Neighborhood Block Party Invitation - Free Printable

Use this free printable Neighborhood Block Party Invitation plus other great tips to make your next party stress and hassle free.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and EDWARDS®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #EdwardsPies http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission,
at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

I love the idea of neighborhood parties. Everyone getting together to eat, chat and most of all try new foods. We have already had a bunch this Summer, and it’s always a BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) type of party. One house provides the grill and everyone can then bring their own meat to cook up. Everyone also brings another food to share. Some bring salads, some bring delicious dips, dessert is always a must, and some bring fun and unique drinks. It’s fun because you never know what the other families will show up with, and I always go home with a few new recipes that my family loved.

But I do have to admit, that not every time we have had one have I had a bunch of time to prepare. It seems like when you decide to host a party there’s always a million little things that take more time than expected. I know I can’t be the only one, so today I thought I would make your life easier with a few tips that I have found super helpful over the last few block parties

1 – You don’t have to home bake everything. I know, I know….everyone thinks you are Martha Stewart and you can cook everything, DIY all the decor and have favor bags for everyone as they leave! But in all seriousness we can’t do it all. And who would want to anyway? Summer is all about relaxing and having max amounts of FUN. So do what I do, and grab yourself a few EDWARDS® Whole Pies the next time you are at Walmart and keep them on hand in your freezer. Then a few hours before your block party all you have to do is put it in the fridge to thaw and you’re set to go. The Strawberry Creme Pie was a huge hit at our last BBQ get together.

2 – B.Y.O.M. AND CHAIRS! This way you don’t have to provide 30 chairs for people to sit on. I would guess that most everyone has some folding camping chairs that they wouldn’t mind packing over to your house. And if they don’t, throw a few blankets out. It won’t hurt to have a few adults sitting on the ground every once in a while!

3 – Stock up on paper goods when there’s a sale. Each holiday (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day) they will have pretty good sales on paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils etc. Grab them while they are cheap. I have also been known to serve a Summertime BBQ on Valentine plates…because I have no shame in using those $.25 pack of plates!

4 – Invite everyone and forget about the RSVPs. This has been one of the hardest for the planner in me. But in all reality there’s some people who are going to flake even if they RSVP, and others who will show up and never told you they were coming. This is just inevitable so forget about the RSVP in the first place. You don’t have to provide the food for everyone, so there’s no real stress of knowing how many are coming. I’m sure you will have a few people who tell you they will be out of town, or let you know ahead of time that they are planning on attending…but don’t sweat the numbers. So invite EVERYONE and then just be happy with whoever shows up.

5 – Use pre-made items. I would of course use my free Block Party Invitations (downloaded here). They can easily be placed on everyone’s front door with the details of the party. They are easy enough that you can even hand them to the kids and they can do the delivery. Also don’t feel like you need to decorate, but if you do, use a few already made decor items from the party store. Take 10 minutes to hang a banner or some streamers (my kids’ favorites) and call it a day. I promise I won’t judge you if you don’t hand make a million paper lanterns and have freshly sewn fabric banners hanging everywhere!

6 – Just have fun! I’m a people pleaser and so this is one of the hardest for me. I forget that I put these things together so I CAN HAVE FUN. Most everyone there can take care of themselves. So sit back, relax and mingle. Things may not go exactly how you planned them, but nobody else knows that!