Written by Orange County Register correspondent Kristine Lu
With food prices at an all-time high, jaw-dropping grocery prices could put the kibosh on Independence Day celebrations. Soaring gas costs don’t help, either.
But no fear! There are plenty of ways to make this year’s Fourth of July festivities affordable.
Here are some tips to keep both your wallet and your table full:
1. Buy basic items. The more basic, the more you save: For example, buy a head of lettuce versus a bag of lettuce, or buy a whole chicken instead of skinless, boneless breasts.
2. Consider inexpensive plastic plates and silverware (sets of 10 for $1 at mass merchandisers and dollar stores) instead of paper plates and disposable silverware. Save money and the environment!
3. Try online coupons: Try Kroger’s Shortcuts.com; you can pick the coupons you want from there, and with a click they are downloaded to your loyalty card and you are set when you shop - no need to cut, clip or remember to take the coupons with you. Another helpful site: Smartsource.com - it uses coupons with bar codes so that they can easily be used when brought to the store.
4. Save on protein: The beef and chicken are usually the most expensive part of a get together. But typically one or the other is on sale each week. Buy it on on sale and stock up. Freeze what you do not use right away.
5. Try Amazon.com: It may sound strange, but Amazon.com is actually very useful for non-perishable groceries you use in bulk. There’s almost no better pricing, it’s easy to search for what you want and there is often free shipping on items.
6. Have everyone in the group contribute: Try Potlucks and carpooling to events so that you are not the only one spending time , energy and money organizing a party.
7. Save on gas: Find the best local gas prices at Gasbuddy.com.
8. Try DIY celebrating: Consider making homemade ice cream. It tastes great and is a fun family activity, especially if you use the hand cranked ice cream machines. Or, try a horse shoe contest or even a ping pong championship! Great economical activities that are both fun and creative.
Tips provided by:
Alicia Rockmore, CEO of Buttoned Up, Inc., an organizational products company that helps busy people get organized to save both time and money.
