By Wendy Mihm | Monday January 10, 2011

People love new babies.  Almost as much, people love pregnant women because pregnant women are cute.  Non-pregnant women especially love pregnant women because they can fetch them sparkling water and cake while they sip their own wine and thank the heavens above that they are no longer pregnant themselves. 

Actually, that could just be me.

Anyway, because of this phenomenon, you will likely get lots of support from friends and family of this pregnant woman if you decide to throw her a baby shower.  In turn, you should be able to throw her a very elegant baby shower without blowing your entire bank account by getting a little help from her (and your) friends.

Here’s one idea for how to do just that:  throw a potluck brunch baby shower.

 
This accomplishes two things that can help to dramatically reduce the cost of a baby shower. 

First, it reduces the expectation of the size and extravagance of the meal.  If you were to throw a full lunch or dinner, the expectation would be for a full buffet or even a sit-down meal, complete with a wait staff.  Ex-pen-sive! 

When you throw a baby shower during brunch hours and advertise the event as such, the menu and service expectations become much more relaxed and, as a result, often the stage can be set for a lot more fun.  No one needs to know that the idea is to save money with the potluck brunch baby shower.

Our friends threw us a brunch baby shower, complete with beers, mixed drinks, a cranking iPod, a festival of babies and toddlers milling about, and a betting pool on when my baby would arrive.  We had a blast!

Second, the potluck feature distributes the food and drink expense across several participating co-hosts, most of whom will probably be very enthusiastic about contributing to the shower in some way, I assure you.  And if you have ever hosted any kind of party, you know that food and drinks are often where the lion’s share of your expenses come in.

If you wish to give credit where credit is due for the food and drink contributions, consider putting up little baby-themed name cards next to each item that read something like “Baked with Love by Adrienne” or “Contributed with Love by Uncle-to-Be-Stephen.”

And when the compliments start rolling in for what a wonderful success your elegant potluck brunch baby shower was, be sure to share them with your co-hosts.  And maybe post a comment here on FinancialRx.com!

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By Wendy Mihm | Thursday November 9, 2010

Your best friend is pregnant with her very first baby and you want to throw her a fabulous baby shower, but maybe you’re also saving for a house and have kids of your own. In other words, you’re looking for ways to save money on a baby shower, but still want it to be fantastic for your friend.

Here’s one idea that worked really well for me when I was in a similar situation.

After having considered all sorts of locations such as nice restaurants (too expensive), my own home (too small), community centers (a bit boring) and local event venues (too expensive), I came up with an idea that knocked my friend’s socks off and was inexpensive as well.  I held the event at her alma matter, which happens to be Cal Tech University, here in Pasadena. 

Fortunately, it’s a gorgeous campus with lots of picturesque, shaded outdoor areas that were perfect for entertaining.  Here’s a list of things that were great about hosting at a college campus:

• Since it was the guest of honor’s alma matter, the location was nostalgic and fun.

• The rental fee was very reasonable.

• The shower was outdoors, which made it great for the guests who brought their children.  They could let their kids run around freely and have fun.

• I saved a ton of money on décor, because I had the great outdoors as my backdrop.

• We had plenty of room for seating and games.

As you plan for the event, here are some things to consider, both from a cost and logistics standpoint.

• You may have to rent tables, unless there is a place on campus where there are some picnic tables already in place.  An alternative idea is to ask guests to bring blankets and have everyone eat picnic-style in the grass.

• Choose a place near some bathrooms that the guests (especially the Mama-to-be) can use.

• Find out about an electrical hookup if you’ll need one.

• Consider getting help from some other guests with the food.  You might even make it a semi-potluck to really save money.

• Make sure there is somewhere to park your car close by while you haul things to and from the party – even if just during the setup and breakdown while you leave your flashers on.

• Make sure there is nearby general parking for guests and include that info with the invitations.

Congratulations on doing such a wonderful thing for your friend!  Enjoy your planning and good luck to both you and the mama-to-be.

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