Eight low cost ways to celebrate Independence Day

As you get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, look for ways that won’t explode your budget.  Here are eight low cost ways to celebrate Independence Day.

1. Take advantage of community events.  Almost every village, town, city and metropolis will host street fairs of some kind, usually scheduled around the crowning event, a fireworks display.  Pack picnic, grab some blanket s and lawn chairs and enjoy your community.  You can find locations on your city’s event site, or even on your state’s tourism website.
2. Camp out in your back yard.  While private and public campsites are going to be crowded this weekend.  And so will the highways!  But that doesn’t mean you can’t camp out.  Just use your back yard.  Pitch your tent, pop up your camper, and set out your grill.  Let the kids plan a camp out sleep over.  If fireworks are legal in your neighborhood, buy some sparklers to add to the celebration.
3. Get together with family and neighbors.  This is a great weekend to plan a pot luck cookout.  Ask everyone to bring a dish.  The cook out hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.  Check with your local grocery stores for the best bargains.
4. See a baseball game—You don’t have to have a major league franchise in your area to enjoy this traditional summer activity.  Tired of dropping hundreds of dollars for tickets, parking and hot dogs at major league baseball games, fans are supporting minor league teams in droves.  With ticket prices that start at $4 for lawn seats and go up as high as $14 for box seats, minor league baseball is one of the best bargains in sports entertainment.  For a directory of teams in your area, go to Minor League Baseball.
5. Visit historic sites—This is a day to remember our country’s history.  It seems fitting to celebrate it by recalling our national and local history.  Visit battlegrounds, historic homes, museums and historic grave sites.  Many have special weekend admission prices.  Some local attractions are free, or almost free. Check with your local historical society for sites you can visit.
6. Deck your home out in red, white and blue.  Use homemade decorations to outfit your home for this summer celebration.   The best ideas I found for free or low cost decorations were at the blog site, Out of Debt Christian. The ideas were great, not matter what your faith.
7. Play Fourth of July Trivia—Combine history and trivia for a unique Fourth activity.  Party goers of all ages will enjoy it.  You will need to prepare questions in advance.  Here are some websites that will help.
   1. Military Channel—The Military Channel has a Revolutionary War Quiz that covers some well and little know facts about that era.
   2. Fun Trivia—This site is a directory of history quizzes on every era in American and World history.  There is an entire page of links on the Revolutionary Period.
   3. For interesting Fourth of July trivia, go to Chiff, River Songs, and Purple Trail.
8. Bring your celebration inside—Don’t let rain ruin your plans.  Bring your food and game indoors and enjoy some of the best music and fireworks the nation has to offer. Tune into your local PBS station for a view of Washington, DC’s celebration.  The Capitol Fourth airs on the evening of the July 4.  Also look for televised events in your area.  Boston, New York City, and Chicago are just a few of the cities whose symphonies are simulcast with fireworks.

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