Savings goal! How to throw a World Cup party on a budget

By Brittany Anas

Got room on your calendar for an extra summer party? We thought so. The World Cup is June 12 – July 13 — but even if you’re not a fan of futbol (that’s the cosmopolitan way to say soccer, of course), there’s still plenty to celebrate and room to salute the host country, Brazil, with a Brazilian-themed party. Of course, if you’re a soccer fan, get ready to cheer on Clint Dempsey and the USA with a fun, soccer-themed soiree.

A little primer for your party-planning schedule: The USA squares off against Ghana on June 16, Portugal on June 22 and Germany on June 26. Thirty-two teams are competing for the World Cup Title over the month-long competition.

Here’s a hat trick for throwing the perfect 2014 World Cup party.

The drink: The national drink of Brazil is a caipirinha, which is a cocktail made with cachacha (a sweet sugarcane rum), lime and sugar. You can make individual drinks easily with a couple ounces of cachacha, a tablespoon of sugar and fresh-squeezed lime. For a fruity variation, muddle in some blackberries, raspberries, strawberries or mint. If it’s too sweet, add a splash of soda water. Throwing a big party? Make some pitchers of the cachacha mixed with soda or tonic water so that you don’t have to play bartender all night.

The game: The soundtrack of your party will surely be the excited screams of GOOOOOAL screeching from the television. But for a side attraction, hook up an X-Box so party-goers can play the FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil game. Leave some soccer balls in the back yard for an impromptu game. Find an $8 soccer ball here from WalMart. Money saving tip: Earn Cash Back on your purchases at WalMart when you shop with ShopAtHome.com.

For small kiddos, we scouted out this Nike “U.S. Skills” Small Soccer Ball for $15 at Nordstrom with an apropos Brazilian logo.  Earn 14 percent Cash Back on your purchases from Nordstrom when you shop with ShopAtHome.com.

The party wear: We’re cheering on the global soccer fashion this summer. Sport your style with a Around the World Wire Headwrap or $3.80 (pictured) or a USA headwrap for $6.80, both from Forever 21.

Here are some other World Cup collections on our radar:

• The World Cup shop at Macy’s features some stylish Tommy Hilfiger crewneck T-shirts that feature the colors of each team’s flags. (Earn 8 percent Cash Back at Macy’s when you shop with ShopAtHome.com).
• A fan shop  at Kohl’s features sporty T-shirts made by sports apparel brands like Umbro, Adidas and Nike. Our favorite? The one with all of the extra vowels: The Adidas USA Goal Team T-shirt on sale for $17.99. (Earn xx percent Cash Back at Kohl’s courtesy of ShopAtHome.com).

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