The most important and celebrated American holiday--next to Thanksgiving and Christmas--is the 4th of July. This is as it should be, for the 4th of July is the anniversary of America's independence from Britain in 1776. Sometimes we forget, amidst all the negative political mumbo jumbo, that the USA is still just a baby compared to other countries. We are less than 300 years old. And yet, we have accomplished much more than many countries which have existed since the beginning of recorded time.
That's a lot to brag about, and certainly something worth a huge celebration. However, there are many families who cannot afford to have an expensive vacation or celebration on the 4th of July. This post is specifically for you.
You can have a great family 4th of July celebration for under $20 and I am going to show you how, in the following step-by-step guide. If you appreciate this information, please show your thanks by passing this post along to your friends and family.
Step 1--Visit Mercardi.com as soon as possible, (it takes a couple of days to get your gift card in the mail, and the 4th of July is only a week and a half away) and purchase a deeply discounted gift card for $20 from Walmart.
Step 2--Go to your favorite search engine online and research the closest lake or family park near you that has a free fireworks show on the 4th of July. Use Mapquest to find directions. Print this information out, and sometime before the 4th arrives, go scope out the area and find a spot where you can park for free, near the water, that will allow you to see the fireworks, if even from a bit of a distance. (You can make this an adventure and a fun excursion for this weekend, and it's not as hard as you might think.)
Step 3--Begin now watching the sales papers and commercials on TV for deals on hibachis or other small BBQ grills, charcoal, lighter, matches, marshmallows, weiners or hamburger meat, buns, mustard, chips, cookies, drinks, coolers, ice, relish, onions, water shoes, sunscreen, OFF, and anything else you can think of that you'll need for swimming and cooking outdoors. Another great way to find deals is to research coupons online on freebie and frugal sites.
Step 4--Tell your kids, if you have kids, to find something fun to do during the day of the 4th of July, or invent something for them to do that is free and fun, so they won't bug you all day, because this family outing doesn't begin until 5 pm.
Step 5--Plan a day ahead to do all your shopping, or at least have it all done by the 4th. Sleep late the day of the 4th, relax and be grateful, remembering how lucky we are to live in a free country. Thank God for all his blessings. When you get up have a leisurely morning as you pack up all your goodies for your 4th of July evening outing. (Make sure to pack stuff for the kids to do while they are waiting for the fireworks and not swimming, like volleyball, or coloring books, or invent treasure hunts, etc., to minimize "is it time for the fireworks yet?"
Step 6--At 5 p.m. on the 4th of July, pack the family into your vehicle--make sure you have your directions you printed out--and head to your chosen spot on the lake of your choice, the one with the free fireworks show. Let the kids swim, play games, explore, while you cook. Ya'll eat before sundown, when the fireworks usually begin. Enjoy the show while you make a campfire and roast marshmallows.
Step 7--Drive home, the kids usually worn out and asleep, smiling as you realize you had the most fun ever and didn't even spend $20!
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