Some of the cool ideas offered include:

• Peach or raspberry Bellinis for guests, made with some fruit picked from the garden.
• For canapés with the early drinks, lots of different bruschettas made with garden tomatoes, garlic, and plenty of home-grown basil and a minty bean humus as well.
• Plates of just-picked baby vegetables – radish, mini carrots, peas, purple-podded mange touts, and the late, mini broad bean ‘Stereo’ – on plates covered in ice.
• Crisp courgette wedges with anchovy mayonnaise and stuffed courgette flowers with goat’s cheese and honey.
• Fresh salads and new potatoes served with dinner.
• Lebanese tahini salad, home-made mint jelly and platters of salad scattered with blue borage and orange marigold flowers included with the main wedding meal.
• Flowers such as, Cosmos ‘Purity’ and dill flowers for decor, table centres of potted acidanthera, and a bouquet of roses, alchemilla and sweet peas.

I LOVE this idea; they offer some great creative ideas, and I see how you could expand it to all sorts of cool events – grow your own… potluck, graduation, baby shower, birthday, the list goes on and on. Growing your own food and flowers for a major event is a super way to cut costs and makes for such a charming event too. Plus, it’s so versatile. You could grow all sorts of different items for various events.

Read the series:

• Grow your own wedding: part 1
• Grow your own wedding: part 2

See more ways to save money on your wedding.

[images via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Now, since we have a lot of kids in the family, we can’t just ignore their actual birthdays. However, they’ll open presents and blow out a cupcake candle with immediate family members instead of having a big bash. We also decided that we can opt to have one big party a year for someone who is reaching a special milestone, such as a 16th, 30th, or 50th birthday. If there’s no milestone to worry about, we’ll draw the name of one of the kids out of a hat and give that child an individual party.

Will it work? I don’t know. And I won’t know until May, since we only have three more birthdays before then and they’re all in individual months! Our family is chock full of May, June, July, August and September birthdays. Have any of you done this? Any tips on making a smooth transition to a mass celebration plan?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Once we have the theme, we pick up related toys and games for the goodie bags (which are going to be Speed Racer stickers on paper bags instead of the more expensive plastic goodie bags sold in the store…) as we see them for 75% off in Target’s dollar spot and other places. Then, we supplement the goodie bags with related crafts and activities that are really inexpensive. For this birthday, we will probably be making Alka Seltzer rockets and rubber band cars.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Just because you choose to live thrifty doesn’t mean you have to throw a thrifty picnic. Here at Simply Thrifty we looked at tips for an elegant and inexpensive potluck

At Declutter It you can read five tips to help you organize your summer BBQ. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch by Robust Cooking

Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade at All Holiday Cafe

Rice Krispie Treats at Keeping the Castle

Homemade Oreo Ice Cream at Chocolate Bytes

Cool Summer Snacking at Inside Motherhood

Pasta Salad at Thrifty Mommy

Baking Delights is bringing enough chocolate for everyone to catch a chocobuzz with her favorite brownies

Nothing like sweet tea on a hot, summer day…Wait..I taste lime..mint…is that a non-alcoholic Mojito? Kettle and Cup has the answer.

Blogfabulous is serving up a super easy, keep your butt out of the hot kitchen solution to Hors’ devours.

Weary Parent is serving Chocolate Puppy Chow, a snack that’s bound to be popular with the kids

Offbeat Homes is sharing details on how to hold an offbeat picnic in four easy steps.

Tree Hugging Family shares 10 tips for an easy green picnic or green potluck

10 Summer party ideas and themes for your next backyard barbecue, or potluck.

Add some backyard Olympic games to your next barbecue, in honor of the Summer Olympics

And speaking of games, Marriage Actually is bringing a fun game for the grownups. Life Stories – a fun way to find out more about your spouse, friends and extended family.

Cyndi won’t go anyplace to picnic unless she can grill, but she doesn’t want to spend all day doing it. Try her tips for Grilling Chicken Fast, and get a jumpstart on your next picnic!

Who says picnics have to be complicated affairs? Keep it simple with cheeses, meats and homemade bread. Brewha-ha.com has a few suggestions – including a recipe for Polish beer rye bread

Whether you’re having a picnic, a barbecue or just looking for a fun activity to do with your kids outside, Susan at PlayLibrary offers a list of 50 outdoor toys and games that are perfect for summer.

This time of year there are bugs everywhere, don’t forget to bring the bug repellent along with your favorite dish to your next cookout.

Christine at Mad Cropper not only shares her favourite winter or summer recipe but also shares that you can turn recipes into creative works of arts. Find out how!

And while you’re out having all the fun and good food you can handle, don’t forget your pets – they enjoy special summer treats too!

At Quilting and Patchwork enjoy an array of potluck foods and memories from the Food Bloggers.

You never know what medical emergency could happen while your are picnicking…Marye at Simply Home Remedies is bringing the antidote for nearly ANYTHING!

Eliza at Babylune provides a checklist of tips to consider when taking baby picnicking.

Finally, when it’s all said and done – perhaps you can kick back with a nice frozen beverage. MomGadget prefers the Dominican Coco Loco

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Potlucks are known as a thrifty alternative to other dinner parties, but rarely do the terms elegant (or cool), and potluck go together. Here are some inexpensive ways to liven up the typical potluck event.

Have a theme. Same old potluck = dull. Create a theme; like an around the world potluck, a fiesta, a Hawaiian potluck, or a nature based organic potluck. You’ll still only be called upon for a dish or two, but a theme will bring something creative to the table.

Have a nibbler potluck: Have people bring their best appetizers, deserts, and cocktail fixings. This is a more adult gathering than your typical casserole potluck event.

Make your decorations work double time: Create a neat centerpiece that can actually be devoured. Use fresh fruits or edible herbs. You can freeze tiny violets or lilacs in ice cubes for pretty drinks, or even create ice bowls to use for serving. Learn how to make an ice bowl.  Ice bowls are especially nice with fruit salad or sorbet inside. Other decoration ideas can be inexpensive summer paper fans as place markers, flowers from your garden, or a plain white paper tablecloth livened up with stamps.

Shiny drinks: If you have an old tin bucket – or can find some sort of tin bin at a thrift store, cover it in clear glue, and sprinkle on the glitter. Fill with ice, and use for holding cold drinks. This looks better at night, with say, torches shining light on it. If you do it well, it’ll look good during the day as well though.

Lighting: Pull out last year’s holiday lights and hang them up. It’s an inexpensive way to create a nicely lit evening potluck. If you don’t have any left over lights, snag some LED string lights. They’re not always cheap, but one, you can find great deals online, and two, the LED lights conserve energy and will last and last.

Another idea that does double duty – lighting plus keeping bugs away, are these bamboo citronella torches. They’re a great deal for a set of six, and would look really nice either on the beach as shown, or you could place them in sand, in pretty containers or big garden pot.

What other ways can you think of to liven up a potluck; maybe bring in some extra style? 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I’ve learned to use connections to get things done at more reasonable rates. There is no shame in asking friends and family members to lend their talents to your cause. As long as you make them feel appreciated, they are usually glad to help. My bother in law, who is a gifted musician, is going to lend his talents at my charity. The usual base fee for a band is 100-200 dollars per hour. I will be able to get away with a small gift card, as payment.

Make a list of priorities. Decide what the most important elements of the event are. Then it will be easier to allocate funds. The least important items on the list can discarded if money runs out. The venue and food are always most important. Decorations are always easy to pare down or omit. Extravagant party favors are not a necessity either. A warm word of thanks to your guests will usually suffice in satisfying their need for a token of your gratitude.

Whatever you can do yourself, do it. Enlist friends to make favors, decorations or appetizers. Host a potluck party if you are having a crowd that is easy going. Make it a “Death by chocolate” theme or a “B.Y.Favorite” night. People love to share their specialty dishes. Make your invitations, when feasible. Use your talents to cut down on costs.

When choosing a venue, entertainer or other service, interview several people and get quotes. A lot of businesses are willing to meet or beat a quote. Talking with business owners and being honest about your budget, can be of great benefit to you. People are usually willing to work with you if there is a personal connection involved. Phone calls are too impersonal.

Make one big trip for several purposes. It saves on travel time and gas. Plan out your day to accommodate several meetings and interviews.  I try to accomplish several tasks while my husband is home to watch the kids. It saves on babysitting and I can relax, knowing that they are in good hands.

Seek out donations. I know that some people have a problem in asking for freebies, but the worst you can get is a “no.” Some wine suppliers will come and do a pouring for free and give a discounted price on the wine. New catering businesses will usually provide the food at a discount, just to get their name out there. Offering to pass out their business cards to your guests may prompt the caterer to give a discount. Small businesses are hurting right now. Many owners will gladly donate to your event in exchange for advertising. I know this does not work for every event, but it works wonders for fundraisers and company events.

Keep in mind that guests will not remember every detail about the event. The thing that they will remember most is the fun. If you keep the mood festive and encourage socialization by playing party games or sparking conversations, people will always have a good time. Always be gracious, outgoing and thank your guests for coming as they leave. Your party is sure to be a frugal hit if you plan carefully and keep the focus where it needs to be, on the fun!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

The fourth of July is my husband’s favorite holiday. His family has always gotten together for a huge potluck (I say ‘huge’ because it is at least 40 people strong,) and a night time fireworks display. However, times have changed and most of his family goes camping at the beach, now. Since gas prices and rental of a motor home are too outrageous to even consider, we are left behind. Does that mean that we cannot have fun? Heck no! We are going to stay local and make our own simple celebration. Here are some ideas that I’ve come up with for a simplistic, yet fun Independence Day.

1. Block party! If you have a street that is relatively quiet, your neighbors might appreciate the chance to take part in a travel free celebration. It’s a great way to get to know everyone. I’m even going to take the opportunity to pass out neighborhood watch fliers.
2. Reading of the Declaration Of Independence. Have you ever read it in its entirety? It really is a powerful statement. You can even break it down into kid friendly portions and let the kids take turns reading it.
3. Crafts! Making presidential hats and beards out of construction paper and cotton balls is always a blast for kids. Then they can wear their costumes while reading the Declaration.
4. Red, white and blue potluck. Make a menu of fun items that are colored American or bear patriotic names. For example: Red strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream on pound cake. Arrange the items on the cake slices to look like a flag. Then name it “Stars And Stripes Cake.” Make iced tea and float the strawberries in it. Call it, “Oh say can you tea?” Garnish burgers with red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing and call them “Statues of Li-burger-ty.”
5. Organize water games that large groups can play. Red white and blue water balloon toss is always a favorite. More ideas: three legged races, spoon races with patriotic colored eggs, and “Name That President” (players have to match up clues with the president who said or did each thing.)
6. End the evening by finding a local fireworks show and enjoying the spectacular show on a blanket, under the stars.

Here’s hoping that you all have a safe and memorable fourth of July celebration!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Then, the innovative idea of movie exchange programs, came into play. It seemed the answer to all of my late fee problems. There were no such things as late fees! We could exchange movies as often as we wished and as many times, per month. Hallelujah! Errrrrrk…pull the e-brake. There was one problem with the exchange program lies in the fact that you actually have to keep track of where the movie is. If you lose the movie, you buy the movie. Nothing in our house, ever stays where it should. Everything gets lost, at least once. This especially applies to things that do not belong to us. So, I still encountered the problem of paying out the nose for movies that we borrow.

The solution: knowing when to be content with what we have. We have decided to cancel our movie membership and just enjoy the movies that we already own. There are always weekend movies on cable television, if we scour the listing guide.  We will just have to learn to be happy with what we already have. When we decided that it is time to add to our collection, we will buy the movie and then watch it without the fear of late fees or lost fees. Then, when we eventually lose and find the movie (which we will,) it will be a nice surprise! Plus, it will save us the thirty dollar membership fee, which is always nice.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

What are your plans for the weekend? My family has been staying close to home lately since we’re doing all the work outside, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. If you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few things you can do this weekend without having to reach into your wallet:

1. Go for a bike ride.
2. Visit the park.
3. Go for a hike.
4. Visit the library
5. Take out movies from the library to watch as a family
6. Have family game night (ours is always Saturday night)
7. Read together
8. Do a craft projects with items found in the house
9. Do some gardening
10. Bake
11. Have a family barbecue
12. Talk
13. Have a sing a long
14. Go bird watching
15. Visit a free concert in the park
16. Visit a street fair
17. Listen to music
18. Watch the sunrise or sunset together
19. Check out the stars
20. Watch a parade
21. Visit a free museum
22. Tour a factory
23. Play a family game of kickball, badminton or some other fun sport
24. Turn off the lights and tell ghost stories
25. Do a jigsaw puzzle together
26. Have a picnic

Image: AllPosters.com

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

If you know me, you know I’m not at all interested in football. There are plenty of people who are, however, and lots of parties are going on. While it’s not my thing, I’d like to offer a few suggestions for hosting a football party that won’t break the bank.

• Have a potluck – Assign an appetizer, beverage, main dish or dessert to each of your guest.
• Shop for decorations and traditional Super Bowl fare at the last minute – Every thing you’ve seen on display for the past few weeks is going to be on sale as managers don’t want to be stuck with over stock. If you can, wait until the last minute.
• Make as many of your own decorations as possible. Here’s a whole page of football crafts and activities.
• If it’s cold where you live, don’t overcrowd your fridge or buy ice. Keep those fridges and freezers from working overtime by putting some foods and drinks on a back porch or patio.

There’s always reasons for celebration and money should never be a reason not to celebrate.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy