7 Helpful Tips for a Stress Free July 4th Barbecue - Sound Shore Moms of Westchester

1. Think of Decorations
Like any party, the theme and decorations are what sets the tone for an event. Decorations are key, however you can easily find yourself spending a small fortune or struggling to find the time to visit 10 stores to purchase all you need. A great way to avoid all the stress and cut some cost from your July 4th budget is to use Printable Decorations.

Printable Decorations– from yellowblissroad.com

2. Prep a Head of Time
No one likes to be stuck in a kitchen or grilling for most of their event. You through a party in hopes that you find time to enjoy it with guests. Now for the most part we’ve all learned how to prep a head when it comes to the small things but a big time consumer is cooking MEAT. A slow cooker can be your secret weapon. It can allow you to get things cooking before anyone even arrives to the party. Here is a good recipe to to jump start your July 4th preparations.

Slow Cooker Bourbon Ribs recipe – from Chowhound.com

3. Pesky Unwanted Bugs
Use hardy herbs like sage and rosemary don’t only add flavor to your food but it can also be used as a natural bug repellent. Place a few sprigs on the grill or in a fire pit to keep away mosquitoes, then use the remainder in your recipes or as garnish for your July 4th dishes.

4. Guilty Free Signature Drink
Try this guilt free Paleo Red, White, and Blue Cocktails! It’s delicious, refreshing, dairy free, Vegan, and free of refined sugar.

View recipe – from 40 aprons

5. Buy your Beer from a Warehouse Club
A 24-pack of Heineken at Costco can cost about 10% less than it does at a local grocery chain. A four-pack of Guinness can cost twice as much per can at a local grocery store compared with a 24-pack at a warehouse club.
If you want to stick to American brands and expect a large crowd, a keg is the cheaper option. But when it comes to the hard stuck two great options are to buy one bottle each of brown and white liquor and create two mixed drink options for guest. And the second option is to opt for a BYOB party. Information from Kiplinger

6. Go Potluck
It’s that simple, it will save you time, money, and STRESS!

7. Simple Entertainment for Kids
Keeping kids entertained can sometimes be a challenge at parties. Here are some inexpensive fun games to keep them safe and free from boredom. Depending on the space you have:

Put up a volleyball net
Water balloon fight
Hold a sack race
Give them jars to catch fireflies
Give the kids some frisbees

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