How to Throw a Budget on a Shower: Step #5

5. Use What You Have

I opted out of buying paper products and used what I had, except for the napkins.

I used cream mugs that I already had. I didn’t have enough so my mom brought some of her neutral mugs. I used a a carafe from my mom and one from my mother-in-law for coffee and hot water.



I have glass plates that are hand painted with flowers on them. They went great with the “Love in Bloom” theme I had going. I also used my real silverware. I wrapped them up in some paper napkins and made a little paper napkin rings to keep the paisley thing going.



Depending on the size of your party you may not have enough things on hand, but maybe a friend would loan some stuff to you. I borrowed a few things and it all worked out nicely.

My total expense was only $1.50 for paper products. If I had bought cute plates, Styrofoam cups, and decent plastic silverware I would have spent around $15.00.


That is a big savings!



Now I want to hear from you...don't be shy!

What are your tips for saving money when throwing parties?

How to Throw a Shower on a Budget: Step #4

4. Make Things Yourself

Making the food will save you money, but it goes much farther than that.

I ending up making everything for my shower. I‘m just a make it myself person. I enjoy it, and I can’t stand to buy something that I can make myself. It just kills me. Absolutely KILLS me.

Plus, making everything myself I was able to keep the color scheme going. I used the same paisley paper from invites all the way to tray liners for food. You can really customize things that way.


Invitations



I used card stock that I already had on hand for the actual card part. I bought an adorable stamp with a cake and "Love in Bloom" on it for $4.50 (40% off), paisley paper for $.50, and ribbon for $1.00. That is a total of $6.00.

To buy 24 invites it would have cost me $15.00 at Target, on the low end. Plus…I can reuse my stamp. Use a stamp you already have and it becomes dirt cheap.




Love in Bloom Banner




I love searching etsy for ideas. I found some adorable banners, but for a one time use I didn’t want to swing $20-$30. I made mine for $2.50 and it was super easy to do. I don’t feel so bad pitching a banner that only cost me a few bucks.




Tissue Pom Flowers



I also found these on Etsy, but then I found a tutorial from Martha Stewart. Jackpot. Each pom takes 8 sheets of tissue paper, but they make HUGE poms. After making two I decided to revamp the plan and make smaller sized ones. I got about 25 poms pom flowers for $7! There were so many of them, that I didn’t need any other decorations.

I had them hanging in every room on the first floor.



Favors



After much debating I settled on homemade marshmallows for my favors. This was my first time making them, but they were a lot of fun to make. I already had the bags so for a total of about $3, I was able to make a pan of marshmallows and bag them up with some cute ribbon I picked up. That is about as cheap as favors come.

How to Throw a Shower on a Budget: Step #3

3. Dare to be Different




The Point of the Shower

Do you ever see people throw extravagant showers all around you and start to feel the pressure that you have to do the same?

The point of the shower is not to beat out the last shower.

The point is to celebrate…and that my friend can be done on any budget, at any home, by anyone.

Isn’t that comforting?



What I Did for the Shower

I went slightly away from the norm on this shower and did mini desserts with tea and coffee...and of course, those cute water bottles.

I know a full meal is the norm nowadays. But desserts are my thing, and you gotta rock what you got, right?

I was able to provide desserts that I made, that would have cost me a lot more had I bought them from a bakery.

If I had chosen to have a pig roast couples shower, well...I would have had to hire a pig roaster man. I have no experience at that and couldn't roast it myself. So I would have to pay for their expertise.


Use Your Talents

My advice is to look at what YOU are good at and use that to your advantage.

Maybe you are a cookie baking pro...have a cookie bar with all of your specialties.

Maybe you have all kinds of Hawaiian decorations from a previous party...so go with a Luau theme.

Maybe you are really crafty and can't cook worth a darn...well, you can save in the area of your craftiness and spend the money and buy the food.

You get the idea...

Do what you are good at and don’t feel like there are certain “rules” that you have to stick to.



The ideas are endless...make sure you share your shower ideas in the comment section!



If you are new here, you may want to go back and read the first two tips...

Making a Plan and Setting a Budget.

How to Make Custom Water Bottle Labels

The first thing I planned for the shower was custom water bottle labels. I had been dying to make some. They turn boring old water bottles into something fashionable and very cute. I had originally planned to print out custom labels with my sister's name and all that stuff, but as usual...I ran out of time. But, if you are slightly better at time management...go right ahead and knock yourself out.

I went ahead and made them with the same paper that I used through the whole shower, from invites to cake plate liners. I just loved the paper and bought a lot when it was on sale. They turned out cute and really were pretty simple to make. For a matter of a few bucks the water bottles were transformed! Just think of all of the occasions you could make these for. Birthday parties, showers, or just for fun :)

Here is what you are going to need.

Water Bottles
Scrapbook Paper (I used 3 sheets for 24 bottles)
Scissors/Paper Cutter
Clear Packaging Tape



Before we get on to the fun part you are going to have to take off all of the ugly labels. Then you will need to measure and mark your paper with the right width. This will kind of depend on the space on your bottle. I cut my paper slightly bigger than the old wrappers. I did a little more than 1.5 inches.



Now it's time to cut the tape to the right length. Be careful...it's pretty sticky!



Very, very carefully place the paper on the tape. Print side down :)



Start at one end and wrap it around, making sure you are going in a straight line...we don't want the label going down hill!



Here is the finished product. Cute as can be...



Total cost for the labels: $2.50

Just think what they would cost if you purchased them already made. I'm sure it would be more than $2.50!!

How to Throw a Shower on a Budget: Setting a Budget

Now that we have made a plan, it is time to get down to the budget of the party.


2. Set a budget

In order to set a budget for a party you need to look at two things. You can’t just start aimlessly and set a random number.

First, you need to look at how much you can afford to spend on this. If you only have $50 a month that is discretionary you can’t set your budget at $200…it has to fit in with what you can afford. Make sense?

Next you need to refer to your plan, step #1, and figure out what you think it will cost. If you end up over budget on paper it is easy to go back and slash things out and adjust your expectations.

Lastly, take a trip to the atm and get out cash. Yep. I can’t stress the benefit of carrying cash enough. When I planned out this shower, I got an envelope and labeled it “Kimery’s Shower” and I put the allotted cash and the budget/planning list in it. I carried it aorund in my wallet for a few months. As I purchased things, I took money out of the envelope and crossed the items bought off of the list.

It's a good time to practice of self discipline...



Tomorrow I will be back with Step #3: Dare to be Different

How to Throw a Shower on a Budget

The word budget usually has a negative connotation. It doesn’t bother me, in fact, I feel like a budget gives freedom. It keeps you in check. They help us save money. They are a good practice for those who need one and those who feel like they don’t.

In other words, we could all benefit from a budget.

I wanted to share 5 tips I found for throwing a shower on a budget! I will share one tip a day this week.





1. Make a Plan

If you fail to plan, you can plan to fail. I do believe that this may be my husband’s favorite quote. From saving for retirement to planning for vacation…it just rolls off his tongue.

When you are planning a shower...it really does pay to plan. I sure found that to be true. You know what you are looking for and can keep your eyes open for hunting deals. If you have no plan, you better believe your shower will cost you more than you intended to pay.

First thing you need to do is sit down and make a plan. Try to go through everything you are going to need for your shower or party. Are you planning it by yourself or going in with someone? What types of eats are you going to serve? How many people are you inviting? Do already have some supplies in your stockpile?

Invitations, food, decorations, favors, and on and on...write it out.

Then detail each one with what costs are involved in each. Under invitations you have the cost of the actual invitations and the postage.

You get the idea. It sounds like a pain, but ten minutes of planning will surely save you money.


I will be back tomorrow with Step #2: Setting a Party Budget

Bridal Shower Week

Last week I hosted a bridal shower for my sister, Kimery, who is getting married in May.

(If you don't know...that is me on the left, and Kimery on the right)

I documented the process of planning and I thought it may be nice to share some of my ideas, how-to’s, and pictures with you. All of the ideas are just that, ideas… and can be transformed for use at a baby shower, birthday, or whatever kind of party you are planning to throw.

I don’t think it is necessary to spend a bundle to provide something nice, personal, and creative. In fact, sometimes it is MORE personal when YOU do the work and put your style and creativity into it and do it up cutting back style.

Anybody can go to the local party store and buy everything up…right?

I have devoted this next week to posting all about throwing a shower on a budget…so get ready for some party fun!


I will be posting one to two times each day…so make sure you check back often!

Rylee's Sweet Shoppe - Guest Post

When I think of throwing birthday parties for my children each year, I usually think of those VISA commercials on TV that go something like this…

Party decor-$50
Theme cake-$30
Piñata and Goodie Bags-$50

Mommy’s hard work and frantic running around… PRICELESS!

Although, I am not sure that last part is really what I want to “remember”.

But, this year, my daughter, Rylee, mentioned she wanted a “Candy” themed party after she saw (and went in on the purchase) of the cake Katie made for our church’s children’s dept.

So, when I approached Katie, she had a WONDERFUL idea…

This year, cut back on the cost and plan the party WITH Rylee and TOGETHER throw a nice "Sweet Shoppe" party on a budget. Well, she had me sold on the idea but would Rylee be sold?


Oh yes she was! She absolutely LOVED every minute of it…

From shopping at the Dollar Store for decorations...

To picking out candy for her candy buffet (which doubled as both decoration and party favors)...

To creating her very own "Candy Bingo" game...

To helping hand make each and every Lollipop themed invitation...

All the way down to helping make her own cake...She LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!

And honestly, upon beginning this adventure, I thought saving money would be the best part; however having these moments with my daughter became the “PRICELESS”!

Oh, yes, the party store will have to do without the Oldfield girls, because we both agree this will now be a YEARLY tradition.

Now for those who are just anxious to know if we truly saved… I figure we saved about $62.00.

WOW!

Guest Post: Misty Oldfield




Katie here:

I have to say this was one of the neatest things for me to help with. A friend who...would have never believed she was capable of doing this...has totally made a transformation into "Susie Homemaker".

I really could not believe just how much Rylee enjoyed this activity. She is a little cake decorator and party planner and cook all wrapped up in one little soccer loving little girl!!

She is now on a mission to plan others parties and decorate their cakes...a girl after my own heart...and I love it!!!

You can always get more bang for your buck when you are creative, look for deals, and do the work yourself. Although, you won't just save money, you will have a lot of fun in the process.

Photo Credit: Jenny Walters Photography

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at www.lifeasmom.com