10 Cheap Party Bag Ideas

Need a quick list of cheap party bag ideas for an upcoming party or gathering? Here are some things that you can do that are a little different!

Homemade Cookies

Bake a batch of your favorite cookies and wrap them in clear or colorful cellophane, tied off with a colorful ribbon.

If you didn’t serve dessert at your party or you just want to send your guests home with an extra sweet treat, this is a great way to do it. This is a great cheap party favor for all ages! Here are some of my favorite cookies for this:

• Mom’s Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
• Homemade Milano Cookies Recipe
• 4 Ingredient Chocolate Meringue Cookie Recipe

Seed Packets

For the perfect cheap party bag idea for your friends who enjoy growing things, include assorted seed packets in a small burlap bag. These can be seeds from the store that you repackage or seeds that you grew and saved from your own garden.

This is a great gift for multiple ages of party-goers. Create a custom seed packet with these Free Seed Packet Printables.

DIY Craft Kits

Put together small DIY craft kits with simple supplies for a craft project. This can be a great party favor for a children’s party.

Instead of just sending them home with plastic toys, you are sending them home with something engaging that will give them something to do for longer than a cheap toy that will probably just break.

Personalized Bookmarks

Create personalized bookmarks with a heartfelt message or a special quote that reflects the theme of your party or is something meaningful to your guests.

I remember that I always used to make bookmarks for my friends back in the day. It was such a simple, inexpensive gesture that book lovers (and homeschoolers!) especially enjoy.

Mini Potted Succulents

Mini potted succulents are a sweet but low-maintenance gift that can double as party decor first before your guests take them home.

If you grow your plants and don’t have succulents, just re-pot what you have (hello, 50,000 spider plants!) and use that instead!

Customized Tea Blends

Blend and package your own tea mixes for a special gift idea that is unique to your party. You could even give the tea blend that you make a unique name related to your party theme!

Here are some favorite teas I make:

• Creamy Pumpkin Pie Tea
• Strawberry Apple Dried Fruit Tea

Bath Bomb Minis

Mini bath bombs are a fun party gift that feels like a luxury item because it’s not something people buy for themselves often.

Package a few in a mesh bag (or anything see-through) and give them as gifts. Use my Homemade Bath Bombs recipe for a frugal DIY.

Brownie Mix

Homemade mixes make a wonderful party favor and if you already make them for yourself, you know how cheap they can be!

Brownie Mix is a fun one to make for a gift but you can do almost any other food mix as a gift. Some of my favorites are:

• Lemon Poppyseed Bread Mix Recipe
• Sugar Doughnuts Muffin Mix
• Homemade Cappuccino Mix Recipe: 5 Ingredients, 5 Minutes

Vintage Postcards

Collect vintage postcards the next time you go to the antique store, and write a personal thank-you note on each.

It’s nostalgic and can be a cheap party favor that guests can then display or keep as a keepsake.

Try to find postcards that are related to the type of party you are having (like finding Valentine’s cards for a Valentine’s party).

Homemade Lip Balm

Whip up a batch of homemade lip balm and package it in small tins or plastic tubes.

Customize the labels with your party date or a special message for a personal, and very inexpensive favor. You can also customize flavors and scents when you make your own! Here’s my DIY Lip Balm tutorial. You might also be interested in this DIY Lip Gloss Tutorial as well.

No matter what you might come up with as a cheap party favor to give your guests, something homemade will always have more meaning behind it than just cheap plastic items from the dollar store.

What are you creating as your cheap party bag idea?

This Cheap Party Bag Ideas article was originally published on Little House Living in April 2024.