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How To
Throw a Baby Shower on a Budget
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by:
Jill Manty
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So, you want to host a great party, but you have limited funds. Can it
be done? The answer is ABSOLUTELY!!!
There are numerous ways that you can cut costs when planning a shower.
Perhaps the easiest way is to split the hostess duties among several
friends. Homemade
food, favors, and invitations are another way to make things less
expensive. The time of day you have the shower may also influence the
cost. A mid-afternoon party with cake, punch, and light snacks is much
less expensive than a dinner or a spa afternoon. Having the party at a
restaurant may be less expensive if the guests all know each other and
are willing to pay for their own meals. This may be somewhat awkward,
though, so it definitely is a plan that will only fit certain
situations.
Handmade invitations are a very easy way to cut corners. With a
computer, a printer, and cardstock or specialty paper, you can make
invitations that will look practically professional. Or you can choose
to make a crafty invitation that perfectly complements your theme.
Another option for invitations is to email invitations. Sites like
sendomatic allow you to send invitations and maps, track responses, and
even send weather reports for the big day for less than $15 dollars for
100 invitations. Sending email invitations saves on the purchase of
invitations, as well as the postage.
Food for a shower can be very simple. If you have an early afternoon
party that falls after lunch but before dinner, you can serve cake,
punch, mints, nuts, and perhaps a fruit tray very inexpensively. The
presentation is often more important than the actual food that is
served. Use nice bowls and silver for a formal atmosphere. If you do
not have crystal or silver, you can usually get plastic that looks like
crystal and silver and will still look nice. Finger sandwiches also add
an elegant touch and are inexpensive and easy to prepare. If you want a
more casual feel to the shower, a vegetable platter and chips and dips
are always welcome. Or get everyone in on the act and ask each person
attending to bring a snack. You might want to have a sign up sheet,
though, so that you don't end up with 5 bags of chips.
Believe it or not, even if you don't consider yourself a baker, there
are several alternatives to expensive bakery cakes. Cupcakes are very
easy, and sugar or plastic decorations in baby themes are fairly easy
to find. You can also use frosting to "glue" small plastic baby
decorations to the tops of Little Debbie snack cakes. These are
precious, and they look like you spent a lot of time. Another option is
to skip the traditional decorated cake, altogether, and go for
individual cheesecakes (easy to make in muffin tins) or a delicious
chocolate cake (make sure that the mom-to-be isn't avoiding chocolate
first). Cookies can make a great sweet treat also, and there are some
really cute cookie cutters readily available. Finally, if you think you
can make and frost a rectangular cake but are concerned about trying to
do fancy decorations, you can find edible cake art images online. These
are easy to apply to the top of the cake, and they are the same images
used by bakeries.
Many of the games and activities for a baby shower are free. There are
printouts available online if you want to play games like bingo. While
party favors are a nice touch for a shower, they certainly are not
necessary. A personal thank you, in person or written, is all that is
necessary to thank the guests for attending.
Throwing a baby shower is a wonderfully generous thing to do. It does
not, however, have to break the bank. Remember, the most important
thing when hosting a shower is to create wonderful memories for your
friend. Years from now she will remember the laughter and the
thoughtfulness of her friends more than she will remember fancy favors
or expensive cakes.
About the Author
Jill Manty is a stay at home and co-owner of
www.delightfulchild.com, an online business dedicated to providing
information about baby showers, breastfeeding, and natural parenting.
This article can be reproduced in whole or in part, providing this
byline is included along with a link to: http://www.delightfulchild.com/baby_shower.htm
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