Friday 23 March 2012

HOW TO ARRANGE A BABY SHOWER ON A BUDGET

Baby showers are really family affairs.  It brings the whole family together as you enjoy and have a lot of fun.  It is the perfect way of celebrating the pregnant mother-to-be and the baby.  The family and friends come together to show their support for the occasion.

A baby shower can be a costly affair if you do not keep your budget in check.  It most probably will get out of hand before you know it and as such planning the baby shower is of utmost importance. 

There are certain tips which you can use if you want to keep the occasion on a budgeted lease. 
·        The Guest List – Carefully plan the list of guests that you want for your occasion.  Instead of sending invitations to all the names in your contact and making it a grand occasion, try to invite a selected few of your family members and the important friends that you have. Make it a close group of people which can be easy to handle as well as will be light on your pocket.
·        The invitations – Try to email your invitations to the guests instead of spending on courier or on the local postage.  Today, almost everyone owns a computer and an email account.  It is the most appropriate way of sending invitations.  This brings down your costs too.  These invitations can be designed by yourself and handwritten to make it look personal as well as cutting down on the costs of spending on decorative invitation cards.
·        The Food – Try to see to it that you serve only some light snacks or refreshments during the occasion.  Stay away from meals as they would give a big dent to your  budget planning. People come to the occasion to give support for the family and are more interested in having fun and enjoyment instead of having a full fledged meal.  To make it clear, put in a sentence in the invitation “Let’s have some light refreshments during the occasion.”  Another important aspect here is the time of the occasion.  Try to arrange it during the early evening when guests do not expect any meals during that time.
·        Reuse the Decorations – Try to cut down on the decoration costs by reusing the decorations from a previous function or get them from a friend who has just had a party.  Decorative articles can be used even from your Christmas days.  If required try to make some home made crafty decorations by yourself or take the help of the kids in making these decorations.
·        Make your own Cake – Try to bake your own cake for the occasion instead of getting a readymade cake which is a very costly affair.  Go in for a simple as well as elegant design which can be decorated with pieces of candy. 
·        Buy your items in bulk – While going on a shopping spree for the function, try to buy in bulk so that you can avail some discounts on it. It may be the food items like bag of veggies or the appetizers that you were thinking to have during the course of food.  The same pattern applies to the paper plates and other articles needed during the course of the function. This can bring about some savings in the budget.
·        Guest Gifts – While giving away those gifts during the baby shower games, try to buy these gifts from your local dollar store instead of spending lavishly on these items.  This can curtail your expenses to a great deal.  Wrap them off in decorative ribbons instead of that gift bags. 
·        Your Home is your best Location – Instead of spending money on renting a Hall or booking some Hotel for the occasion, it is wise to make your function a homely affair.  Your house is the best place to organize such a function.  It saves on the rental fee and the deposit amount of the larger venue.  Also, being a family affair, the guests can feel more comfortable at your house rather than a venue.

·        The schedule of the Function – If you are going in for a catering service, it is absolutely essential to keep a schedule on the party goings.  Try to arrange a schedule and adhere to it strictly as the party can go on and on increasing your food billings every minute.  Also the alcoholic drinks should be limited to a particular count like giving a signature drink, one drink per person.

These are the various tips for arranging a Baby Shower on a budget.  See to it that you take note of these tips seriously as they can cut down your costs a great deal as well as making your function a lively one where each of your guests can enjoy. 

The true cause of arranging such a function is to get the blessings from your family members and friends and not just spending lavishly on things and items that have no need for such lavishness.

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