Party Cheap on Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day (also fondly referred to as St. Patty's Day) is the ideal holiday for a party-after all, the Saint Patrick's Day holiday was created in memory of Saint Patrick who chased all the snakes out of Ireland; if that isn't cause to celebrate, what is? Of course, you might need to knock the religious allegory present in chasing snakes out of Ireland aside in order to justify your St. Patty's Day hankering for Guinness, but once you've done that, you might need some cheap ideas for throwing your party.

1. Decorations: St. Patty's Day decorations don't have to be expensive and complicated. The main theme to focus on is green and gold.

• You can recreate the look of the green meadows in Ireland by laying down a green tarp in the room you plan to host your Saint Patrick's Day party in. Next, glue some fake moss and other greenery (that you find at your local thrift store) to the tarp. Make sure the shades alternate to give the look of rolling hills. If fake moss or green leaves are not available, you can always use varying shades of green material.
• To create pots of gold, simply paint some plant pots black and fill them with books or blankets to within about an inch from the top of the pot. Next, add some gold cloth or gold tissue paper to the top to make it look like it is filled with gold. Place the pots around the room or rooms in which your St. Patty's Day party is taking place.

2. Favors: Favors may seem like a stuffy formality at an adult Saint Patrick's Day party, but at a child or teen party they are always happily received.

• Mini-Pots of Gold: Take small ceramic plant pots and paint them black. Next, fill them with chocolate gold coins. Now your guests have their very own Saint Patrick's Day pots of gold.
• Yummy Clovers: Four leaf clovers are synonymous with Saint Patrick's Day. You can make your own yummy clover favors by making sugar cookies and cutting the dough with a clover-shaped cookie-cutter. Paint them green and use white icing to make the name of your guest. Wrap them in cellophane and add a green, black or gold bow.

3. Food: Your St. Patty's Day party is not complete without some kind of finger foods for everyone to enjoy. Here are a few easy and cheap ideas.

• Rolling Beefies: Take lettuce leaves and place corned beef and goat cheese on them. Wrap them and serve them. If you want to get creative with this St. Patty's Day treat, you can use different types of lettuce with varying shades of green.
• Liquid Gold: Melt some Velveeta cheese and serve it with blue corn tortilla chips.
• Sheep on the Pasture: Whip up some pistachio pudding and place it in a shallow cookie sheet. Next, take mini marshmallows and place them strategically on the pistachio pudding to give the look of sheep on a green field.

Remember, the real secret to throwing a successful and cheap St. Patty's Day party is to be creative and have fun!