Inexpensive Kindergarten Birthday Deas?

If you are trying to be careful with money why not keep it small? How about a sleepover with a couple friends? Maybe movie and a lunch with them? The fire station does sound fun and I know they do it here in MN but I think it is limited to number of kids. We've had a couple big parties and been to many and I think they are overrated. We started to downsize and I think the kids like spending quality time with their best pals. Besides my son doesn't need 20-30 more toys! Remember you also have to add in cost of cake and lunch (if you do it at that time) and goody bags if you choose.

do an old fashioned party in your back yard,

pin the tail on the donkey
drop clothes pins into a glass milk jug
bozo buckets w/ ping pong balls
musical chairs

cake and ice cream and your done
(hot dogs and chips if your doing more foodwise)

kids will have fun and go home. no need to spend a fortune get plain paper goods except for the plates for the cake.

I don't know about parties at the fire station but I am pretty sure they might do a tour and a demo for you and you can have the rest of the party at the park. Maybe it's how you word it?

Many of the fire stations may offer tours but it will be at their convenience and that may not tie in the time you want to plan the birthday celebration. Also, if they are called out on an emergency call, everything ends abruptly. See if there is a park nearby and plan some old fashioned games, cake and ice cream and maybe a piñata type activity. Bring your camera or your cell phone to record the happy occasion.

If you want a place that is inexpencive and you can have serveral kids try a park. That would be the cheepest you could probably do. Then there woudl be plenty of room for the kids to run and play.

I throw a themed at-home party for my kiddo each year, spending very little money. There are some great ideas for at-home firefighter parties on the following sites.
http://www.ehow.com/way_###-###-####_firefighter-birthday...
http://party.kaboose.com/firefighter-party.html
http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/fire_truck_party.html

You should call your neighborhood firestation. I wanted to do it last yr, so I called Garland and it turns out they don't do it, Mesquite and Rowlette does it for their residents only. it's not a "party" but they'll show the kids around the fire truck, and let them know about the importance of safety etc... but I think you can only have certain amount of kids (10 or so). So my plan was to meet at the fire station, and then take the kids back home for cake (or the other way around...I forget) and I was going to bring food for the FF.

Never known a firehouse to do that and I have a family of firefighters. There would be chaos if a call came in while a party was going on. Now some stations might have a room you could rent, but fire trucks etc would be off limits. However, maybe a FF would be willing to show kids turnout gear and some equipment he could bring to the room; a presentation of sorts.