Summer is my favorite time of the year for getting the kids together with family and friends. The only downfall is that summer can be really expensive when you add up the costs of the food, drinks, paper products, decorations, invites and outdoor games. Here are my top 5 ways to have lots of summer fun without breaking the bank!
1. Ask each family to bring an inexpensive dish to pass. Some ideas include summer salad, cheese and crackers, chips and salsa or a dessert.
2. Stock up on juice boxes, pop and bottled water when they go on sale at your favorite store and use grocery coupons from CouponCabin to get a rock bottom price on these items.
3. You can always find cute and reasonably priced reusable plastic plates, cups and utensils on clearance at your favorite big box store at the end of each season. Some stores start putting these items on clearance mid-June so keep your eyes peeled!
4. Skip the decorations for an outdoor party. Spend that money on fun stuff for the kids to play with like a blow up pool, bean bag toss, bubbles or goody bags to take home.
5. Instead of mailing invitations and spending money on stamps, use the Facebook event option or use a party planning site like Evite or Paperless Post that helps you create and send your own invitations via email.
No matter the season, you can always find ways to cut costs on get-togethers. Keep in mind, the important part is spending time together and not breaking your bank account. Your guests will remember how much fun they had and NOT what you used to decorate your backyard or what kind of utensils you used!
- Kristie
