Kmart birthday party hack sends shoppers wild: 'Great thinking'

Australia's rising cost of living has impacted many families, but one savvy mum has found a way to combine the cost of a birthday activity with a party bag. The Kmart shopper shared her “awesome” idea on a popular Facebook group, explaining that she actually used the budget retailer as the location for her daughter’s 10th celebration.

She prepared a “shopping challenge” for six children, including her daughter Ellie, which consisted of a tote bag, bottle of water, pen, $20 and a list of rules and items to purchase. The kids were on the lookout for something to eat, wear and do, along with a beauty product and an item ‘starting with E for Ellie’.

The mum shared photos of what the kids were given, and revealed that it ended up being relatively cheap compared to previous parties she had thrown.

“We just did the Kmart party for my daughter’s 10th. It went perfect!” she wrote. “Afterwards [we had] Happy Meals and cake at McDonald’s. Affordable and you know they will eat it! All up it was approx $30 or slightly less per child, which includes their $20 spending money.

“So much fun and honestly the best party I have ever had BUT I think stick to a small number, and I would be thinking 10 is the [minimum] age for this,” she said.

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She elaborated on the event in the comments, saying she had strict rules in place so that the children wouldn’t bother workers or other customers. Kids were also allowed to keep any change left over and she said she was so proud of how well they all did.

“They all kept tabs and the price check machines got a good amount of use,” she added. “[The] person with the most left over is crowned ‘Bargain Queen!’. But obviously it’s up to the host. One child was $1 over and I said to the other children, ‘Who can help their friend?’

“So no matter how good you plan it, sometimes things are out of your control.”

Fellow customers were delighted by the idea, with many planning to hold their own Kmart party in the future.

“Now here’s a lovely idea to teach them something along with having fun. Great thinking mum!” exclaimed one shopper.

“I saw some kids doing this on the weekend and they looked like they were having a fantastic time,” another added.

“This is amazing and a great learning experience. The kids get to learn how to budget and have fun while doing it. Plus you can just chill out and grab a coffee while you wait,” a third chimed in.

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Another said that for those really needing to save money, it’s also possible to do a ‘scavenger hunt’ instead of purchasing the items.

“We did a similar thing for my daughter's party but it was a scavenger hunt in Kmart and instead of buying they took a photo of themselves with it or weary it etc. Examples included finding [the] cheapest item and giving cryptic clues to find a particular item. Bonus points to the first person finished. So the fun without the [cost],” the shopper commented.

Others pointed out that a Kmart party could be great for all ages, including co-workers trying to build a rapport.

“Why can’t this be [a] grownup party idea lol,” a group member wrote.

“Is this appropriate for a 25th???” another asked.

“Can we do this for team building? Think it’s a great idea!” a third remarked.

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