I hosted over 140 people at my house for my kids' birthday party. I only spent $800, and everyone had a blast.

The line for cake at the birthday party.

Courtesy of the author

• My three kids have birthdays three days apart, so we always throw a joint party for them.
• Because they are all in different classes, we often have a long list of guests.
• This year, we ended up inviting over 180 people and threw an old-school backyard party.

My three kids all have birthdays within days of each other.

Because they are all 8 and under, we can still get away with throwing a...