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This summer I was asked by a good friend of mine to help plan her baby shower. I was honored that she asked me to help, but also a little worried about how much it was going to cost. Her mother and I planned it together so that helped the cost, but I found thrifty ways to help cut costs as well. These days my husband and I are on a strict budget!
I was in charge of decorations, favors, and games. The grandma to be was in charge of food. The party was for about 30 thirty people. I was happy to let her mom be in charge of food. Decorations, favors, and games were much easier for me to handle.
Decorations
I found decorations that could be multipurpose and were affordable. The theme of the shower was woodland creatures so decorations were not too difficult to find.
I made a diaper cake as a decoration for our gift table. This doubled as cute decor and as an actual gift for my friend. I have another post on how to make a diaper cake here.
For the table centerpieces, I got these woodland creature tissue paper pieces. They weren’t very expensive to begin with but if you have the hobby lobby app you can always get a coupon for any full price item.
For the food table, I bought the dangly decorations to match the centerpieces and also used streamers.
Streamers are such a cheap way to make a party feel well decorated. I also used streamers to make a photo backdrop.
Budget Favors
Favors were the things I was most worried about when it came to breaking my budget, but luckily I found a budget-friendly option. I was lucky enough to walk into a Yankee candlestick during a seasonal clearance event. I got votive candles for 50 cents! So I got 30 candles for $15.
Then I spruced them up with some green tissue paper and some twine. I added some stickers saying thank you for coming with a Fox to match theme and then turned out so cute!
Not everyone may be lucky enough to stumble upon a clearance sale but you can find pretty cheap votive at target or Wal-Mart too.
Games
The games I made on my own using Canva. We played baby gift bingo, a game where you guess if the mother or father is more likely to do certain things, over-under, baby ABCs (you list baby items starting with each letter of the alphabet and the person with the most wins), and a draw the baby game.
The draw the baby game was very funny and you can add a lot of different variations. In this game, the guests drew what they thought the new baby would look like as a toddler and the soon to be parents chose a winner. I’ve seen variations where you draw it will your eyes closed as well.
Budget-Friendly Prizes
I was also worried about the budget when it came to shopping for prizes. To cut costs, suggest getting your DIY on or hitting up those clearance sections.
I bought a decorative sign from hobby lobby for $4. At the Yankee candle sale, I bought a wax melter with some wax melts for $5. At TJ Maxx I found a reusable!e water bottle and a glass cookie jar that I filled with candy. The last prize was a votive candle holder (from the sale) and a gas station gift card.
Gifts
I made the diaper cake which doubled as both a gift and a decoration. I also made her a string art piece for her nursery. She requested a fox to match the rest of the nursery. I already had all the materials at my house, except for the orange string which only cost me a few dollars.
Overall I think I spent about $100. That included the decorations, all the games, favors for 30 people, five prizes, and her gifts. I do not think that $100 is that bad for all of the stuff I was able to do.
How have you cut costs when planning a party?