Frugal St. Patrick’s Day Ideas and Tips

On March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated by many people around the world. St. Patrick’s Day can be festive and fun for all ages. However, if you are not too careful, you could spend too much on food, drinks and entertainment. Here are some of the frugal St Patricks’ Day tips and ideas for you and your family.

For Children:

• Kids generally enjoy St. Patrick’s Day by creating arts and crafts that are green. You can start by searching the Internet for free St. Patty’s Day colouring pages and have your children colour them. Then, get some green and gold sparkling glitter, and then using it to decorate cards and art projects.
• Make and decorate a pot of gold. Then, organize a treasure hunt with a group of kids for homemade gold coins or shamrocks. As your kids treasure hunt, they can use the pots to store their found treasures. Consider awarding prizes to the children who could find the most treasures.
• Use green yards to make friendship bracelets and necklaces. Attach green beads or other decorations to sparkle up the homemade jewellery.
• Gather old magazines, catalogues and newspapers. Then, cut out the various pictures to create St. Patrick’s collages or storybooks.
• If your town or city has a Saint Patricks Day parade, attend the parade and related events. These events are suitable for the whole family to enjoy, and you will get some free entertainment, connect with others and celebrate a rich holiday.
• Prepare a green meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner. A little bit of green food coloring can visually spice up your food. Try green pancakes, green mashed potatoes or green Jell-O. Search the Internet for traditional Irish recipes that you could make with your children, such as shamrock cookies.

For Adults:

• Search for free St. Patrick’s Day events around the town. If you want to go out, instead of going to a pub or bar, go for dessert or coffee. Get an Irish coffee to celebrate this festive holiday.
• Host a fun St. Patrick’s celebration party at home. Invite your friends and party to Irish music. For food, consider having a potato-based buffet, as potatoes are associated with Ireland. Encourage your guests to dress up their potatoes with cheese, bacon, sour cream, green onions and anything green. Or, try the more traditional Irish food fare: cabbage and corned beef. Complement the traditional food with avocado dip, pistachios, zucchini, and anything green. For drinks, set up an Irish pub tour by serving different Irish beers and drinks, such as Guinness and O’Hara’s. For guests who do not drink, serve festive green limeade or punch.
• For decorations, dollar stores are an excellent place for festive napkins, plates, decorations, leprechaun hats, balloons and more.
• If you wish to dress up, find something green that you already have first. Then, build your costumes around it. Alternatively, find an old green t-shirt or sweatshirt and decorate it with fabric markers and accessories. Of course, you can write something like, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish.”

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