July Fourth is coming up, and people tend to celebrate this day by going to cookouts, right? Right. If you’ve volunteered (or been unwittingly signed up) to host the gathering among your family or group of friends, you have some planning to do! If you’ve started shopping, you may be experiencing sticker shock at just how much some cookout essentials are going to run you, but read on for some ideas on how to spend less.
Before I launch into this one, I want to share two opinions. First, there are few things in life cuter than a paper invitation. Second, people are more likely to attend an event if they receive a paper invitation. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you’re trying to save money here, right? Just send the invite online. You can still make it cute if you want by sending a fun email invite rather than making a Facebook event. Of course, if you’re of the more practical persuasion, you may prefer e-invites anyway. Look at you, you’re already saving money!
In addition to saving money, sending invitations online can increase your efficiency. There are apps and programs that will send your invitations for you, collect RSVP information, manage lists (such as who’s bringing what), and more – it’s basically like having a virtual assistant! RSVPify. is one such option, though it’s made for bigger events, like weddings. Splash is another great choice. Both of these sites are free, but both also involve setting up an event website. (Sound like fun? Go for it!) Punchbowl is the best service I’ve found that doesn’t require a lot of extra work from you. It offers free email invitations, RSVP tracking, potluck signup and more. Using a service like this can definitely help make your life easier and save you money.
2. Make it a potluck
You’re already opening up your home (or at least backyard) for your friends and / or family to destroy. The least they can do is bring some food along! The easiest way to do this is for you to provide the meat (since you’re presumably the one doing the grilling) and have everyone else bring everything else. There are really only a few bases that need to be covered, so even a cookout with minimal people can be a successful potluck. Buns, condiments, chips, sides, desserts, ice and drinks are all things you can delegate. Obviously, the more people you’re inviting, the more food you’ll need, but if everyone brings something, that should solve that problem!
To save money on the grocery items you do have to buy, visit membership stores like Costco or Sam’s Club. Some of these stores offer one-day passes, which is a good way to get access to the savings these stores offer without paying the membership fees. Always look for coupons before you go and use tried-and-true couponing strategies to get prices as low as possible – double up on coupons when you can, use coupons on items that are already on sale, etc. Thinking outside the box when it comes to snacks can also be helpful. Some snacks are surprisingly affordable in bulk with a little creativity. Cooking kettle corn for everyone is easy and very affordable, for instance. You may want to bag it individually in a paper bag or box, which adds a personal touch without raising the cost much – and offers a great way to get the kids involved. For a snack that requires even less time and effort, bag up individual portions of peanuts. Both of these snacks capture the spirit of summer and are a departure from the normal chips and dip formula. Your guests will appreciate it, and the snacks won’t melt in the sun.
3. Don’t provide alcohol
Don’t feel like you need to provide the alcohol for this mixer, okay? You’re on a budget, and that’s fine. Buying alcohol for a group of people is pretty much always complicated, and more importantly, expensive! People don’t all like the same thing, so you have to take orders, then you’re stuck with extras of a brand you hate if they don’t drink them all, and you resent them for the rest of your life for wasting your money. Nobody wants that.
If you decide you want to provide alcohol but want to keep it cheap, try buying inexpensive beer and pouring it into cold pitchers to set out on the drink table. Elevating the presentation in this way can obscure the fact that the beer isn’t of a great quality while adding to the cookout decor. No harm, no foul! Of course, you can also fill a cooler with ice and cans of the most affordable beer you can find.
4. Avoid expensive decorations
Pinterest is wonderful, but it can lead to frivolous spending. I know you’ve seen everyone’s party decor boards and you want to impress your friends with your patriotic table runners, centerpieces and bunting. But let a recovering crafter help you out here. Crafting materials add up FAST. If you’re exceptionally good at crafting, go for it. You will probably be able to pull off something cute and classy that will last for years to come. But if you’re not good at crafts, or if it’s a first-time foray into crafting, you will likely end up messing it up halfway through and running back to the store for a second round of supplies, thereby doubling your efforts as well as your expenses.
When buying decorations, make everything do double duty. Instead of making everything red, white and blue-themed, buy everything in red, white OR blue. It will look patriotic when assembled and won’t be at as much of a premium around the holiday. Along these lines, dig through your Christmas decorations. Red, white and blue are all used around Christmas-time, and everything lacking a wintry pattern is fair game! Small white Christmas tree lights look cute adorning the picnic table in the backyard. Buying solid colors for plates and napkins is especially important because you can reuse the extras in the future and nobody will know they’re leftovers – which certainly won’t be the case if you buy the American flag plates and napkins. Dollar stores are an excellent place to buy low-cost disposable silverware, plates and cups.
5. Opt for a public fireworks display
People tend to expect a fireworks display of some sort at a July Fourth cookout. I know, I know; it’s annoying and unfortunate. (Oh wait, is it just me and dogs who dislike fireworks? Okay then.) But anyway, whether airborne fireworks are legal in your state or not, any kind of fireworks display can get expensive. If you’re looking to get more than a few packs of sparklers, you can plan on spending a chunk of change on them. But the great thing about July Fourth is that you can almost always find a public fireworks display near you to see instead! After your cookout, carpool to a public display somewhere nearby, then carpool back to your house. There you go, you just saved yourself $100 or more and saw what was probably a better display than you would have been able to pull off on your own.
Trying to find out where your local fireworks are? Cities often host official displays. You can check on your city’s government or tourism website or social media accounts to find that information. Websites of local newspapers, libraries and TV stations are also great resources to find out where to go for a public fireworks display. Also, think about public spaces that would make sense for fireworks displays: parks, town squares, lakes, beaches and piers are good to check.
Have a great Fourth of July and tell us how you saved money on your cookout on Twitter!
