Baby Shower Ideas On A Budget

Throwing a baby shower is a great way to celebrate the soon to be parents and help them prepare for their little one. But, it’s easy to get caught up in the party planning. Babies are expensive, and in reality the parents need practical baby items more than they need an expensive party. There are plenty of ways to throw the perfect baby shower on a budget. There are ways to throw a memorable baby shower without breaking the bank. Below are tips for budget baby showers to help you save money on invitations, food, favors and games.

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND ON A BABY SHOWER?

First, how much should you spend on a baby shower? There is no amount you need to spend, but according to CostHelper Children baby showers typically cost $100-$1,000. The main drivers of cost are the venue and the amount of people you invite. You can also reduce the amount of money you spend hosting a baby shower by finding a few friends to split the cost with.

INEXPENSIVE BABY SHOWER INVITATIONS

Save money hosting a baby shower by sending digital invitations. When you’re hosting a baby shower on a budget, the most inexpensive baby shower invitations are to send invitations via email. This will save you money on design, postage and the invitations themselves. If you choose to email the invitations, you can use free designs on Evite, or elect to design your own invitation which can cost anywhere from $13 to $50 depending on the event size.

If you want to mail invitations anticipate spending $1.50 to $2 per invite. Postage today ranges from $0.55 to $0.70 per letter depending on the shape of the envelope. You can design invites on Shutterfly, which cost about $1 / invite. Shutterfly does tend to have a lot of sales so check online first to see if they have a current discount code before purchasing.

LIMIT THE BABY SHOWER INVITE LIST

The amount of people you invite to a baby shower will drive up the cost. The money you spend on food and beverage is tied to the amount of people you invite. If you host the baby shower at home you may have to rent chairs and tables. If you host the baby shower outside the house you may pay more due to needing a larger room.

With sheltering in place, we’ve all been introduced to another option: Zoom. With also having a Zoom link you’re able to expand the invite list without paying more for a venue and food. It also helps people you invite save money as if they aren’t local they don’t have to spend money on a plane ticket or long car ride.

PLACES TO HAVE A BABY SHOWER

Where should you have a baby shower when you’re on a budget? The best place to have a baby shower on a budget is at home. Or, if money is really tight the cheapest place to have a baby shower is on Zoom. If you can fit everyone at your house, you won’t have to pay for a venue or set amount per person at a restaurant.

Do consider how many people you can accommodate at home. For example, do you have enough tables and chairs for the amount of people you’ve invited? If you have to rent a tent, table and/or chairs these expenses can add up quickly and it may be cheapest to go to a restaurant or other location. Location, food and beverage are the biggest ways to save money on a bridal shower.

BUDGET FRIENDLY BABY SHOWER FOOD IDEAS

If you’re having the baby shower at a restaurant, know your budget and look for the venue that fits that. If you’re having the baby shower at home, will you make the food yourself or will you hire a caterer? Create the menu, estimate how many people will attend and then calculate how much it will cost to make yourself. You may find hiring a caterer or picking up food from a restaurant ends up being cheaper. One of my favorite at home baby shower ideas is a taco bar. A taco bar is easy to prepare and relatively cheap.

One of the biggest costs of the food and beverage is the alcohol. Have a signature cocktail instead of an open bar to reduce costs or offer one mimosa per person if doing it at a restaurant. If you’re hosting the baby shower at home, limiting the amount of drinks such as sticking to mimosas will reduce the amount of liquors and ingredients you have to buy. Some liquor stores allow you to return any alcohol that was unopened as well.

BABY SHOWER DECORATIONS IDEAS ON A BUDGET

Save money when hosting a baby shower with DIY baby shower decorations and using gifts as the decorations. For example, remember all of those reusable vases, food platters and picture frames you bought for your friends bridal shower? Bring those back out from storage and reuse those.

For cheap floral baby shower centerpieces, bring vases you already own to Whole Foods. They fill each vase with a pretty floral arrangement for $10. Limiting the number of tables will reduce this cost.

Also consider decorating with gifts for the expectant parents. Create a diaper cake by following instructions from Pinterest. The parents can take this apart and use the diapers later on. Hang onesies instead of a banner. The parents can then take these home and start to build a wardrobe for their baby.

FREE BABY SHOWER GAMES

A great way to throw a baby shower on a budget is to use free baby shower games instead of buying them. There are a ton of free baby shower printable games that are available online for download.

Another cheap baby shower game is to take the onesies you’ll use for your decorations and have each guest decorate one with a personalized message. You can also do this with diapers. These are some of my favorite at home baby shower decoration ideas.

INEXPENSIVE BABY SHOWER FAVOR IDEAS

For inexpensive baby shower favors consider having food as the favor. This is a great way to reduce the cost of the baby shower since you’ll need to buy this food anyways. You can use the desserts as the baby shower favor by making and wrapping cute baby themed cookies or set up a cute dessert bar. Set up dessert bar by displaying different types of candy in glass vases. Guests can make a candy bag to bring home.