Throwing a baby shower can be downright expensive. There are so many aspects to consider and once you get through them all, you will find that you blew right through the budget you allotted yourself for the event. You didn’t take into consideration the cost of all the decorations or the favors for the guests. The food ended up being more expensive than you had anticipated. Baby showers have turned from small get-togethers to big galas.
Having a baby shower should be about celebrating a women’s pregnancy and welcoming a new child into the home. This doesn’t have to be an expensive ordeal. The first thing you have to do is create a budget. Consider the amount of people coming to the party and then decide how much money you will be able to spend on the party. Before you start shopping, you need to have a list prepared because you need to know how many items you need for every person at the party. The longer the list is, the more expensive the baby shower is going to be.
To start, try sending handmade invitations or making them on a computer. You can print the invitation and then mail them to everyone on the list. Cards and envelops can be purchased at a discount or dollar store to help hold down the costs. If you get invitations that are custom made, you are going to be spending a lot of money. Writing out the cards or creating them on a computer is a cheaper alternative.
While at the discount store, you might want to check out the decorations aisle. You might be able to find some items that can be used for the baby shower. Having a baby shower on a budget doesn’t have to be tacky. There are plenty of decorations that you can find that can be used for multiple occasions such as balloons, streamers and ribbons. Don’t limit yourself because your imagination can create some of the best decorations out there.
Talk to someone about having the party at their home, rather than a restaurant or catering hall. You might even find a gathering place at the local church that could be cheaper. Having it someone’s home will help ease the burden of the costs. Just remember, if you have it in someone’s house other than your own, you better stick around and clean up the mess. There is a lot involved, but it will be cost-effective.
If the party is in someone’s home, use silverware instead of plastic forks and Knives. However, get durable plates and plastic cups that can be used in more than one sitting. You don’t have to pay extra for utensils and you can reuse the plates and the cups for other occasions.
If other people offer to host the party, consider taking them on. While you might lose some creative license with the party, you will at least be able to defray some of the costs, which will be helpful in the end. Be careful on who you ask though. Don’t ask someone who is having a hard time with money. You don’t want to make them feel obligated to host the party. Also stay away from the grandparents because there s no doubt that the grandparents will be spending a lot of money on the baby already.
If co-hosting the party is too much for other people, there are still small items that they can help with. Have people bring pot luck of food. Everyone can bring in their favorite recipe or desserts. This way there will be plenty of food and you don’t have to worry about cooking or catering.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/budget-baby-showers-helpful-tips-to-cut-costs-740176.html