Is it worth the money to go out of town on the Fourth of July?

[Frugal]

What do you think?

Normally, I would love to go camping or go to the mountains on the holiday Monday, even though the roads are more crowded, for obvious reasons.

How is the economy affecting your Fourth of July plans? I was reading in our local paper that the number of people staying home due to the price of gas (nearly $4.00 a gallon still here) and other costs is rising. They are doing what are called "stay-cations". I am doing this as well. People in our neighborhood are planning garage sales to make some extra money on the Fourth weekend.

What are you doing, and how are you saving money this Fourth of July?

One more thing I am doing is staying home to watch fireworks. We live near a stadium, and there will be non-stop fireworks for several nights. It is nice to avoid the crowds, cost of parking, and the general mess getting out once they are over.

[MonkeyMama]

Regardless of the economy, I personally never go anywhere during holiday weekends.

I just drove home from Tahoe yesterday and barely saw a car on the road!!! The same trip would be bumper-to-bumper any given holiday. Yuck! I don't commute to work, and don't want to sit in traffic on vacation.

4th of July usually = block parties and multiple options to see fireworks for free. We will spend time with friends and hang out by the pool.

[LuckyRobin]

I try never to travel on a holiday or holiday weekend, especially at night when people are drunk and stupid on the road. It's just not worth the risk to me. We usually set up chairs at the end of my mother's driveway and we can see the town's fireworks over the bay extravaganza from there without dealing with the crowds. We also watch all the neighbors firing off theirs (there are quite a few who do). We might get some this year. I haven't decided yet, but there's a little money in the budget for it.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by MonkeyMama

Regardless of the economy, I personally never go anywhere during holiday weekends.

Same here. The current economy has no effect on our weekend plans. As much as possible, we prefer to travel during off-peak times. We are actually heading to Atlantic City next Sunday, the 10th. Our daughter will be doing a 5-day program at a nearby college. My wife and I will spend those days in AC and doing some day trips from there. Then we'll pick up DD and spend a couple more days down there with her.

We have no plans at all for the holiday weekend other than some housecleaning. We might go see fireworks here in town on the 4th. They do them at DD's high school.

[krantcents]

I will be celebrating with friends and family. We do the same things for years. Barbecue and watch fireworks from backyard.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Frugal

One more thing I am doing is staying home to watch fireworks. We live near a stadium, and there will be non-stop fireworks for several nights. It is nice to avoid the crowds, cost of parking, and the general mess getting out once they are over.

We can't see fireworks from our house. We could when we first moved in in 1994 but 17 years of tree growth has blocked our view.

Last year, we parked at the church down the street from the high school where they do the fireworks show. We didn't have to deal with the crowds and we were back on the road and on our way home before the mob hit the streets.

[bjl584]

I will be off from work, so I will be going to the gym in the morning. Then, weather permitting, I will be washing and waxing the truck in the afternoon. That's pretty much it. I rarely go out on the holidays. I don't like to deal with the crowds and the congestion.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I never even thought about going out of town for the Fourth. Hmmm, maybe it is a good time to make a trip if everyone else is staying home. But I don't like to be on the road when lots of people have been drinking and I think of all the beer consumed at BBQ get-togethers....

My husband just told me some pizza chain has everything 50% off this weekend. So if you like to avoid crowds this might be the weekend to go out for pizza.

I have a couple hours' work on the 4rth, so I'll definitely be close to home.

[Frugal]

I have worked before on the Fourth, and I kind of liked it (plus the extra bit of holiday pay). However, since I am not able to currently work due to the economy, I am going to stay home and watch the fireworks basically light up my neighborhood (yes, they are illegal here, but I watched people light them off last night, anyway). Plus, we have fireworks right up the road from us at a stadium.

I am mainly staying home to: 1) Keep an eye on our house - worried about the neighbors' fireworks lighting the roof of my new house on fire - no, literally! I am not kidding, I was afraid they would do it on New Year's Eve this past December - they are super close to us; 2) Save money; 3) Avoid the drunk people on the roads and the clogged roads where you just sit there after fireworks till 11:30, waiting to get out.

Even so, I wish there were more patriotic events or speeches or tributes to American history or something. Didn't we used to feel more patriotic? I don't know. I mean, there are still several wars going on, and men are still fighting or dying overseas. I guess I just long for the good ol' days of thoughtful speeches, good ol' safe family fun, and people having a great big neighborhood block party on the Fourth, complete with picnic and a little parade. Ah, nostalgia for the days of childhood...

[Frugal]

Forgot to add, it is interesting everyone for the most part is staying home. I thought I was the only one doing this around here. Most of our neighbors are gone...people seem to go camping, etc. I am surprised the economy isn't affecting more peoples' plans. It is good to see that people are still going to enjoy their holiday, though, despite high gas prices.

I think I might barbecue on the Fourth...

[Like2Plan]

We live pretty close to Washington DC, so we have gone down to the mall to watch the fireworks quite a few times. They always have a nice display, but going home can be utter gridlock.
I would love to go to the Boston Harbor and watch the fireworks display there. I had the time off from work this year, but I didn't put the plan together soon enough. So, we are going to be close to home this year. It's going to be wicked hot, too!

[Ima saver]

I made a mistake of going on vacation around 4th of July many, many years agoo and I will never do that again. The roads were crowded and we could not find a motel anywhere.
We are going to friends house on Sunday night for a cookout. On Monday night, we will go to different friends for a cook out and they usually have fireworks after dinner. My dh will work both days of course.

[MonkeyMama]

Originally Posted by Frugal

I am mainly staying home to: 1) Keep an eye on our house - worried about the neighbors' fireworks lighting the roof of my new house on fire - no, literally!

Yes, there is that element of that for me, too.

Reminds me, from a frugal standpoint, we are from a city where fireworks are illegal and rarely seen (street fireworks). But, I am amazed at the amount of money people spend on fireworks here! Where we live now. Plus, the street is super narrow and our lawns are bone dry in July. (Houses VERY close together - just not a lot of room). Not the smartest place to set off fireworks.

Anyway, since we never buy fireworks, I am sure many see that as cheap. But, there seems to be hundreds of fireworks to watch and tons of sparklers that people are willing to share with the kids, etc., so don't see why I'd spend a penny even if I wanted to. I suppose I am curious what the average person spends on that stuff. I just see arsenals of fireworks on our own street every year. I am the one with the hose and the fire extinguisher handy, praying.

[DKAS]

Also staying home mostly due to an ongoing effort to save as much as I can. The best part: biggest fireworks in the county is within walking distance

[KiwiJo09]

It's more common, at least for my family, to go out of town for birthdays, not holidays (with the exception of Christmas and even then...

[JoshuaHeckathorn]

The economy isn't affecting our plans at all. I'm skipping town with my wife and newborn and we're headed for the sun and beach. The really satisfying thing is our flight and hotel are both covered by credit card rewards points. Really makes the trip so much more enjoyable when we have no out of pocket expenses other than food! It's usually raining in Seattle on the 4th anyway, but it looks like the weather will actually be nice this year now that we're gone...figures.