Finger food rocks. It’s easy for guests to serve themselves and eat without any utensils. It’s less clean up for you too and if you put enough of it out, you don’t have to monitor it every minute. You can relax and party on too!

A few of my favorites:

• Fruit skewers (because it’s summer and fruit is soooo delicious right now) – slice up kiwi, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe. Grab a few grapes or strawberries and BAM! You’ve got an awesome stick of fruit. The sticks can be used for toothpicks when the fruit is all gone for those stubborn strawberry seeds!
• Ants on a log (a classic!) – cut up sticks of celery about 4 inches long, fill with peanut butter and top with raisins. If you’re worried about peanut allergies, feel free to use cream cheese instead – still YUMMY.
• Make sandwiches (ask your birthday boy or girl what they’re favorite sandwich is and go with it!) – use a fun cookie cutter to make fun shaped sandwich bites! Don’t toss the scraps. Save them to have as a little snack for yourself later 🙂

These are just a few finger food ideas that will keep you on track with your low-budget birthday party planning. Now that it’s summer, there are so many fresh veggies and fruits available. Farmer’s markets are a great place to shop for all your needs. They’re local growers and inexpensive. Try incorporating your little one’s favorite foods so that they feel even more special. Food along with friends and family brings everyone together. Why not make the food, party and your planning easy and delicious?