Birthday parties can easily set parents back £100 a time. But you don't have to break the bank to ensure your child has a great party, finds STEPHEN LEWIS

THESE days nothing comes cheap. If it's not the cost of your children's clothes and mobile phones that has you pulling your hair out, it's probably the thought of their next birthday party.

In an age of parental one-upmanship, when each party has to be bigger and better than the last, arranged parties are becoming the done thing.

If you're not forking out for a hired magician or clown, you could find yourself paying for a party for 20 at your local McDonalds - or even a session of paintballing or laser shooting.

New research from Abbey National reveals doting mums and dads are splashing out about £130 on expensive parties for their pampered ten to 12 year-olds - and that's on top of pressies costing £140.

But, insists Kirsty Pritchard, of Thirsk-based Party Kids, you don't have to break the bank to ensure your birthday boys and girls have a great time.

"There is a bit of one-upmanship about it," admits Kirsty, who has two children herself, three-year-old Christopher and Caitlin, one. "Somebody has had a party at McDonalds, so somebody else will go to Burger King. Or they will have a party at McDonalds, but at a nicer place! It depends on the age of your child - but I think a party at home can be as much fun as you want."

The ingredients for a good home party, Kirsty says, include a few balloons for decorations, lots of games - traditional ones like musical chairs and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, or else an Easter hunt-the-egg competition in the garden are all still great fun, she says - and plenty of little treats for the kids.

She advises against sweets - some parents might not be too thrilled - and suggests inexpensive toys instead: pirate eye patches, whistles, jumping frogs and animal masks all go down well.

To minimise risk of damage to your home, limit the size of parties and try to confine the fun to designated rooms - kitchen and dining room, say. And if you're worried about food being trodden into the carpet, why not try an "indoors picnic" where a tablecloth is laid on the floor and the children sit on it.

Whatever the pressure on the purse, some parents just won't want the hassle of holding a party at home. Never fear: there are plenty of places in and around York that can still host a party for you without breaking the bank. Here is our guide.

At home

Abbey National has brought out a useful booklet, The Easy Guide to Children's Parties, available free by calling 020 7419 7330. Useful tips, if you're worried about your bank balance, include:

- Don't invite too many children. Stick to friends they really like!

- Prepare your own food in advance, rather than buying ready-made.

- Children don't eat much at parties, so don't go overboard - a few nibbles will be fine

- Keep prizes for games and party bags small, because they'll only be thrown away anyway. Lucky dip items are great

- If your children have friends with similar birth dates, try a joint party and share costs

- Keep the party to two hours maximum.

Party Kids can provide a whole range of great party goodies, from hats, balloons and candles to themed napkins and paper plates and a great range of toys. Their 25p range includes pirate eye patches, flutes, squirt rings, whistles, jumping frogs and mini-yoyos, while you can get parachute men for 35p each, foam animal masks for 49p, and lots more. You can contact them on 0870 010 4008 or visit the website at www.partykids.co.uk.

Going out

If you can't face the hassle of organising a party yourself there are plenty of local venues that will do it for you. Here are just a few:

The Barbican Centre, York (01904 628991). £35 an hour for exclusive use of an area of the Barbican Centre for everything from football or roller-skating parties to fun parties in the soft-play area for the under-fives. Food is £2.80 per head - or you can bring your own cake. There will even be a leisure assistant on hand to help run things.

Brewster Bear's Fun Factory, Millfield pub, Poppleton Road, York (01904 787630). Parties £5.95 per child, with a visit from Brewster Bear and a party bag for each child.

Deep Sea Den, Stockton-on-the-Forest Inn, Malton Road, York (01904 424542). Parties £5.25 per child.

McDonalds restaurants (contact your nearest or favourite branch). A range of Tweenies or McDonalds parties, starting from £4.99 per child to £5.99 per child.

Wacky Warehouse, Flying Legends pub, Clifton Moor, York (01904 693239). Standard parties £4.99 per child, including hour's play in the Wacky Warehouse, children's meal, sing-song and party box. Themed parties £5.25 per child.

Updated: 09:41 Thursday, April 04, 2002