How to save celebrating on the 4th of July

Want to celebrate the 4th of July but are living on a tight budget? I will show you how to save some money (and possibly some time) entertaining on the 4th of July.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cooler for beverages
• Grill for cooking outdoors
• Hotdogs and hambugers

1. Plan ahead of time:
   If you need to buy things like paper plates, napkins cups and plastic silverware you can shop around and find a bargain. The best time to shop for these items is on July 5th when all the holiday items are on clearance and you can buy at about 25% of the initial cost. Store these away in a tote box for next year.

2. Study the local schedule:
   Some communities have 4th of July parades, carnivals, free movies and best of all free fireworks displays! Figure out what events you want to attend and make your schedule accordingly, give yourself extra time because parking may be an issue.

3. Carry your own water:
   Carry your own refillable water jug if it's hot. Fill if half full and toss it into the freezer the night before, fill it the rest of the way right before you leave. Bottled water sold on the go is usually expensive.

4. Friends and Family for supper:
   Make it a potluck so you are not slaving in a hot kitchen all day before. Make sure your propane cylinder is filled beforehand, running out of fuel on the 4th is a downer. Set a time on the (emailed) invitations for supper and stick to it. Assign desserts, salads, side dishes, chips and dips, etc to different people. You probably know who makes what best!

5. Hotdogs and Hambugers:
   Stick to the basics of hotdogs and hamburgers, a fairly inexpensive choice for the meat. Steak prices tend to go up in the summer, unless you have some venison steaks in the freezer that you want to impress your friends with! Marinate tough cuts of meat ahead of time in yogurt and it will be as tender as the finest cuts of meat. The enzymes in the yogurt soften the meat.

6. Bring your own beverages:
   Have your guests bring what they want to drink (especially alcoholic beverages) Have a large cooler with ice in it so they can keep it cold. I have a large 5 gallon water jug that I dump a bag of ice in and fill with water.

7. Entertain outside:
   Use a shady spot where you can set up picnic tables (or tables and chairs) Have a large trash can handy to avoid cleaning up a big mess later. If you do recycling have appropriate containers handy. Set up a stereo to play music in the background, kids can play in a yard pool or sprinkler. Have citronella candles on hand to fend off the mosquitoes.

8. Rotate locations:
   When someone offers to have it at their place next year graciously say "Ok!" and volunteer to bring some food.

9. Fireworks:
   Watch the city display whenever possible, our neighbors have a very impressive display which I am very sure were not bought locally if you know what I mean. We watch those for free. If you feel your kids need firecrackers then give each of them a preset amount like $5 or $10 and that's all you get! Fireworks are usually clearance priced on July 4th and can be purchased at a much lower cost.

Tips & Warnings

• Have fun and don't sweat the small stuff
• Be careful with fireworks, and supervise your children lighting them.
• If your guests drink make sure there is a designated driver to take them home
• Watch out for traffic when walking to and from the parade, keep kids off the street at the parade.

Resources

• Steak marinate in Yogurt

[bailey4]

on 6/26/2009 Great tips for how to save money celbrating the 4th of July. I never heard of the yogurt. 5*