St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas! Get Your Green On!

Any reason to celebrate & make memories, right?! What other day of the year do you get to drink green beer? Check out these St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas!

Share In The Luck Of The Irish! St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas!

Need some St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas? Look no further for your inspiration – these Party Ideas will have you finding your pot of gold in no time!

St. Patrick’s Day is a great excuse to party with the people you love. More and more people are throwing St. Patrick’s Day parties to bring good luck for the year with family and friends!

You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. People from all countries and background enjoy dressing up, going to parades, and enjoying a day of partying with their families and friends.

There are a lot of St. Patrick’s Day party ideas to choose from when hosting your own. Displaying rainbows, dressing up, and finding that pot of gold — the possibilities are endless.

But, to make things easier for you, we have a few fun ways to celebrate one of the happiest days the year:

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Tune In To Irish Music

When it comes to music, Irish music gets your heart going. Grab your partner and dance until your heart’s content!

Prepare your dance playlist or head over to some dancing feasts! Whether you choose to head to Minneapolis to see their lineup of Celtic Dancers and musicians who will be partying for two days, or Raleigh, North Carolina to experience the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival where live bands will play at the Shamrock ’n Roll event, you can enjoy St. Patrick’s Day parties near and far.

If you don’t want to travel, invite friends and family over and turn up the volume!

Start With Irish Coffee

Irish Coffee is one of the tastiest and most festive cocktails to prepare, especially on St. Patrick’s Day! Treat your guests to Irish Coffee to kick things off!

Preparing an Irish coffee is easy, gather the following ingredients:

Hot water
Light brown sugar (or brown sugar if you prefer it more)
Irish whiskey
Brewed coffee
Whipped cream for topping
Chocolate shavings for garnishing

To prepare your very own Irish Coffee:

Fill two mugs with hot water and let them sit for about two minutes.
Pour out the water and add 1 tsp light brown sugar to each mug.
Add the hot brewed coffee and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Mix in some Irish whiskey, to taste, pace yourself, though.
Top your coffee with a thick layer of cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Don’t Forget The Games

One of the best ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is by playing games with your family and friends.

Here are some fun relay/group type games you can easily set up and play.

Get All The Lucky Charms

Beat the clock and get all of the Lucky Charms from one bottle to another in just one minute.

If someone is able to beat the clock, they win. If not, move to the next player until someone wins.

It’s Not Easy Being Green

Each team would have to find as many green items of clothing as they can. But here’s the twist: They have to put them in a bucket in style – froggy-style.

Each player must hop like a frog when placing the item in the bucket on the other side of the room. Once they reach the bucket and place the item in the bucket, they must hop back, before their teammate can go.

The team with the most green items in the bucket after five minutes wins the game.

Bring The Pot Of Gold

Draw a small square and place a pot inside the square. Each player must stand outside the square and attempt to bounce plastic gold coins inside the pot.

The winner is the first player to get 3 coins in the box

Feeling Lucky

Each player must take a spoon, place a Lucky Charm in it, and race to his or her team member on the other side of the room.

Once he or she reaches the other person, they need to transfer the Lucky Charm from one player’s spoon to the teammates spoon. The other team member would then need to rush to the other side of the room and place the Lucky Charm in their designated bowl.

The team with the most number of Lucky Charms in a minute wins the game.

Style It Up

A party is not a full party without decorations!

Sync your house or room in theme with the party by dressing up the walls and the tables with St. Patrick’s Day designs.

You can either make the decor yourself or if you want to save some time, you can also buy them ready made.

St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Irish Green Shamrock and Leprechauns Party Decorations

Be Happy And Get Lucky: St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas

Decorative Pillow Covers

St. Patrick’s Day Burlap Banners with Felt Shamrock Garland

Plan A Scavenger Hunt

Test everyone’s luck this year and set up a scavenger hunt with your guests!

Make it St. Patrick’s Day themed! Add items that are related to the day – like a green napkin, a printed sign or paper with Happy St. Patrick’s Day on it, a four leaf clover (real or fake), a green beer – let you imagination run wild! (When we were youth pastors we did these all the time and gave huge point values to the harder things to come by… like – and I kid you not – Road Kill…. they got 10,000 points for that and 100 for a can run over by a car…) Use your imagination!

Watch A Holiday-Inspired Movie Or Parade

Enjoy your favorite treats and sip your holiday-inspired drinks while watching a good movie or enjoying a parade.

There are a lot of Irish movies that you can enjoy!

Dress Up

Making sure your St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas come together, remember no party is complete without the appropriate attire. Green is obviously the color of the day: But, why not make it a costume party?

St. Patricks Day 11-Pieces Costume

St. Patrick's Day Accessory Saint Patricks Party Favors

St. Patrick’s Day Decorations Set Irish Headband

St. Patrick’s Day Party Favors

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St. Patrick’s Day is another day for you and your family and friends to have a day full of fun and make lasting memories. Whatever your St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas are, make sure that everyone goes home with a smile on their faces and luck on their side.

10 Ways To Prepare NOW Financially For The Holidays!

by Dian 1 Comment

**10 Things You Can Do To Prepare NOW Financially for The Holidays So You Don’t Feel The Pinch At The End Of The Year**

Have you thought about how you can prepare now financially for the holidays, no matter how close or far off they are?

People often talk about how suffocating the holidays can be financially at the end of the year. It’s the time of the year when you’re looking back at all the holiday events you booked and the get-togethers you spent with family and friends last Christmas and New Year and you’re wondering whether you can bear the months of eating Ramen so you can pay for all the expenses you incurred only to turn around and do it all again. These 10 Ways To Prepare NOW Financially For The Holidays will help!

Holidays cost money, many times much more money than we can actually afford. But, it’s never a good idea to get into serious debt for any holiday.

Don’t let yourself get too down in the dumps about it, though, because there are ways of keeping yourself from feeling the holiday pinch at the end of the year!

Set Your Own Rules

You don’t have to do the things that other people are doing during the holidays. Change things up and focus on having memorable, enjoyable experiences rather than giving extravagant gifts.

Your goal is to thrive and be happy during the holidays, to make memories and enjoy the people you love. The goal is not to see how much debt you can get in year after year buying gifts you really can’t afford.

A few months before the holidays, create your own gift list. Decide how much you want and can spend on each person. Or keep a list of what you would like to purchase for each person on your list and throughout the year as you run across these things and they are a good deal and you have the finances to do it, then do it. Remember Mom having presents hiding away in a closet all year? That’s how she did it… if it worked for Mom… 🙂

If you have children, you should prioritize them first.
When you have an extended family, instead of giving them gifts one by one, suggest a Secret Santa instead.
If you don’t have a lot to spend on gifts, give the gift of time. Take your parents out to dinner or spend time watching a movie at home with them You know they really only want to spend time with you, right? They don’t really want anything but you). Babysit your nieces and nephews so your siblings can have a night out without having to pay for a sitter.

Open A Holiday Savings Account

It’s easier to save up for your holiday budget by setting up a separate savings account.

Open a second savings account with your bank or if they allow you, you can create a sub-savings account on your online banking for your holiday purchases.

Creating a separate savings account allows you to automate your savings contributions, so, it’s easier for you to meet your holiday budget.

Capital One 360 has a free online account. No fees, at all, and you can set it up online in minutes and have a card sent to you in a few days.

Place A Hold On Luxury Spending

Do you really need to buy that new bag or pair of shoes?

Is it necessary to grab a coffee from Starbucks? Maybe cut back once or twice a week and put your coffee money in your new account. I, personally, buy Starbucks bagged coffee for home and they come with Starbucks Rewards that add up to money I can have on my Starbucks card and spend for coffees at the store.

Look at the discretionary expenses in your budget. Shift those funds to your holiday budget instead. Again, you’ll be happy when the time comes that you took the time to prepare now financially for the holidays.

You can cut down the money you’re spending on dining out, entertainment, clothing, and other extras. You can save a few hundred to thousands of dollars and you’ll be surprised at the money you’ll have in time for the holidays.

Fly Strategically

Are you flying home for the holidays?

Instead of booking your flights on the weekends, book your flights on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday!

According to FareCompare, these days are the cheapest days to fly.

You should also consider flying late night or very early in the morning. Since most travelers don’t want to fly past their bedtime or at the crack of dawn, flights during these times are cheaper than those during normal business hours. Just keep in mind as you plan these things, that at the end of the year it will be worth it when you’re not stressed about the cost because you took the time to prepare now financially for the holidays.

Host Potlucks

Hosting a holiday dinner can put a hole to your pocket. It can add up quickly on your grocery bill. Keep the food costs low by encouraging your friends to have a holiday potluck dinner.

Ask your family members or friends to bring their favorite dishes, desserts, pastries, and drinks. You can also have a themed dinner party and prepare food and drinks that best fit your theme.

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By hosting a holiday potluck, you are not only saving more money, but, you’re also encouraging your loved ones to share what they love.

You might also like: How To Recover Financially From The Holidays!

Use Your Credit Card Rewards

Review the rewards from your credit card and store rewards. You can pay for your gifts by using your points or redeem your points for gift cards and other merchandise.

If you have a credit card with grocery rewards, you can use it to buy gift cards at the grocery store.

You can also consider getting a balance transfer credit card with a zero percent introductory APR in January, if you have a good credit. You can pay your debt with zero interest for a period of time.

Organize A Exchange Gift Event

When you buy something for everyone you know, you’ll easily overspend! Buying for everyone spreads your resources thin and your credit card debt thick.

Instead of giving gifts to everyone, arrange a exchange gift event with your family and friends. Draw a name out of a box and buy a gift for that person.

Organizing a gift exchange event allows you to give a more thoughtful gift for that person. It also reduces the amount you spend on gifts. Plus, it’s exciting to wait for your own gift from your own Secret Santa!

Shop Online

Before you go to the mall to purchase your gifts, check out online shops first.

Look at the prices online and see if making an online purchase can save you more time and money.

A lot of online stores have free shipping and provide online-only discounts. It also lets you save money on gas and time spent driving to and from the store.

Buy Early

Set a goal to finish shopping at least two to three weeks before the holidays arrive.

Wrapping your gifts as soon as you buy them limits you from being tempted to add a little extra after.

Shopping earlier keeps your spending under control. It also makes your holidays more relaxing and enjoyable too.

Start A Side Gig

If you’re strapped for cash, try and start a side gig to earn extra cash.

You can help people tidy up their homes before the holidays. Market your service helping people to get organized. You can also offer to babysit for parents while they shop. You can also help busy parents who don’t have time to shop and run errands for them. It’s not hard to think a little outside the box to help you prepare now financially for the holidays. You’ll be happy you did!

You might also like: 12 Ways To Make Extra Money On The Side!

The holidays are the most wonderful, yet, the most expensive time of the year. Making some simple, but, important changes to your habits will ensure that you can enjoy your Christmas and New Year without feeling the holiday pinch at the end of the year.

What are your tips to prepare financially for the holidays?

How To Recover Financially From The Holidays!

by Dian Leave a Comment

Overspent This Holiday Season? How To Recover Financially From The Holidays!

Did you just pile up a ton of holiday debt? Paying off debt can be daunting. However with a great budget planner & these tips you'll be out of debt in no time.

With the holidays behind us, you might notice that your wallet is thinner than it usually is or you have a pile of holiday debt. The holidays are a wonderful time with family and friends and sometimes we just get caught up in holiday overspending. But, overspending can put a huge hole in your finances for months to come. Some people overspend during the holidays and don’t truly recover until they get their tax refund. Or they spend months paying off debt from the holidays.

The post-holiday financial stress is something that you can either run away from or you can face head-on. Dealing with the aftermath of the holidays as well as your poor financial decisions can be stressful, difficult, and time-consuming. However, if you deal with it sooner, rather than later, you can make an immediate recovery.

The sooner you work on paying off the holiday financial aftermath, whether it’s a small or not-so-small pile of debt, the less damage it will do to your finances.

Here is a step-by-step approach on how you can recover financially from the happiest, yet, most expensive time of the year.

Assess Your Current Financial Situation

Before you make any move, it’s important to examine your entire financial situation first. This includes your monthly budget, as well as your short and long-term financial goals.

Make a list of how much you spent over the holidays, all your debts, their due dates, minimum and maximum payment amounts, interest rates, and the timeframe in which you would like to clear your debt. Include how much money you have in your savings accounts and how many credit cards you are using.

Create A Plan And Stick To It

Creating an action plan is another obstacle. Despite the fact that creating a budget is one of the easiest and fastest ways to track your finances, the majority of people in the United States just don’t do it.

If you are looking to dig out of the hole that the holidays made to your finances, the first thing you should do is to create a budget that outlines your monthly finances. Having a budget planner will not only help you manage your money, but, it also helps you figure out how much you can afford to repay your debt every month.

Check this out: 6 Ways To Start A Successful Budget Plan! With FREE Printables and/or Spreadsheet!

Creating a budget does not need to be complicated! You need to make a list of your recurring expenses, including any one-time bills. Compare your total expenses to the amount of money that you take home every month. If you find that your budget is completely maxed out, then you’ll need to spend less on other items to free up some cash to pay your debt.

Select A Payment Strategy That Works For You And The Family

Consider paying off the credit cars that have the highest interest rates first and work your way down the list. Always pay on time and pay more than the minimum payment, if at all possible.

Cut Some Expenses

Remember your monthly budget? If it does not give you enough room for your savings, you need to think about cutting down some expenses to pay your debt. You may slash a couple of smaller expenses or reduce the major expense in your transportation, housing or food.

How will you choose which expenses to cut to pay off your debt quickly? It really depends on your lifestyle. If giving up your weekend entertainment, morning coffee or sandwiches for lunch will result in misery (and eventually, retail therapy), you might consider downsizing your apartment instead. Or if you live in a spacious home or have a car to go to work, you may cut back on leisure and store-bought lunches.

The key here is to free up more cash from your budget to pay off your debt. Eventually, once you paid all your debt, you can use the extra money to add to your emergency funds.

Get A Side Hustle

If you don’t have enough wiggle room on your budget or you want to immediately pay your debt, getting a side hustle is a great solution to end your debt problem.

If you are willing to work on a second job, you will get extra money to pay off your bills. Believe it or not, out of 44 Million Americans who have a side gig, more than one-third of them are bringing home at least $500 a month!

You might like this: 12 Ways To Make Extra Money On The Side!

Return What You Don’t Want Or Need

You might have plenty of holiday gifts that are just sitting around — these include gifts that you don’t want or need.

If you still have the receipts, return them. You may either get cash in exchange or if you can get store credits.

Sell Them

Maybe you received a lot of things during the holiday season — even if you already have them or you don’t know where to use them. You may sell some of it, either online or by holding a garage sale.

The extra cash that you get from selling that tablet can pay down your mountain of debt.

Check Out This Article: 10 Yard Sale Hacks That Everyone Needs to Know!

Stop Spending Frivolously

It may sound simple, but, stopping any frivolous spending can help a lot. Take a financial diet and try not to spend money on other non-essential items until you pay off all the extra debt you incurred during the holidays.

Cut back on your daily expenses by doing your own nails instead of going to the salon. Carpool to work to save on gas. You can also take your lunch to work or make your coffee at home.

Take advantage of free leisure activities. Instead of buying a movie ticket or going out for dinner, go to the park or visit a free museum or art exhibit. You might also organize a potluck dinner with your friends.

Together with these changes, you may save a total of $5,000 savings in a year.

Proactively Save For Your Holiday Shopping This Year

It is never too early to start saving for the upcoming holiday season. Start a holiday shopping budget and set aside money for it. If you put at least $100 every month, you will have more than $1000 you can put on gifts or travel.

No one wants to start the new year in debt. By following these guides, you will have a cleaner and better 2019.