Author Topic: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?  (Read 12327 times)

LatteLaura

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Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« on: July 05, 2014, 01:22:32 PM »
Our family moved to this city a couple of years ago and people around here light off crazy amounts of fireworks on the 4th of July.  Last night was insane with people around us blowing up hundreds and hundreds of dollars. 

We spent $100 on parachutes, snappers, etc. for our kids and nephews which they greatly enjoyed and then sat back and watched the huge displays all around us.  I think we could cut this budget down for next year and still get as much enjoyment.   

What do Mustachian's do for the 4th? 

CDP45

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2014, 01:28:11 PM »
watch other people blow up their $$. becomes a public good when it's in the sky!

MBot

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2014, 01:39:32 PM »
I live on a border town, so we went to the river and watched the giant US display from the Canadian side.

No need to buy anything. The kids there were enthralled. I heard one say "this is way better than the ones at Disney!" Ha ha.

The Canada day ones I brought a travel mug. Yesterday I was lazy and bought a coffee though.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2014, 02:26:10 PM »
Growing up, my father used to blow up that much money every 4th of July. Miracle he never blew up his own hand, too. Those suckers are dangerous--a friend of mine suffered a minor leg injury this year.

My kids will probably never see home-done fireworks. We loaded them in tbe bike trailer and took them to the city show.

NV Teacher

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2014, 03:29:36 PM »


What do Mustachian's do for the 4th?

We go to watch the local show and take sparklers and poppers.  About four years ago we set my mother's house on fire with a wayward firework.  That ended my firework buying days. 

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2014, 04:13:25 PM »

What do Mustachian's do for the 4th?
We walked on over to watch the city fireworks display and then walked back home :). Free and fun! Went for a hike too!

Ohio Teacher

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2014, 04:13:36 PM »
A few years ago, I spent about $200-300 a couple years in a row.  This paled in comparison to the $700-$1000 that some other people spent who went to the July 4th party I attended each year.  Then I started trying to cut my spending and decided that it didn't make sense for me to be wasting all of that money to create a show for the dozens of other people attending the party who didn't contribute anything.  The last two years I just went to the party without any fireworks and watched others blow their money up, and this year I stayed home and watched the city show.  So, I'm at three years in a row of $0 on fireworks. 

waltworks

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2014, 06:05:21 PM »
IMO, if you like fire, just a fire pit and a few logs is plenty. Fireworks are for mouth-breathing hillbillies who like loud noises and bright lights and don't like money.

-W

steadierfooting

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2014, 06:13:34 PM »
It drives me nutso having fireworks go off all hours of the night for the days before and after the 4th.  I never knew people spent that much.  We for sure never will.  The most I'll do when the kids are a couple years older is buy a box of sparklers.  Then take them to one of the million fireworks displays in the surrounding townships.

We spent $0 this fourth.  Walked to the local parade, then went to a bbq (hotdogs and hamburgers).  It was a great day, and will hold great memories for being free.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2014, 06:33:39 PM »
My parents live one street from the park where their suburb does the fireworks. We went over early for dinner, bringing excess fruit as a salad. We taught them to play Ticket to Ride, which is one of the first German style board games we've gotten them to like!

Kids enjoyed the show. It was their first real fireworks - first year it's worked out for us. 30 minutes of booms that late was a bit much for my youngest, but it was cool seeing their excitement.

Fi(re) on the Farm

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2014, 06:35:20 PM »
Every year we go to the New York State Capitol for an awesome free fireworks display. There is a reason that noncommercial fireworks are illegal in many states, they're incredibly dangerous, definitely not worth the money.

Rural

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2014, 10:18:59 PM »
We stayed home all day and then tried to console the dogs when the cherry bombs started just before dark. Didn't see anything; all the neighbors are too far away for that, but we heard them, and the dogs are pretty sure fireworks are gunshots. On the bright side, we had so much rain early in the week that there was no reasonable way to worry about a forest fire (worrying about forest fires is one of my skills).

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2014, 07:47:17 AM »
My parents live one street from the park where their suburb does the fireworks. We went over early for dinner, bringing excess fruit as a salad. We taught them to play Ticket to Ride, which is one of the first German style board games we've gotten them to like!

Kids enjoyed the show. It was their first real fireworks - first year it's worked out for us. 30 minutes of booms that late was a bit much for my youngest, but it was cool seeing their excitement.
Yay for Ticket to Ride! Gave this to my nieces and nephew recently hoping they'll enjoy it too.

Hedge_87

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2014, 08:07:14 AM »
We had to bring the dog inside and watch him because he was having a panic attack.  It's kind of weird since he is a hunting dog and has never been gun shy. The sad part is some of the biggest spenders on fireworks are the ones who have trouble making ends meet. (Just my observation).

Exflyboy

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2014, 08:13:08 AM »
We had to bring the dog inside and watch him because he was having a panic attack.  It's kind of weird since he is a hunting dog and has never been gun shy. The sad part is some of the biggest spenders on fireworks are the ones who have trouble making ends meet. (Just my observation).

Yeah, dig a hole and keep on digging.. very sad.

Lyssa

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #15 on: July 06, 2014, 08:20:32 AM »
No 4th of July here but we like our fireworks to welcome the new year. And I have to admit, I like it too. I spend about 50 EUR a year and justify it by spending 0 on alcohol. Truth is, I just enjoy it too much to care about saving another 50 per year which is fairly unimportant in the long run.

dcheesi

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #16 on: July 06, 2014, 11:40:02 AM »
I was in Illinois last week, and one guy was talking about the time he and his buddy went Indiana and crammed their truck full to the gills with mortars and such. Turns out they spent almost $2k on 45 minutes' worth of entertainment!

LatteLaura

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #17 on: July 06, 2014, 03:17:47 PM »
Lyssa- We also didn't buy any alcohol and the guests brought most of the food, so that's also how I justified our spending.  My kids had so much fun running after the parachutes and throwing snappers that it was worth it to me.  Also it beats buying some toy that will just clutter up the house!

dcheesi- $2000- WOW!

DollarBill

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #18 on: July 06, 2014, 07:43:34 PM »
Some of my friends will have a get together and have everyone bring one or two things from the fireworks stand. It works out pretty good.

chicagomeg

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2014, 10:50:39 PM »
We stayed home all day and then tried to console the dogs when the cherry bombs started just before dark. Didn't see anything; all the neighbors are too far away for that, but we heard them, and the dogs are pretty sure fireworks are gunshots. On the bright side, we had so much rain early in the week that there was no reasonable way to worry about a forest fire (worrying about forest fires is one of my skills).

My poor dog has spent three days not peeing after 10am because of all the damn fireworks/firecrackers/whatever in my neighborhood, and I live in the city. The comments about fireworks & hillbillies make me laugh. At least in the country we know better than to shoot fireworks off in the middle of the day! What a waste!

Bateaux

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #20 on: July 06, 2014, 11:20:40 PM »
I went to work and made double time.

Jesus Christ

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #21 on: July 07, 2014, 12:54:11 AM »
If you enjoy the sounds, just unload a couple of shotgun shells which are 20 cents a piece. They are alot cheaper than fireworks (i.e. mortars)
« Last Edit: July 07, 2014, 01:06:33 AM by plasticspale »

Jesus Christ

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #22 on: July 07, 2014, 02:14:49 AM »
If you have kids and live in a town with no community fireworks, just buy a small pack of bottle rockets and a pack of sparklers for a total of $2.50. If they want more tell them too bad.

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #23 on: July 07, 2014, 10:06:28 AM »
We stayed home all day and then tried to console the dogs when the cherry bombs started just before dark. Didn't see anything; all the neighbors are too far away for that, but we heard them, and the dogs are pretty sure fireworks are gunshots. On the bright side, we had so much rain early in the week that there was no reasonable way to worry about a forest fire (worrying about forest fires is one of my skills).

My poor dog has spent three days not peeing after 10am because of all the damn fireworks/firecrackers/whatever in my neighborhood, and I live in the city. The comments about fireworks & hillbillies make me laugh. At least in the country we know better than to shoot fireworks off in the middle of the day! What a waste!

I am lucky enough to live with a very good veterinarian, and we have pets. In previous years we have used sedatives to help our dog through the week of fireworks that occur in our neighborhood (he gets scared enough that he pees a lot... not always outside). This year we (based on most recent thinking in vet circles) switched to an anti-anxiety medication and changed our behavior to how we reacted to teh fireworks and dog. We basically made a point of acting like everything was fine and not comforting the dog at every boom and bang (which would reinforce getting scared behavior). The combination of these things resulted in a MUCH calmer and less scared dog this year. Definitely worth talking to your vet about the anti-anxiety meds for a few days nest year if you have dogs.

As a side note, at work she saw a dog that had been scared and ran so far and frantically trying to get away from the fireworks that she had no pads left on her paws. While many people enjoy them, the fireworks are really stressful on the animals.

Pet peeve: why don't people clean up their trash from the fireworks? Grrr...

4alpacas

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #24 on: July 07, 2014, 10:20:47 AM »
We stayed home all day and then tried to console the dogs when the cherry bombs started just before dark. Didn't see anything; all the neighbors are too far away for that, but we heard them, and the dogs are pretty sure fireworks are gunshots. On the bright side, we had so much rain early in the week that there was no reasonable way to worry about a forest fire (worrying about forest fires is one of my skills).

My poor dog has spent three days not peeing after 10am because of all the damn fireworks/firecrackers/whatever in my neighborhood, and I live in the city. The comments about fireworks & hillbillies make me laugh. At least in the country we know better than to shoot fireworks off in the middle of the day! What a waste!

I am lucky enough to live with a very good veterinarian, and we have pets. In previous years we have used sedatives to help our dog through the week of fireworks that occur in our neighborhood (he gets scared enough that he pees a lot... not always outside). This year we (based on most recent thinking in vet circles) switched to an anti-anxiety medication and changed our behavior to how we reacted to teh fireworks and dog. We basically made a point of acting like everything was fine and not comforting the dog at every boom and bang (which would reinforce getting scared behavior). The combination of these things resulted in a MUCH calmer and less scared dog this year. Definitely worth talking to your vet about the anti-anxiety meds for a few days nest year if you have dogs.

As a side note, at work she saw a dog that had been scared and ran so far and frantically trying to get away from the fireworks that she had no pads left on her paws. While many people enjoy them, the fireworks are really stressful on the animals.

Pet peeve: why don't people clean up their trash from the fireworks? Grrr...

This is the first time we've had the dog + fireworks problem.  We watched the first 5 minutes of the show with the dog (outside in a park).  She started to get nervous, so I brought her inside.  I read a book, and she slept on the bed next to me.  I didn't realize we should have been more prepared (with anti-anxiety meds).  Thank goodness our dog wasn't too overwhelmed (it was a BIG fireworks show).

matchewed

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #25 on: July 07, 2014, 10:29:23 AM »
Town fireworks, flask, friends...etc. All told maybe $5 for a night of fun with a bunch of friends.

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #26 on: July 07, 2014, 10:39:27 AM »
It's just another example of what "other" people do with their money. People around here are always asking why most people only have $15K in their 401K.

I saw a few with the kids at the local park. It was fun, but I've never been too interested in them. I can't ever remember buying fireworks. We bought a few of those snap pop things for the kids to throw. Maybe $5??

Timmmy

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #27 on: July 07, 2014, 11:00:48 AM »
I live in a "poor" part of town.  House values hover around 50k and a large percent of people are on some form of public assistance.  You wouldn't know it based on the fireworks displays that have been happening all summer.  Michigan made the "cool" fireworks legal in the last few years so every summer since it's been a nightly fireworks display in the neighborhood.

I know why people "can't never save no money" and "I'll never be able to retire" around here. 

chicagomeg

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #28 on: July 07, 2014, 11:16:26 AM »
We stayed home all day and then tried to console the dogs when the cherry bombs started just before dark. Didn't see anything; all the neighbors are too far away for that, but we heard them, and the dogs are pretty sure fireworks are gunshots. On the bright side, we had so much rain early in the week that there was no reasonable way to worry about a forest fire (worrying about forest fires is one of my skills).

My poor dog has spent three days not peeing after 10am because of all the damn fireworks/firecrackers/whatever in my neighborhood, and I live in the city. The comments about fireworks & hillbillies make me laugh. At least in the country we know better than to shoot fireworks off in the middle of the day! What a waste!

I am lucky enough to live with a very good veterinarian, and we have pets. In previous years we have used sedatives to help our dog through the week of fireworks that occur in our neighborhood (he gets scared enough that he pees a lot... not always outside). This year we (based on most recent thinking in vet circles) switched to an anti-anxiety medication and changed our behavior to how we reacted to teh fireworks and dog. We basically made a point of acting like everything was fine and not comforting the dog at every boom and bang (which would reinforce getting scared behavior). The combination of these things resulted in a MUCH calmer and less scared dog this year. Definitely worth talking to your vet about the anti-anxiety meds for a few days nest year if you have dogs.

As a side note, at work she saw a dog that had been scared and ran so far and frantically trying to get away from the fireworks that she had no pads left on her paws. While many people enjoy them, the fireworks are really stressful on the animals.

Pet peeve: why don't people clean up their trash from the fireworks? Grrr...

The thundershirt & over the counter relaxing treats made it managable for him inside, he was a little on edge but mostly ok. Outside was a different story & I can't say I really blame him. I'll try to remember to bring it up w/our vet when we go for his next exam though.

Regarding trash, there are unexploded firecrackers scattered all over our neighborhood now. Just lovely...

Hedge_87

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #29 on: July 07, 2014, 02:37:54 PM »
My biggest concern with my dog is the fact that he is a hunting dog. I am hoping that all the fireworks this weekend will not affect him when we are out hunting. He has never been gun shy or anything but he was pretty traumatized.

And on the trash.... I agree Clean that sit up!

Lyssa

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #30 on: July 12, 2014, 05:43:28 AM »
Also it beats buying some toy that will just clutter up the house!


Word. It's a fair example of "experiences over things" and in moderation not more expensive than an afternoon at the zoo. Kids and some adults do enjoy looking at strange animals and bright, colorful, controled explosions. If done correctly both activities are save physically and financially. :-)

stor_stark

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #31 on: July 12, 2014, 06:40:50 AM »
My parents live one street from the park where their suburb does the fireworks. We went over early for dinner, bringing excess fruit as a salad. We taught them to play Ticket to Ride, which is one of the first German style board games we've gotten them to like!

Kids enjoyed the show. It was their first real fireworks - first year it's worked out for us. 30 minutes of booms that late was a bit much for my youngest, but it was cool seeing their excitement.
Yay for Ticket to Ride! Gave this to my nieces and nephew recently hoping they'll enjoy it too.

I love Ticket to Ride. What other German-style games do you play?

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #32 on: July 25, 2014, 11:02:25 AM »
My parents live one street from the park where their suburb does the fireworks. We went over early for dinner, bringing excess fruit as a salad. We taught them to play Ticket to Ride, which is one of the first German style board games we've gotten them to like!

Kids enjoyed the show. It was their first real fireworks - first year it's worked out for us. 30 minutes of booms that late was a bit much for my youngest, but it was cool seeing their excitement.
Yay for Ticket to Ride! Gave this to my nieces and nephew recently hoping they'll enjoy it too.

I love Ticket to Ride. What other German-style games do you play?
We also play The Settlers of Catan and Lost Cities. What about you?

stor_stark

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #33 on: July 25, 2014, 05:34:38 PM »
My parents live one street from the park where their suburb does the fireworks. We went over early for dinner, bringing excess fruit as a salad. We taught them to play Ticket to Ride, which is one of the first German style board games we've gotten them to like!

Kids enjoyed the show. It was their first real fireworks - first year it's worked out for us. 30 minutes of booms that late was a bit much for my youngest, but it was cool seeing their excitement.
Yay for Ticket to Ride! Gave this to my nieces and nephew recently hoping they'll enjoy it too.

I love Ticket to Ride. What other German-style games do you play?
We also play The Settlers of Catan and Lost Cities. What about you?

I play both of those too; I especially like Lost Cities. I've just recently gotten into this hobby, but I've also enjoyed Kingdom Builder (sort of similar to Catan).

I hope to play King of Tokyo and Dominion within the next few months too since I've heard good things about these games.

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: Blowing up $$$ for the 4th of July?
« Reply #34 on: July 26, 2014, 09:31:03 AM »
My parents live one street from the park where their suburb does the fireworks. We went over early for dinner, bringing excess fruit as a salad. We taught them to play Ticket to Ride, which is one of the first German style board games we've gotten them to like!

Kids enjoyed the show. It was their first real fireworks - first year it's worked out for us. 30 minutes of booms that late was a bit much for my youngest, but it was cool seeing their excitement.
Yay for Ticket to Ride! Gave this to my nieces and nephew recently hoping they'll enjoy it too.

I love Ticket to Ride. What other German-style games do you play?
We also play The Settlers of Catan and Lost Cities. What about you?

I play both of those too; I especially like Lost Cities. I've just recently gotten into this hobby, but I've also enjoyed Kingdom Builder (sort of similar to Catan).

I hope to play King of Tokyo and Dominion within the next few months too since I've heard good things about these games.
Fun! I haven't played those others--I'll have to check them out. Thanks for the tips!