Fourth of July

Fourth of July

Posted By :Elena Difiore Posted At : Thursday, Jul 01, 2010

Want to throw a great Fourth of July celebration without breaking the bank? Here are a few tips for throwing a great party on a tight budget.

Start planning ahead of time. Take a look at your current financial situation and seriously consider the amount of money you can afford to invest in the party. This will help you to budget yourself when shopping for any necessary items.

Next up is the guest list. If you’re looking for ways to cut back on costs for the party, it’s a good idea to narrow down your guest list. Try limiting the list to the people you’d most like to share the holiday with, such as your closest friends and family. After you’ve come up with a final list, you need to consider invitations. Instead of going out and buying invitations, you can make them yourself at home on the computer. For an even cheaper alternative, sites like Evite.com offer a variety of fun and festive electronic invitations you can e-mail to your guests for free.

Food is always one of the biggest expenses when throwing a party. One way to cut down the cost is to have a potluck and ask each guest to bring his or her own favorite dish. To lower the cost of grilling, try skipping the expensive meats like steak, and opt for cheaper alternatives such as hotdogs or chicken.

When it comes to decorations, there are a variety of ways to stretch your dollar. First, hit up local discount stores and dollar stores. These places not only have great deals on decorations but also on plates, utensils, and napkins. Focus on purchasing items you can reuse in the future. Instead of an American flag tablecloth, go for a solid red or blue one that you can use again for future events, like birthday parties. Another great idea is putting out edible decorations such as red, white, and blue M&Ms or candies, which help add to the patriotic theme.

When choosing what kinds of activities for the party, there are several ways to keep guests entertained without going broke. Instead of hiring a DJ, which can be extremely expensive, make a playlist on your iPod of fun, patriotic songs to play during the party. If you want to kick things up a notch, try asking around for a karaoke machine you could borrow and let your guests compete in their own little version of American Idol. For another fun twist on a typical Fourth of July party, have a costume contest where the most patriotically-dressed guest wins a fun prize or award.

Times are tough, but with a little budgeting and some creativity you can still throw a Fourth of July celebration to remember.

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