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Money-Saving Tips for St. Patrick’s Day

shamrock-1217739_1920St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th this year. It’s a very popular holiday acknowledged by many people with and without Irish descent. Like most holidays, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can easy become expensive especially if you’re taking part in the popular tradition of involving alcohol with the celebration.

With Easter just ten days after, both holidays can easily sneak up on your wallet so it’s best to spend consciously, focus on enjoying your time with loved ones, and embrace frugality. Here are a few saving tips to keep in mind if you are planning on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Attend a Friend’s Party

Instead of paying a cover fee to get into a bar or going through the process of planning and buying supplies for your own party, consider asking around or taking your friend up on the invite to their St. Patrick’s Day party. Attending a party at your friend or family member’s house will always be much cheaper than going out to a pub or restaurant, or even going the DIY route with your own party.

Of course, you can ask to help set things up and bring a dish to pass, but you won’t spend nearly as much money since all the other guests will pitch in for food and drinks as well. Plus you won’t have any cleanup to do afterward.

Check out a Parade

St. Patrick’s Day is also known for having an over-the-top parade in most cities. This is the perfect time for families to enjoy a free event that kids would be crazy not to love! Parades are great for providing music, entertainment, and even treats and special discounts for the community. It’s also a nice way to get to know what’s going on around town and found out about a local club that you or your child could be interested in joining. Who knows, you may even find out a thing or two about Irish history.

Plan a Treasure Hunt with the Kids

If you have kids, they will probably hear all about St. Patrick’s Day in school and want to do something fun to celebrate. You can play on the commercialized theme of the holiday by creating a fun treasure hunt in or outside of your home for kids to partake in.

You can get creative with candy and clues from the dollar store or just items that you have around your home. It’s no secret that Leprechauns like gold, Gold covered chocolate coins are very popular and cheap and they’ll fit in quite well with the theme. To educate kids about the holiday, include Irish history facts and have multiple trivia questions to ask the children in an attempt to lead them to the treasure!

Attend a Musical Event

Traditional Irish music is very unique and fun. Check to see if your town is having any free musical events in honor of St. Patrick’s day that you can check out. This can be an event for the whole family.

Movie Marathon

There is an endless number of Irish themed movies out there making it the perfect time to have a movie marathon at home with some snacks. You can probably find interesting documentaries online, on Netflix, or even at your local library. One of my all-time favorite Irish movies of all time is Michael Collins. The movie is a somewhat biographical film about the late Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins, played by actress Liam Neeson. The movie covers his life and success with working toward Irish freedom from British rule from the time he joined the Irish Republican Army as a young adult until his death in his early 30s. It’s really a great movie to get into if you’re interested in learning about the Irish Revolution in the early 1900s. Below is a clip from the movie:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6L66xhKdgE&w=420&h=315]

Finally, Don’t Spend all your Money on Alcohol

I get it, it’s a drinking holiday. There’s nothing wrong drinking socially with friends during fun holidays but it’s important to realize the true meaning behind St. Patrick’s Day and the need to acknowledge Irish and Irish-American history and heroes.

If you’ll be buying alcohol, try not to go overboard. Stick to what’s on sale or buy drinks in bulk at the grocery store for a discounted rate. You can also split the bill with friends if you go out, order the special, or try a pitcher if it will seem more affordable. Another trick to do if you’re going out is to bring only a limited amount of cash with you and leave your debit and credit cards home that way you can’t overspend.

How will you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Posted in: Saving Money

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