

8. Re-imagine ordinary foods. Call foods things like “volcano muffins,” “magic wands,” or “rainbow slices” and an ordinary snack becomes a memorable treat.

These are all designed to feed at least ten children.

1. Biscuit fairy wands ($7.70): Glue plain biscuits to kebab sticks with melted chocolate. Mix icing sugar + water, tint with food colouring, pop into piping bags. Set out biscuits, icing, sprinkles, and lollies for kids to decorate. Add ribbons or edible glitter for extra sparkle.

2. Rainbow jelly orange slices ($7.50): Scoop out orange halves (save the flesh for fruit kebabs or salad). Sit in a muffin tray, fill with coloured jellies, chill until set. Slice into wedges with a sharp knife for rainbow party bites.

3. Cheesy braided pizza bread ($5.90): Use a basic bun dough recipe but split into three, braid with tomato/garlic/herb sauce + cheese inside. Top with more sauce + cheese, bake till golden. Slice + serve – customise with any fillings you like.

4. Hidden veggie taco cups with cheese sauce ( $18.97 for 24 mini taco cups): See Alix's instagram @onehandstirring for recipe).

5. Chocolate volcano muffins with berry lava ($10.55 for 12 muffins): Rich chocolate muffins topped with swirls of chocolate buttercream “volcanoes,” piped full of bright berry lava for a dramatic party showstopper. Use your own muffin recipe, or see the recipe on Alix's Instagram.

6.Rainbow ranch creamy ranch-style dip ($6.15 for two cups): Recipe is below.

7.Craft activity/take home idea ($26 for 10 pots): Provide small terracotta pots, soil, and seeds for each child, plus paints and brushes for to decorate their pots at the party. Kids can take them home, watch their seeds grow, and share progress with friends at school – a fun, interactive activity that keeps on giving long after the party ends.

Other than the things outlined above, I bought chips, chopped up carrot and cucumber sticks, made fruit kebabs and served small shot glasses of berry smoothie. Those extras came to $16.00, bringing the total off my food spend to $72.77.

Plus I spent $26 on the craft activity.

Party total: $98.77

A creamy ranch-style dip swirled with natural veggie colours — fun for kids, secretly nourishing, and perfect for a party snack board served with crudites and crackers.

Makes: 2 cups

Prep time: 20 mins

Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

INGREDIENTS

Base ranch dip

Veggie colour blends

METHOD

1. Make the ranch base: In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, sour cream, mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper until smooth.

2. Divide for colours: Split the ranch base evenly into 2–3 small bowls (depending on how many colours you want).

3. Blend in the veggies:

4. Assemble the rainbow: Spoon dollops of each coloured dip into a serving bowl side by side. Use the back of a spoon or skewer to gently swirl them so they touch but don’t fully mix.

5. Serve it up: Add veggie sticks (carrot, cucumber, capsicum) and crackers on the side for dipping.

Tips and variations

• Cheat version: Use veggie baby food pouches (carrot, beetroot, spinach) instead of roasting/blending.

• Make it flecked: Pulse veg instead of blending completely for a speckled look.

• Party hack: Serve in clear cups so kids can see the rainbow layers before dipping.

For more recipes and budget family food ideas, check out @onehandstirring on Instagram and Tiktok.