On
the Saturday morning before July 4, when we’d normally be on the road headed
out of town, I awoke early and made my way to the superstores. I can’t remember
the last time we actually stayed in town for the July 4th week. Typically, we
spend the holiday with family and friends in the New York/New Jersey area.
This year, we decided to forgo the annual trip and host a cookout of our
own.
Based on my relatively new stay-home-for-Independence-Day planning experiences, here are my top five reasons for throwing the party rather than traveling to it:
1. SAVE MONEY When
gas prices are above $3 a gallon, it can be much more cost effective to clean
the house, paint a room, buy tons of food and fix the badminton set than to
travel. When you factor in the cost of eating on the road and incidentals, like
a trip into NYC, souvenirs and trying to outdo relatives with generosity
spending, I could feed my family for a year on what we’re saving.
2. HOME REPAIRS Sure, you would have gotten to painting this and replacing that eventually. But people making solid plans to visit you exponentially increases the potential for images of your personal space to be plastered all over Facebook, which in turn motivates a flurry of fixing up stuff before the big party. And while it may be stressful, once everyone heads home you're left with a freshly painted bathroom.
3. NEW TOWELS There’s nothing worse than inviting relatives to stay, and then realizing you barely have enough towels for your family, let alone Uncle Fred and Aunt Myra. After pulling together your entire inventory, finding that most is unfit for donation to Goodwill, let alone guest use, causes an impromptu visit to the bed and bath section of the superstore, where you stock up on new towels, pillowcases and other linens you haven’t thought about replacing since your bridal shower.
4. NO TRAFFIC Even
the folks I nearly cut off trying to find a shady spot to park were forgiving
when I made my way to Party City and Costco for our outdoor picnic provisions.
Yes, the parking lot at Costco was full by 10 a.m., but everyone was much more
pleasant than what we encountered during December. But then, Saturday’s crowd
consisted of the ones giving the parties, not the ones stuck in Interstate
traffic with the gas needle dipping while someone whined in desperation for
another potty break.
5. BED There’s nothing like getting home after a long trip and sleeping in your own bed. Unless, that is, you are home the whole time, sleeping in your own bed. Hosting the party can be exhausting, but when you can escape every evening to your bed, pillow and comforting surroundings, you realize you’ve got the good end of the deal.
Then again, there is
an argument for being the out-of-town guests. We certainly have created a ton
of great family memories on our July 4th road trips.
Micki Bare, mother of three, wife, writer and content manager is the author of Thurston T. Turtle books.
Like Thurston T. Turtle on Facebook
Visit Micki’s website: http://www.inspiredscribe.com
Follow Micki on Twitter: @TurtleAuthor
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY READING:
Thank You Letter to My Son
You Have to Tell a Person When Her Boob is Labeled "L"
Based on my relatively new stay-home-for-Independence-Day planning experiences, here are my top five reasons for throwing the party rather than traveling to it:
 |
| Stocked up on celebratory decorations, yet still saved money by hosting this year. |
2. HOME REPAIRS Sure, you would have gotten to painting this and replacing that eventually. But people making solid plans to visit you exponentially increases the potential for images of your personal space to be plastered all over Facebook, which in turn motivates a flurry of fixing up stuff before the big party. And while it may be stressful, once everyone heads home you're left with a freshly painted bathroom.
3. NEW TOWELS There’s nothing worse than inviting relatives to stay, and then realizing you barely have enough towels for your family, let alone Uncle Fred and Aunt Myra. After pulling together your entire inventory, finding that most is unfit for donation to Goodwill, let alone guest use, causes an impromptu visit to the bed and bath section of the superstore, where you stock up on new towels, pillowcases and other linens you haven’t thought about replacing since your bridal shower.
 |
| Crowded by 10 a.m., yet still pleasant experience. |
5. BED There’s nothing like getting home after a long trip and sleeping in your own bed. Unless, that is, you are home the whole time, sleeping in your own bed. Hosting the party can be exhausting, but when you can escape every evening to your bed, pillow and comforting surroundings, you realize you’ve got the good end of the deal.
 |
| Just in case guests want to get "Lei-ed," we stocked up. |
Micki Bare, mother of three, wife, writer and content manager is the author of Thurston T. Turtle books.
Like Thurston T. Turtle on Facebook
Visit Micki’s website: http://www.inspiredscribe.com
Follow Micki on Twitter: @TurtleAuthor
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY READING:
Thank You Letter to My Son
You Have to Tell a Person When Her Boob is Labeled "L"
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