Okay, guys, don't get me wrong, I love throwing baby showers for my friends. I love planning parties, decorating, making food, and all the crap that goes along with it.
That being said, whenever someone drops a hint about me hosting their baby shower, my first thought is always the same. How much is this shit going to cost me?
Does that make me a bad friend? No. I think it makes me a realist.
I don't know about you, but in my real every day life, we are not spending $1K+ on food for a baby shower. I am not that fancy, none of my friends are that fancy, and quite frankly, I think Dave Ramsey would hunt me down and kick my ass if I ever spent anywhere near that much on food for a party. You have probably already learned that from my post on How To Have An Awesome Baby Shower (For Cheap).
However, that doesn't mean that your party has to be full of $5 Hot And Ready's from LC. There are so many amazing things that you can make that can still be really inexpensive. Now, I am not a Pinterest-worthy food blogger. If you came here for that, you are going to be sorely disappointed.
Instead, I'm going to show you some real life things that you can put together with a quick trip to Walmart and Aldi, and throw together in an hour or two to guarantee a fun, relaxing, stress free baby shower or party. Seriously, I am all about enjoying my time with my family and friends, not spending hours in the kitchen or blowing my entire paycheck to feed these folks. If that's what you are here for, then keep on reading, because I am going to share some of my favorite ideas for baby shower/party foods!
Idea #1: Sub Sandwiches
If you have ever seen those super awesome "6 Foot" sandwiches from Subway, you already know where I'm going with this. Unfortunately, most people can't afford $100 for a sandwich. This is a great way to get the same effect, for much cheaper! Here's how I do it! Walmart sells those loaves of french bread in the bakery section for $1.00. I usually use about three of these. Next, just layer your sandwiches with your choice of lunchmeat, cheese, and veggies. My favorite thing is to make a Club sandwich. I layer ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo. Then add in a little bit of microwave bacon, and that really makes it super yummy! Then you just cut them into small slices and arrange them on a plate. It's the same effect as something much, much more expensive! Plus, if you have leftovers, you can wrap them up and have lunch for a week!
Idea #2: Finger Sandwiches
Yeah, I know, finger sandwiches sound so SUPER FANCCCCCCYYYYY, don't they? We are going to talk about the super cheap version here, that are so yummy! Just grab a couple of loaves of bread, even the super cheap Aldi ones will do just fine. I like to make these sandwiches with pimento cheese and chicken salad. You can get huge tubs of these for pretty cheap at Sam's Club, but you can also get good ones at Aldi and Walmart as well. Really, this couldn't be easier. Make the sandwiches, cut them into fourths. This is one of my favorite things to do, then stack them on a plate. This is also one of the only ways I can get my kids to eat pimento cheese or chicken salad.
Idea #3: Dips and Such
I absolutely love dips and cheese balls, etc for parties and showers. They are super cheap options that are easy to throw together and make a LOT! Chips and dip, and chips and salsa are definitely classics that everybody loves. Another one of my go to's is a cheese ball made with cream cheese, green onions, and chopped ham. Another great one is cream cheese, cocktail sauce, cooked shrimp and green onions. These are both great served with crackers! I always make these for just about every single occasion, and they are my faves!
Idea #4: Punch!
Punch is a classic at any party or shower, and I love making punch! My go to punch is a simple, cheap, and super tasty version that you can make for just a few bucks! If you don't have a punch bowl and scoop, you can pick one up for just a few bucks at Walmart, or even at the Dollar Tree if you are really on a budget. I love making "duck punch" for showers, which is basically, just regular punch with rubber ducks in it to make it cuter for a baby shower. Here are the ingredients:
One large jug Hawaiian Punch Fruit Drink (Any color!)
One 2 liter bottle Sprite or 7up
One Half Gallon Vanilla Ice Cream
Rubber Ducks
Pour the Hawaiian Punch and the Sprite into your punch bowl. Slowly add scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream. As much or as little as you want. The ice cream will make "clouds" in the punch, which makes it super cute, and sort of like a bubble bath. Add your rubber ducks in for a cute touch! We love this punch and it is super yummy!
Idea #5: Cupcakes!
I know it's not the norm these days, and that every birthday party or baby shower MUST have a $100+ layered, fondant covered, super decorated cake, but I am going to take just a minute to scream the praises of cupcakes. I am a huge cupcake fan,whether it be for birthday parties or baby showers, or any celebration in general. First of all, cupcakes are cheap. Second of all, they are easy to obtain. All you have to do is call the week of your event to your local grocery store bakery and order your cupcakes in whatever colors you are needing. Instead of a themed cake, you can order cupcake picks to match your theme or you can even order from Etsy and print your own. Amazingly easy! Plus, once you stack cupcakes on a cupcake stand, they look adorable and can make a great centerpiece as well!
Idea #6: Healthy Options
You know you just gotta have some healthy(ish) options at your party or shower as well, but the good news is, these don't have to cost out the ass either! First of all, forget everything you know about buying a fruit or veggie tray from your local grocery. The mark up on that stuff is crazy! Instead, hit up your local Aldi, take $20 or so and just stock up on all the best fruits and veggies. Yes, you will have to wash, cut, peel and arrange them on your own trays or platters, but you can enlist the help of a friend or even one of your older children if you are lucky enough to have free child labor like I do! Again, grab your trays at the Dollar Tree to save even more money, or you can talk to your grocery store deli about buying their empty trays for just a few bucks to save you money as well.
Fruit trays are another great idea, but consider doing fruit kabobs or fruit on a stick as well. You can see a little bit of these in our top photo on this post. Simply grab the wooden skewers from the Dollar Tree, and get to cutting up your fruit. You will have to wait until right before the party to assemble these, since bananas and apples, etc can lose their color if they are cut too early. (Also, a plastic knife can help with this as well!). For our "fruit on a stick", we used green grapes, banana slices, strawberries and apple slices, but really, the options are endless when it comes to this, and it's a super cute display as well!
Stuff To Remember:
As you can see, following this list above will give you a pretty good spread when it comes to party or baby shower food, without spending a lot of money. Of course, you can use this as a guide, and add or take away food ideas depending on what you like or don't like. However, you can probably get everything on this list, enough for an entire party, for less than $100, if you shop sales and stores like Aldi, and don't go too crazy or overboard. That's another important thing to remember, is that you don't have to fill everyone's bellies beyond belief. This doesn't have to be a four course meal here. Simply give everyone some yummy stuff to snack on, and don't worry too much beyond that. I've said it before and I will say it again, worry more about enjoying your time with your guests and your friends, and less time about making everything perfect. It's what hosting parties is all about!
As you can see, following this list above will give you a pretty good spread when it comes to party or baby shower food, without spending a lot of money. Of course, you can use this as a guide, and add or take away food ideas depending on what you like or don't like. However, you can probably get everything on this list, enough for an entire party, for less than $100, if you shop sales and stores like Aldi, and don't go too crazy or overboard. That's another important thing to remember, is that you don't have to fill everyone's bellies beyond belief. This doesn't have to be a four course meal here. Simply give everyone some yummy stuff to snack on, and don't worry too much beyond that. I've said it before and I will say it again, worry more about enjoying your time with your guests and your friends, and less time about making everything perfect. It's what hosting parties is all about!
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