Planning a Fourth of July Party?

Planning a party for Independence Day and not quite sure what to do. Hopefully this will help you with ideas on making the most of your 4th of July. The first thing you want to do as with any party is keep in mind a budget. Planning a budget will not only keep you from spending too much money, it will also help you with other decisions such as; how many people to invite, what kind of food to cook/order and how many decorations to buy.

If you are planning a party on a budget, keeping the party small would be the best idea. Only invite your closest friends and your immediate family. This will insure that you won't spend as much money as you would if you were to invite everyone over. Also, having a small party means that you wont have to rent tables and chair and tents which can become a huge expense.

Next is to think about what to do for food. Cooking the food yourself instead of getting your food catered will definitely save you some dough. So, if you decide to cook the food your self, then keep in mind what will be the easiest and more affordable. Since it is summertime (if the weather is nice), a BBQ is always a good idea, and can be pretty affordable. Keeping the food to hamburgers and hot dogs will surely keep the costs down. Also, since it is hot out keeping the side dishes light and cool will be better for people who are in the heat all day long. Good ideas for side dishes can be anything like: cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, fresh veggies and anything made with fruit are all good choices. Then comes the desert. Here is a good idea for a desert that is easy and affordable to make.

Americana Banana Pudding

- a bunch of bananas (cut into round slices)
- 2 boxes of banana pudding
- 1 box of vanilla wafers
- a medium square glass dish or a medium rectangle glass dish (at least 2 inches deep)
- whipped cream
- blueberries
- strawberries (cut in half length wise)
First thing you want to do is follow the directions on the box of the pudding. When the pudding is ready, take the glass dish, and layer it with the vanilla wafers, put a layer of pudding on top of the wafers, then put a layer of bananas on top of the pudding. Follow these directions until you have reached the top of the dish. Put a fairly thick amount of whipped cream on top of the last layer (thick enough not to see the pudding layer). Once finished with the whipped cream, you are going to make an American Flag out of the blueberries and strawberries. Use the blueberries for the stars and the half cut strawberries for the stripes.Get a picture of the flag to get an idea of how exactly you want to decorate the pudding. Once finishes, put the pudding in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before serving.

After you have figured out what you are going to cook your guests, next is making sure that your party is decorated well. After all, it's not a part without the decorations! Good ideas to remember is keep with the theme. Color themes like Red, White and Blue. You can buy inexpensive red, white and blue table clothes, napkins, plastic wear and plates at stores such as party city and wal-mart. Stores like Party City are usually stocked very well with decorations for the perfect Independence day BBQ. Prices usually are very inexpensive. If you are interested to see what they have visit their website. Homemade ideas can include: A handmade flag fan, for when it gets hot outside, Star spangles wavers, which can be held or you can line in the yard for decorations, tie dye fourth of July banners, and fourth of July star garlands. All of these ideas can be found on the family fun website, just click on this link to find out how to make all the ideas I just mentioned and also to find more ideas. Family Fun link.

Hopefully, these ideas will help you on making your Fourth of July party an awesome and memorable