Party Theme Idea #4 Cooler Event

What is a cooler event you ask? It is something I made up after buying a $20- 10 gallon- baby blue cooler from Wal-Mart. I was so excited! My first cooler! Remember I am a college student and I can make fun out of almost anything. I know it may seem lame but I was able to make this into an event that would be easy, fun, and simple. This is what you will need:

1. Find a location!
For a simple event like this you can go to your local recreation park. Search online for parks near you that you have never been to before. Lake parks are scenery.

2. What's for lunch!
Find recipes that would go in the cooler(s). Having snacks like chips and pretzels would be a great dry food that will not require to be placed in the cooler. In this case it would be smart to create a checklist.

3. Ask a friend!
It's good to have multiple coolers, one for food and the other for drink. If you only have one cooler, ask a friend to borrow theirs.

4. Activities!
I know so far it seems just like a picnic but it wouldn't be complete without activities. Bring a Frisbee, a throwing ball [football, soccer ball, or some type of sports ball] Jump ropes, hulla-hoop, and even a kite [if it happens to be windy that day].

5. Other materials you may need!
-Blankets
-Plates
-Utensils
-Napkins
-Cups
-Trash bags
-Sunscreen
-Extra clothes [In case their is swimming or boating riding involved]
-Hair pins [You may get hot and want to throw your hair in a ponytail]
-Extra shoes and socks [If you decide to wear sandals, it may be a good idea to bring a pair of sneakers to run in]

*TIP #1! 
Put drinks in the freezer about two-three hours before the trip to keep them nice and cold.

*TIP #2! 
Have an alarm go off to remind you to take out the drinks from the freezer.

Party Theme Idea #3 Movie Night

Who doesn't like a good movie night. This is an easy event to put together. Matter of fact it can be done last minute without much thought. Things you will need:

1. Movies!
Have a list of movies you would like to see. It will help to ask your guests what they would like to see as well. Great source of movie choices are Netflix, Crackle, Redbox, Blockbuster, or your closes department stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

2. Snacks!

You don't need anything fancy for this event, unless you want to show off your culinary skills, just buy snacks from the dollar store, or a department store. The dollar store has about everything from drinks to food and it's only $1! So why not save a few pennies! You can also tell your guest to bring something t Good snack choices:

-Popcorn [Drizzle some melted nacho cheese, or carmel on top and it will take your taste buds to heaven] 

-Chips and Dip

-Drinks [water, soda. kool-aid, juice]

-Candy [chocolate, skittles, gummi bears, nuts]

-Mints [You never know ;)]

3. Blankets and Pillows!

If you like it cold in your place, especially in the summer and spring time, provide blankets and pillows. If you have more friends coming than can fit on your couch, prepare those blankets for the ones who will be on the floor. You can also tell your guests to bring one of their own. 

4. Friends!

This can be a small event so inviting 2-5 people will be a good enjoyable size crowd. It's good to have your closes friends and those who really want to spend time with. Just have fun.

5. Trivia Game!

If you already planned a movie, watch it and pull questions from the movie. At the end of the movie, split up your guests in two groups and whoever gets the most points wins. Provide prizes to the team that wins.

Party Theme Idea #2 Get Togethers

Get togethers are fun to have when you want friends over but not attending it to be a party. Get togethers are made to bring friends together and actually interact without the craziness of a party. Bring out the old twister mat and card games and enjoy each others company. This is a time to get a little personal but not deep, well if it happens then it happens and trust me it will happen. Come up with a "Talk of the night" Have a main reason why everyone is their, almost like a theme. This will give everyone something to talk about. Depending on the topic you may want your guest know ahead of time to prepare things to say, if anyone decides to do research that is but how many of your guests will actually do that huh? Music will also help to keep from dead silence and at the end of the night you can finish it off with a movie.

Party Theme Idea #1 Fathers Day

Need party ideas for spring time? This time of the year it's good to start having cookouts for holidays like Easter, Memorial Day, and Fathers Day. Why Fathers Day? Why not? If you are a man this is a great excuse to have a Guys Day. Grilling monster burgers and BBQ ribs while playing Call of Duty, sounds good right? If your a lady planning this event you may invite your husband, uncles, granddad, your pastor, any male figures and of course your dad. The wives are allowed to come to this event as well but let it be known who the event is really for. Have small thank you cards, baskets, or some kind of gift for the fathers to celebrate the day. To make the gift giving fun, come up with some type of game where everyone will have to earn it. Make sure you also keep the ladies entertained and happy with chit chat and a small game for them to join in as well. 

How to plan an event in 11 easy steps

1. Make a budget!
Find out how much you can spend on the event. Create a spreadsheet to track and manage the money to prevent going over budget. Microsoft Excel would be a great program to use.

2. Create a guest list!
How many people can you feed? Your budget will determine how many people you can invite. Invite people from your friends, family, people you like to get to know like your neighbors and old friends you will like to catch up with.

3. Figure out a theme!
This will help the process along. Once you figure this out the buying process will be a breeze.

4. Find a location!
Think about your budget. How much are you willing to spend on a location? One of the cheapest places to have it is your own place. Take notice of how many people can fit inside your home. This may cause for you to readjust your guest list.

5. Put together a menu!
What is your theme? Do some research on different types of food that best fits your theme. Test cook new food before serving it to guests.

6. Organize a check list!
Make a T-chart[Draw a line in the middle of the paper going up and down] and write down on one side what you "want" and the other side what you "need". Determine the prices for every item and the location of where to buy it at. Once you have everything on your "need" list and have money left over then you may add on the things you "want".

7. Invitations!
You can make them online at vistaprint.com, have a friend that does graphic design to make the invites, buy invites in the store and fill out the information by hand, or even home-made invitations. Send these out about 2-4 weeks in advance to give everyone enough time to prepare.

8. Plan Activities!
What is it that you like to do? Think of games that will "break the ice" for your guests who are not familiar with others at the party. It wouldn't hurt to find games that will go along with your theme.

9. Create a play list!
Music is a great filler for the dead moments in the party. Have the top "Today Hits" so that your guests will recognize a few songs. This will make your guests feel a little more comfortable especially in a place they may never been before.

10. The Big Day!
Go over the checklist to ensure that you have everything 1-2 nights before. Recheck the list the day of and make sure you give yourself plenty of time before the party to set up. Sometimes it's best to setup the night before if possible.

11. Have fun! 
Do not stress over what may go wrong, you have everything under control as long as you have everything ready. Things tend to go wrong at times so stay calm and remember to have fun!

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