paying for your own shower (clicky poll)

babyonthebrain2010

I'm just curious...  what's your opinion on paying for some or all of your shower? 

NOTE:  I'm not talking about in any way hosting the part, just helping pay for it.

[Poll]

Strunella

I offered to take care of the invitations and the favors.  I'm kind of picky about stuff like that and what I want is a bit pricey, so it seemed like the best option. 

PunkyBooster

It hasn't even occurred to me to offer my hostesses any money.

New_MrsP

I made the favors for my shower, and picked up a few decorations that were needed. It was an informal shower hosted by Mom & sis.

Rochell

In my situation...it's a relatively big family (about 60ish women would attend) and at a restaurant (there is no house big enough to hold that many people )...so it can get expensive FAST...my sister and mom and MIL are all financially tight...and really don't have much $ to spend.....I offered to put in at least half of the expense

Brit242

I offered to cover the donation to our church where we're having the shower since I picked the venue and my hostess does not attend that church.  Otherwise I probably wouldn't have thought to offer for anything.

babyonthebrain2010

wow, I'm actually pretty surprised by these results!  I voted never, mostly just to play devil's advocate

I do think it's situational, though.  I feel like if you are short on money you should use the money toward baby items.. but I definitely feel helping here and there is totally acceptable and appreciated by the hosts, I'm sure!

ToBeWedJuly07

It's definately situational..... my mom got laid off recently and since my only brother and his wife wiill be giving us our crib and baby furniture, my DH and I will be putting in half as I know my mom would spend most of her savings on it and we couldn't let her, plus my brother and his wife are saving us over a thousand on furniture so we don't want them to shell out anything... plus I'm an event planner and graphic designer anyway and having been dreaming up my theme and decor since forever so we don't mind this route and actually prefer it.  

flipflops722

My Mom just doesn't have the financial means to pay for a shower.  I have no sisters at all and no aunts that could do it.  My close girlfriends all have their own kids & financial struggles.  I think it is generous enough of them to bring me a gift, there is no way I would ask them to contribute money for the shower.  It kind of comes down to me who can pay for it.  So my Mom hates that I am insisting, but I am paying for the restaurant bill.  She is getting the cake and decorations.  If I didn't do this, she'd end up putting it on a credit card (if it could even fit) and taking years to pay it off.

 

 

evess5

I think it depends, we are having a sip and see so I am buying the cake and favors. I offered because I am viewing it more as LO's first real party and I wanted to contribute my own touches to make it special. Otherwise they would have paid for everything.

insertclevername

My mother is throwing me an informal shower and I know she doesn't have a ton of money.  So I purchased the gifts for game winners and will be purchasing the favors. 

rhubarb123

I said it was totally fine to fund the whole thing.  I wouldn't have said this maybe 5-6 years ago...but the way people are loosing jobs recently you just never know when the hostess might be put in a tough position.  In that case (as well as other instances) I think it is perfectly fine to fund the whole thing.  We had an after baby arrival party and funded it.  It wasn't a shower and we didn't expect gifts but got quite a few (lots of diapers, wipes and clothes).  Nice.

our1stbabynov

I said it is not ok. I hosted 3 SIL's showers and spent hundreds of $$'s on each of them, I'm not saying they need to go all out with mine, but I've paid my dues and I need the money for my daughter.

tSquared1987

For one of my showers, I haven't paid for anything. As for the other shower, my SIL and my best friend (we're all very close) are throwing the shower. My SIL is in her final year of nursing school at UW-OshKosh (a *VERY* expensive university) and she pays for her schooling with no help from her parents. My best friend is having money issues (her now ex-boyfriend stole over $5,000 from her). She is just starting to get back on her feet and I would feel terrible to not offer to help with the cost. The invitations we used were a little pricey so I offered to pay for the invitations. I would've tried to help with more, but they wouldn't allow me to.

 

In my opinion, it depends on everyone's individual situation.

futuremrshackney

Like most girls on here I think it depends on the situation, but on the whole if you aren't concerned or demanding about what you want the hostess to do then I think its perfectly acceptable to not offer up a dime.

When I had my wedding shower I basically funded the entire event, MIL kept saying she'd repay me for this or that, and it never happend. Of course I can't complain much my mother never offered to help at all.

I told DH then and there that this would not happen again when we had our first child. If one of them offered a shower it was going to be their project.  I'm willing to give input and help here and there but to have to fund an entire shower that I never asked for and credit someone else is ludacris.

gsp514

Strunella:

I offered to take care of the invitations and the favors.  I'm kind of picky about stuff like that and what I want is a bit pricey, so it seemed like the best option. 

This, plus game prizes.

MISSURSULAG

I think its totally fine! A good friend and my mother are hosting the shower and taking care of everything but I know that I can be picky and want certain things so I most certainly offered to help pay. I'm helping pay for a few little things and since my husband is a chef, we are taking care of the food.