Since we’re all trying to save money throwing parties these days, I’m always looking for new ideas. 

Mariah L threw this incredible Sock Money Baby Shower and I can’t believe she did it for $100!  I had to know more (and make sure she wasn’t lying :)). So here’s what she had to say about her party…

I was born a natural social butterfly and have always loved to plan and host parties. From holidays to birthday parties, I can find any excuse to throw a fabulous party! Having a fabulous party doesn’t mean you have to spend BIG. I believe the little details are what set ordinary events apart from extraordinary events, even in everyday life!

My sister was hosting a baby shower for a good friend and asked me to help her with the shower. We had a small budget; again I throw lots of parties, so I have to keep things reasonable. 😉 She told me the mom-to-be was decorating the nursery in Sock Monkeys and I knew immediately this would be a great theme for the shower.

Here are 5 of my tips for throwing a fabulous party on a budget and how I did it:

TIP 1

“Shop” your house or borrow items. When planning the party look around your house and find inspiration and decorations from items you already have.

• I decorated my twin’s nursery with Sock Monkeys so I knew I had lots of items at my disposal to decorate. The look and feel I decided on for the party was inspired by my twin’s room. I used vintage toys and sock monkey’s from their room to decorate with.

• I also borrowed a tricycle and red wagon from a friend to complete the look.
• I had fabric scraps leftover from my twin’s bedding so I used those to create the banner and some of the table runners.

TIP 2

Keep it simple. You don’t have to buy extravagant decorations or have a huge spread of food to throw a great party. For this party the decorations were simple, but the impact of a few key items created the perfect atmosphere for the party.

• •I did splurge on 2 items and those were the sock monkey cookies and cake pops, however I only ordered enough to add that extra little detail. I filled in the rest of the sweets with cake pops I made and store bought cupcakes.

•  I kept the food very simple by making mini portions, putting the fruit on the skewers and dressing up pasta from a box mix. I was able to stretch my budget farther a little farther by keeping the food simple.

TIP 3 

Dress up store bought items. You can make simple and cheap store bought items look like a million bucks if you take the time to dress them up.

•   I bought red & white polka dot cupcake liners that I found at Hobby Lobby for only $1, I added those and custom cupcake toppers to store bought cupcakes to create a cute and custom focal point on the table.

TIP 4 

Reuse & Repurpose. Stop before you throw it away can you use it again? Like I mentioned before I have lots of parties so I have an arsenal of supplies on hand that I can reuse over and over again.

• I made tissue paper pom poms (which are inexpensive to start with) for my daughter’s Strawberry Shortcake birthday and saved them to reuse at future parties. Those pom poms can be a pain to make and I knew I could at least reuse them for Christmas so I stored them in the attic. They add pops of color throughout the house and provided a backdrop for the sign-in table.

• The cute banner was made using my Cricut, scraps of fabric, polka dot wrapping paper ($1 at Target Dollar Spot) and some of my nephew’s onesies.

• One of my favorite details was the individual crudités. I used candle votives I had to make individual crudités and served them on a tray I keep in my bathroom for display.

TIP 5

Make an investment. Invest in items you can use over and over again.

•   I was super lucky to find the white square plates and serving tray on clearance at Walmart a while back (only $1 each!) and it’s been one of my best investments! I simply add a piece of scrapbook paper that coordinates with the party.
• •While I’m a DIY girl who loves to create things, I can’t ever make the invitations look as good as the ones you can buy! I usually invest in custom printables and have been lucky to work with some amazing vendors. I try to spend $20 or less, but they really help make things look extra special.

Party Expense Break Down

Here is how I spent my budget on the Sock Monkey Baby Shower. I had lots of things already on hand and my sister was able to do all of the printing for free.

Food – $30
Cupcakes – $12
Custom Cookies & Cake Pops – $38
Paper goods – $6 (bought at Dollar Store)
Fabric – $2 (I only bought 1 yard of the Polka Dot fabric and used a coupon, the other fabric I already
had)
Printables – $20
Total – $108

*My sister spent an additional $40 on the party favors, but this was not part of my budget. She also had several left over she plans to give as teacher gifts when school starts.

Okay, so you weren’t lying. 🙂 Thank you, Mariah, for these great tips, and for sharing your party with us.

Check out Mariah’s other fabulous parties on our site. You will be impressed with what she can do!