6 Stress Free 4th of July Party Ideas

This 4th of July take the stress out of your party planning with these easy 4th of July party ideas & tips!

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Fred Meyer. We are grateful for our partners support that allows us to bring you beautiful free content each and every week!

Every summer seems to go faster than the last one. Is it just me? Someone back me up here. I blinked and my newborn is suddenly 6 months old, my chubby toddler just turned 5 and we just got through our oldests kindergarten graduation. I just want to hit the pause button!

June always feels like a crazy busy month and by the time we hit 4th of July? You guys…I’m just exhausted!

If you’ve been around these parts for long you know I have an undying love for Fred Meyer (Kroger in other parts of the country) and their grocery shopping service Clicklist. Like rivaling my love for wine and cheese. This is serious people. The girls at our store know me and Holli by name we are there so often!

 

Using Clicklist is my go to for my weekly grocery shopping but I have to tell you it’s my staple for entertaining too! I don’t know if you’ve ever done this but you go into the store to shop for an event and literally pack your cart so full you can’t get it reloaded at the checkout stand? *Covers her eyes*

This got to be such a frequent occurrence that I had started shopping in two separate trips. Esh. But no more! Clicklist to the rescue! I put my order in for the groceries the night before, arrive early before my pickup slot time and head into the store to pick up everything else I need aside from the food!

From ridiculously adorable apparel, to decorations, fresh flowers, all the housewares for our party and let’s not forget the fireworks!

Once I am done picking up all my party supplies I head out with my one cart, unload and then swing over and get all my groceries at ClickList!

Fred Meyer literally has everything I need to throw a stress free party in one spot. Can I get a hallelujah from all the moms out there?!?

 

So after throwing TONS of parties and getting asked loads of times by friends how we do it…here are 6 of my best stress free 4th of July party ideas!

1. Know when to go homemade and when to go store bought.

Pick mostly side dishes from the store and make 1-2 easy recipes from scratch. Example: A quick coleslaw is way easier to toss together from pre bagged cabbage than it is to make macaroni salad from scratch AND gives you a better end result than premade coleslaw.

My favorite store bought side dishes: pre-cut fruit (melons pineapples and mangoes are my favorite to buy this way!), macaroni salad, deli mashed potatoes & gravy, salad kits, and chips. Also it’s not really a side dish but cheese and salami and crackers are always a huge hit for snacks!
Fresh fruit like berries and grapes are easy to just wash and toss in a bowl with no additional prep needed!

My favorite recipes that are worth the minimal effort needed to make?

Thai Chicken Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing
Sun Dried Tomato Bacon Guacamole
Asian Broccoli Slaw with Pineapple
Crunchy Broccoli Grape Salad
Grilled Mexican Corn

2. Always use a drink dispenser!

It’s easy to throw together a last minute drink station with a dispenser. Toss in lemons and strawberries into your water to make infused water. Light and refreshing and so pretty!
Lemonade, sun tea, or a spiked beverage like a Shandy (half lemonade half light beer!) are all great options too!

3. Rock the grill…the right way!

We all know grilling is king. But don’t skimp out on using a gas grill, you might as well be cooking on a pan! Instead snag a bag of briquettes and put some real wood smoke on your burgers and hot dogs. You’ll be miles ahead of the competition!

4. Upgrade your meats!

Skip the cheap hotdogs and spring for real sausages, organic higher quality hot dogs (we love Applegate!), burgers and even chicken breasts can be a great swap to keep the impact high while the stress low.

5. Buy Flowers That Last!

Picking up blooms for your party is the easiest way to make your table look pulled together. But sometimes it can be hard to justify fresh cut flowers every party…especially if you have a ton to throw in a month! Not to mention the time needed to unwrap, cut and assemble arrangements.

Instead: spring for potted flowers or succulents. They give you an easy decoration for your event, are already potted and ready to go AND keep giving even after and can be repurposed to give back to your home after the party is over!

6. It’s All In The Presentation

Throwing a good party doesn’t mean you have to have slaved in the kitchen all day. Pick up a few core pieces for your entertaining stock each time you throw a party, like a gorgeous metal utensil pail. And then add in a handful of holiday specific items to help make your table pop!

 

I’m absolutely in love with all the 4th of july decor that they have in this year. The red white and blue is everywhere as usual but it’s a vintage classy this year! Adorable. These mason jar glasses are the perfect thing to help the kiddos keep their drinks contained!

I hope these 4th of july party ideas are helpful! Let us know in the comments below and be sure to visit FredMeyer.com to score coupons, and of course to get your ClickList account setup and your sanity retrieved!

DISCLOSURE: This post is brought to you in collaboration with Fred Meyer. We are grateful for our partners support that allows us to bring you beautiful free content each and every week! While I am paid all my thoughts are my own and my blatant gushing over Clicklist is because it saves my life every single week.