Quick and Easy Baby Shower Decoration Ideas

Okay, so you're hosting a baby shower and you need shower ideas S.T.A.T...but more importantly, you need affordable ideas. Nowadays, things cost a fortune, so here are a few thoughts and tips that may help to reduce the cost of a baby shower.

Invitations - You can spend a lot of money on invitations or you can do it the smart way and make them yourself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with printing your own invitations. The best part about making your own is that you can completely customize them, and they will be unique and tailored to the theme you have chosen.

You can use programs like Microsoft Word or Paint to create the perfect baby shower invitation. Just a tip though - you'll have to spend some money on good invitation paper. There is nothing worse than creating a beautiful invitation only to downgrade it when printed.

You can buy cardstock relatively cheap from a any office supply store. Of course, if you make your own invitations, you'll still have to spend money on the envelopes.

If you're short on time and you can't make your own, you can buy the invitations from any party store. You'll probably spend $3-5 for a pack of 8. In some cases, the invitations may come with thank you cards that match, so the mother-to-be can send them out after the shower.

Some cheap decoration ideas are balloons. Plain and simple. You can buy a pack of balloons for just a few dollars and the things you can do with them are endless. Tie balloons to chairs or tables, bunch the balloons together to make different arrangements, or just let the balloons hang from the ceiling.

Plastic table clothes are great decorations too. You can buy them in various colors to match the theme, and the best part is they can be thrown away at the end of the shower.

Table confetti is a great way to add a little bit of spice to the décor. Dollar stores are a great place to buy decorations, or you can make your own (if you have time or the desire.)

This may end up costing more than the rest of the shower, and that's okay. This is the place you don't want to skimp out on. However, you can still do great food ideas that don't break the bank. One way to save money on this area of the shower is to not serve full meals. When planning the shower, take note of the time you set it for. Dinner or lunch time would not be a good idea because you'll be expected to serve a full meal.

Finger foods and appetizers are best. Vegetable, fruit or meat trays are great food ideas for baby showers, but they can be expensive. You can make your own trays (it will still cost a lot of money, but you'll get more food for your money).

Frozen meatballs in a crockpot with barbeque sauce is also a cost effective food idea. Just throw out some rolls for your guests and it's a done deal!

Drinks should be minimal, but the guests should have a few choices. Water, lemonade and coffee are great ideas. If you have a great recipe for punch, include it.

Baby shower games are great to play at a baby shower, and these can be done with little to no cost to you. The String game is great, the only cost to you is the string. (Here's a great place you can get 8 different printable baby shower games for only $6).

You will need prizes to hand out, but think dollar store. Candles, picture frames, any trinket will do. Baby shower favors are also a good thing to have, and again you can get some very cute and cheap things from a dollar store. Favors and prizes are a great way to thank your guests for coming.

Baby showers are a special celebration and should be treated as such. The most important thing to make sure of is that the mother-to-be feels special. Take care of that, and the rest will fall into place!

Do you have any other ideas for planning a baby shower on a budget? Leave a comment!