Baby Shower on a Budget

Are you a great party host? It can be hard to feel like a fabulous party planner when you are ballin' on a budget. I helped host my (soon-to-be) sister-in-law's baby shower this past April and am excited to share fun decorations, game ideas, and tips that won't break the bank. 




Plan
Before planning specific details, communicate with the mom-to-be and get an understanding of what type of party she has in mind. A few good questions to ask right away are:

• What is the preferred day of the week and time?
• Would she like to have the shower at home or at a specific venue?
• Who all has mentioned they are interested in hosting? 
• Does she have a specific theme or colors in mind?
• What type of games (if any) would she like to play at the party?
• How many people will be invited?

Food
Once a time of day is established, you can plan the food menu. Instead of having the shower catered, ask the other hosts if they will assist in bringing food items. It is more cost efficient when one person is not left responsible for the entire menu. If you are having the shower around lunch time, do not feel like you have to serve a 4 course meal. Light sandwiches and snacks will be plenty. If you are having the shower earlier in the morning consider picking up a couple dozen doughnuts, fruit, and setting up a coffee bar. These are budget-friendly menu ideas that will still please your guests. I am a huge fan of mimosa bars so I used this as an excuse to setup a "MOM-osa" bar. A mimosa bar is obviously appropriate for any occasion but it was extra fun to have this play on words. Our menu for this shower included: different flavors of chicken salad, fruit, veggies, pasta salad, wontons, and a cake.


If you are local to the Charlotte, NC area, you must check out Drip Cake Bar. Their custom cakes are full of personality and flavor. Tanner, the girl boss in charge, is wonderful to work with. She goes above and beyond to make sure your cake not only tastes good but looks awesome and matches your special occasion.







Decorations
Decorations are the easiest item to save money on when it comes to planning a baby shower. Do you have a few mason jars sitting around? Those are now silverware holders or centerpieces. What about wooden crates? Empty it out for one day and boom you've got a glass holder for your mimosa bar. I made small signs placed in frames and menu cards (pictured above) using Canva. I found the white frames at Michaels for about $3 each. You can order similar ones here. The menu cards were printed, cut out, taped to a toothpick and placed inside corks the morning of the shower. I mean, how much easier does it get? If you don't have a random bag of corks like I do, order them online!

Be creative and look around your house to find items that you can incorporate into decorations for the shower. I am a party supply hoarder so I usually have basic decorations and supplies on hand. If you are having trouble finding items that match the theme, go to the dollar store, check out the Target dollar spot, or search online for reasonably priced decorations and party supplies. This is also a good time to recruit those crafty friends of yours!

Games

Pinterest is full of great baby shower games. Whether you are looking for games that are simple and laid-back or games that are active and over-the-top, you'll find ideas that are perfect for the shower you are hosting. I highly recommend the games we played since these are affordable and easy to setup as well as play.

The String Game

All you need is scissors and a ball of yarn. Each party attendee will cut a piece of yarn they believe will perfectly fit around the soon-to-be mom's pregnant belly.

Guess How Many
You can use a variety of different items for this game. Since this shower had a nautical theme, we put goldfish in a decorative plastic baby bottle.

Don't Say "Baby"This is one of my favorite games since it can be played throughout the entire party. Each attendee is given a necklace or clothespin at the beginning of the shower. If someone says baby, another guest can steal their necklace. The guest with the most necklaces at the end of the shower, wins a prize.

Favors

While there are many shower favor ideas all over pinterest, I thought it would be a great idea to have favors that people would actually use. I have been to many showers where you leave with a small bag of random baby decorations.. not cool. Bath and Body Works is always sending out coupons and I used those to pick up about 20 travel sized hand sanitizers. This is also a favor you could return or use if there are leftovers.  

Are you an awesome party planner? Share your favorite budget-friendly baby shower games and favors below. I would love to hear from you!