How To Plan A Baby Shower On A Small Budget In 10 Steps

If you are looking for ways to save money on your baby shower, look at this list of how to plan a baby shower on a budget!

Planning a baby shower can be stressful, especially on a tight budget. You don’t have to spend big bucks to throw a great party that will dazzle your guests. Get your creative juices flowing and don’t be afraid to think out of the box. Use your resources and plan ahead. So here is how to plan a baby shower on a small budget! You’ll be surprised how easy it is to throw an awesome baby shower while saving money.

1. Save on invitations

Getting designer invites made can be nice, but printing services can cost a fortune. One no-cost option for invitations is to do an e-vite. There are plenty of free online websites and templates. Canva is an excellent website that is super user friendly and has tons of free templates. Another e-vite options is to make the invitation on Word or Pages and attach it to an email. That way you can find cute graphics on the web to spice it up. If you want to mail formal invites, check out Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Craft stores always have boxed invitations that are festive and affordable. Get a friend to help you fill in all the information. This is really helpful when learning how to plan a baby shower on a budget!

2. Don’t serve a meal

Avoid having the shower take place during breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serving small party snacks or finger food is much more affordable and you can get super creative with what you serve. If you want to do party trays, don’t get them from the supermarket. Instead, buy trays at the dollar store and cut the veggies/cheese yourself. Look up easy party food recipes online. There are so many ideas that won’t break the bank and will really impress your guests.

3. DIY party favors

You don’t need to go all out for party favors. There are tons of cute DIY ideas like making your own sugar scrub and putting them in little jars. Use pink or blue food coloring and tie a ribbon around the jar. Bake homemade cookies and get inexpensive treat bags. Cake pops are always a crowd pleaser or you can go for something even simpler like dipped Oreo pops. Use pink or blue food coloring and top with sprinkles.

4. Buy your decorations at the Dollar Tree

The Dollar Tree is a godsend in many ways. You can find pretty much everything you need for your shower such as decorations, food and favors. You can find supplies in boy, girl or gender neutral themes. They have tablecloths, banners and so much more. Get party trays, plates, napkins and cups in a variety of colors. For food, you can get chip and salsa drinks. Make cookie jar mix for party favors buy getting a bunch of $1 mason jars. They even sell tumbler cups you can fill with candy for another affordable party favor idea. When it comes to throwing a party on a budget, the Dollar Tree is the best place to go to find what you need. This is a great way to save money and a great tip on how to plan a baby shower while saving money!

5. Be smart with your theme

Ask yourself if you already have a lot of supplies that could look cohesive together. Do you have any items you could re-purpose instead of buying a bunch of new things you might only use once? Another tip is to do a theme that incorporates an upcoming holiday. Craft stores always have seasonal items on sale and you could save big by doing a holiday theme. Another budget saving tip is to buy one or two big decorations, like a banner, in a fun theme. Then, get things like plates, napkins and utensils in generic colors that match your banner. These can be easy to find at bulk retailers that are convenient and affordable. Decorations such as balloons and tissue pom poms can also be found at the Dollar Tree. You don’t have to get tons of theme oriented supplies. As long as everything looks put together, your shower is sure to be a hit. This is a really helpful tip on how to plan a baby shower while saving money!

6. Invest in one thing

Some baby shower necessities are worth the splurge. Getting a beautiful cake or dessert can put your shower over the top. Explore your options and look for local bakers that won’t take advantage of you and blow your budget. Another good baby shower investment is a gift. Help your guest of honor feel the love by getting her something like a crib or a basket of gift cards to places like Target or Buy Buy Baby.

7. Get creative with games

There are so many creative options for affordable and fun baby shower games. A way to get the guests involved is to have them each bring in a baby picture of themselves and attach the photos to a poster board. Play “Who’s the baby?” by having the guests guess who’s who. Another affordable game is “Who knows mommy best?”. Print out sheets with questions about the mom and have your guests fill out the questionnaire. Call out the answers and whoever gets the most right wins. Baby BINGO is always popular and a fun way to open gifts.

8. Make your own dessert

If you have a knack for baking, even a little, bake your own dessert. Cupcakes are easy to decorate and more convenient for your guests because you don’t have to cut individual slices. Use a simple recipe for vanilla cupcakes and color the batter or frosting with pink or blue food coloring. Top with sprinkles and you’re good to go. You can even find free cupcake topper printables online that you can attach to toothpicks and stick on top of the cupcakes. Although this may seem like a lot of work to some, it is great tip on how to plan a baby shower on a budget!

9. Enlist the help of your guests

Have a potluck style shower by asking each of your guests to bring a dish to serve. One person can bring drinks and cups, another can bring some type of finger food. Your guests will appreciate getting a chance to play a part in putting together their friend’s shower.

10. Don’t spend money on a venue

Host your shower at your house and save big. Venues are expensive and you don’t want to have to pay for an empty room. Ask a friend or other guest of the party if they would be interested in using their home for the party. If the weather is nice, find a park with picnic tables and have an outdoor shower. Backyard parties are always a hit they are great for large groups needing lots of space. Your guests will surely appreciate a quaint gathering in someone’s home, just make sure there is enough room in the street for several parked cars. This is a really important piece of advice when it comes to how to plan a baby shower while saving money!