St.Patrick's Day is approaching quickly! Use this green holiday motivator to save some green, both with your celebrations and in your monthly expenses.
Stay In With Friends

Why go out with friends when you can stay in? Making your own foods and serving your own cocktails is an excellent way to save money on food and fun. Decorate your house for a party, and ask friends to bring appetizers or beverages. Asking everyone to bring a little something reduces your prep time, and helps ensure a diverse menu of foods to eat.  If you're having a potluck, find out what each person plans to bring. Suggest platters that might be missing, to ensure that you'll have a nutritionally diverse meal. 

Prepare Inexpensive Foods

When shopping for foods to prepare for your meal, look for specials at the store. Some grocery stores will offer specials for corned beef.

Stock up on inexpensive vegetables like cabbage and carrots. They're easy to prepare and very budget friendly. If you're not sure how to prepare them, cut them up, drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper, then bake them on a cookie sheet at 350 for about 15 or 20 minutes. Watch the cabbage closely to prevent it from burning.  

Make Your Own Decorations (or Buy at the Last Minute)

St. Patrick's Day decorations are not in high demand, so stores with surplus decorations often put their leftover products on clearance the day of the event. Shop for your decorations at the last minute to find the best deals, or go after St. Patrick's Day to shop for next year. 

If you're not in the market to buy St. Patrick's Day decorations at all, make your own at home. Below are a few suggestions.

Dried Split Pea Candles

Dried split peas are beautifully green. Pour one or two cups of dried split peas into the bottom of a candle holder, then place a candle in the middle. Light the candle when friends arrive, or turn the candle on, if it's electric. 

Dried Moss Shamrock

Collect moss from your yard or from a nearby trail, then lay it somewhere to dry. When the moss has been drying for a few days, glue it to a piece of cardstock in the shape of a shamrock. Frame the card stock in a vintage frame. 

Save Green by Going Green

Seal up your home and improve your home's efficiency to save money on fuel and energy. Weatherstripping is an inexpensive product that can prevent cold air from escaping through the cracks in your windows and doors. Check your air ducts in search of leaks, and if you find them, use duct mastic to seal the holes. 

The filter in your HVAC system helps the furnace and air conditioner run more efficiently. Change the filter if you've been using it for more than three months. You'll find it in a slot near the return air duct. Just pull it out and put the new one in. Filters are available for sale (inexpensively) at home improvement stores.

If you have a programmable thermostat, program it to lower the temperature significantly when you're asleep and while you're at work. According to the EPA, you can save as much as 10% on your heating and cooling bill by turning the temperature down 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours each day.

Clean your air conditioner condenser before the cooling season starts. Cleaning the condenser prevents the air conditioner from working harder than necessary to do its job. To clean the condenser, cut the power to the unit and remove the lid. Use a shop vacuum to suck leaves out of the unit, then spray the inside with a strong jet of water from a hose.  

Protect Your Pot of Gold with Good Budgeting

Establishing a household budget to save money. There are many inexpensive apps for smart phones that make budgeting easier.

Mint is a free app that connects to your bank, reminds you to pay bills and can help you decide how much should be spent on entertainment (like your St. Patrick's Day party). Wally is an app that works for Android and iPhone to help you budget and track expenses. Using Wally, you'll be able to determine where your money is going and how you can cut back. There are other budgeting tools out there, so pick the apps that work best for you. 

When you're making your budget, leave a margin of error for emergencies, and save what you don't spend. Protecting your pot of gold makes the rest of the year luckier and more enjoyable.