Parents of very young children should be familiar with birthday-party invitations that request the presence of their children at a particular location which is not someone's home. It commonly is a fast-food restaurant, or it may be an art gallery where the celebration takes on a creative tone, and for some parents it is the more cost-effective way to go.

"I don't have to clean up, the catering is set and I don't have to prepare," said Donna, who hosted her six-year-old daughter's birthday party at a fast-food outlet. "They even have the play area, so there is no need to bring in anything," she said.

She said that while people may think that it costs a significant amount of money to put on a party like this, it ends up costing less than planning and executing one from scratch. "Last year, I did it at home and from catering to clean up, it cost me more than this year. And when people were supposed to come for their children, there was all sort of excuse. When you keep it somewhere that they know they have to turn up at a particular time for pick-up, because it is not someone's home, trust me, they will," Donna said.

Maria has gone the home party route only for her son's birthday celebrations and, while she has worked out that it would cost less and certainly be much less of a hassle to turn over the hosting duties to a professional venue, it just would not feel the same.

"It can be a headache, but it's so much more personal at home," Maria said. "I can understand people who live in apartment buildings and so on, but I live in a house with a little yard space."

"When I check it out, food and all that and decorations, I would save money having it outside, but when I see the pictures 20 years from now, it is not only the money, but the memories," Donna said.