Organized Fourth of July Celebration

Fourth of July

From the Desk of Clearissa Coward’s Command Center/Divinely Organized   

 Organized Fourth of July Celebration

A re-post to help you plan your Fourth of July celebration. Enjoy and be safe!

How are you planning to celebrate your Fourth of July? Many families enjoy food, fun and fireworks as they celebrate the Fourth. Sometimes prepping for a family BBQ can be expensive and time-consuming…unless you, say it with me now…get organized. 🙂 So let’s plan an organized Fourth of July celebration.
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We have a few more days so I am going to give you a few tips to help you prepare and organize for your family Fourth of July celebration. I have pulled together a few tips we can all use to prepare, save money and enjoy our Fourth of July holiday.

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Shopping for the Celebration

According to Real Simple, you do not have to blow your entire food budget on the meat for a BBQ.

  • Purchase your fish and chicken in bulk. A lot of butchers have meat packages during the holiday season and if that is not the case in your area, you can always visit the larger discount stores for good prices.
  • Substitute expensive cuts of steak for a less expensive cut. The trick here is to purchase your less expensive cuts of meat leaving enough time for you to prep and marinate the meat to ensure tenderness.
  • Substitute boneless chicken breasts with legs or thighs. They are less likely to be dry and they are very flavorful.
  • To make your hamburgers fancier, do some research and find recipes that will help you enhance the flavor of your hamburgers and they will become a highlight of the meal instead of an old standby.
  • Another suggestion from Real Simple and we do this all the time, make enough so there are leftovers for a couple of days. We often do this on Sundays and make enough for lunch or dinner for a couple of days during the week. Don’t make too much, you do not want to throw large quantities away, but do make enough to have a couple of other meals. Again, you can find different recipes to make the leftovers special. Use your internet or your family’s recipes and make BBQ’d leftovers better the day after.
  • If you intend to ask certain party goers to help with cleanup, let them know in advance of the party to make sure they are available to remain a little while after the festivities.
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Treat your Grill Well

  • Mister and I argue about this a lot. I believe the grill should be cleaned after each use and he thinks it’s okay to continually cook over the old. I am happy to say, I win this argument.
  • Clean the grill after each use. It will be a lot easier to clean while still warm. If you do not put it away dirty, you will not have to waste time cleaning it before your next BBQ.
  • Make sure you have the right tools to cook on or clean your grill.
  • Safety first…be sure to wait until the grill cools down before you begin cleaning.
  • Wear heat resistant gloves while cleaning the grill.
  • If you are using a charcoal grill, be sure to empty coals into a metal container and wait for a couple of days before disposing.
  • Do not become a collector of grilling tools. You only need the necessities which are a thermometer and tongs.

Tighten up the Guest List

  • Make sure you have an accurate count of attendees. Knowing how many you need to feed will help with both preparation and money management.
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  • Knowing who your guests are can help you with meal planning. If you know who’s attending, you will be aware of any food allergies, as well as who likes what to eat.
  • Remember to ask if anyone is vegetarian or gluten free. These two specifications will need to be addressed.

Prepare the Party Area

  • Get ahead of the game and decorate the area/deck/patio a day or so in advance. Especially if the area is covered. Make sure chair pillows are clean and in place. Chairs, benches, and tabletops are clean and prepped for a party.
  • Add lanterns, flowers, etc.
  • Although you do not want to set the table this far in advance, you can purchase the plates, napkins, cups, etc. and have them ready to set the table the day of the celebration.
  • Pull all outside games together and put nets and other games together in advance.
  • If you are lucky enough to have a pool, make sure you have enough floating devices for children attending the BBQ.

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Side Dishes/Deserts

  • This is where everyone can get involved. You have the option to ask guests to bring their best side dish. Most people have a dish they are proud to make and will be happy to bring and show off their culinary skills. 
  • If you prefer to do all of the cooking, you can ask guests to bring plastic ware (if you use it) and/or paper goods.
  • You can also make it a BYOB celebration which means Bring Your Own Bottle and if your guests do not drink alcohol, they can bring soft drinks or homemade lemonade or other specialty drinks. Most people love to contribute if asked.

The Party is Over

  • Fourth of JulyYou’ve had a perfect family gathering for the Fourth and now it’s time for the cleanup.
  • After most guest leave, pull your cleanup crew together (you have arranged this in advance).
  • Make it easy by providing large trash bags for any garbage & wet cloths to wipe down all of the outdoor surfaces.
  • Break down all extra tables and outdoor games.
  • Take all food into the house.
  • Break down the food and bag/pack to refrigerate.
  • Clean up the kitchen and viola, a successful family gathering and you did not have to do all of the work. WhooSah!

What are your plans for the Fourth? Do you have a BBQ planned? If so, share your tips.

Fourth of July

Organization touches every aspect of your life…including Party Planning so get organized and Make memories!

Note: Stay safe and leave the fireworks to the professionals.

There could be affiliate links within this post. However, all opinions and ideas are my own. Clicking on and using the links to purchase products does not increase your cost at all. I appreciate your support.

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The is a collaboration and the article was written by Diana Lopes & Clearissa Coward, who are both writers for homeyou.com, where you can find decor and remodeling ideas, and professional contractors for any home improvement project. Join us on Facebook and Pinterest and happy summer!!

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Clearissa Coward's Command Center

18 thoughts on “Organized Fourth of July Celebration

  1. Jen says:

    I love that you and your man debate the grill cleanliness thing. lol. Seriously though, I didn’t think about the meat thing – buying cheaper but earlier in order to marinate. That makes awesome sense, and I will so be doing that this year! (um, I need to go shopping after work now)

  2. Clearissa Coward says:

    Hi Jen. Yes Mister and I do a lot of debating. 😉 He is a wonderful man, but he is a man. lol I love a good T-bone or sirloin but when you are feeding a crowd, sometimes is simply not possible on my budget. But if marinated correctly, even the less expensive cuts are just as good. Have a great Fourth of July Holiday and please let me know how your cuts of meat turn out. 🙂

  3. Arie says:

    This was so helpful.. I loved everything about this article. Especially please clean the grill after each use, those men I swear..

  4. Clearissa Coward says:

    Hey Girl,

    Yes, I would rather cook in my oven than to cook on a messy grill. 🙂 A lot of men believe or like to say they believe that not cleaning the grill adds flavor for the food. I’m not falling for that. 🙂 Clean the grill for pete’s sake. 😉 Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  5. Carol ("Mimi") says:

    I hope you had a very happy July 4th celebration! Thank you for linking up at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I’m sharing your link on social media.
    Carol (“Mimi”) from Home with Mimi

  6. Clearissa Coward says:

    Hi Carol. I did have an enjoyable holiday. However on the 6th hubs had a complete knee replacement. So since then it’s been hectic around here. 🙂 I hope you are doing well and thanks for stopping by.

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