A Pot O' Gold In Your Pocket

You can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without going out and joining a noisy, green-beer-chugging crowd by creating your own noise in the comfort of your own home.

Cupertino Patch shows you here how to have a full day of Irish-style eating, drinking and entertaining for under $30, and not a lot of effort. After all, St. Patrick’s Day is an official feast day.

Top O’ The Morning To Ya

Start the day with McCann’s Irish Oatmeal and a cup of Irish Breakfast Tea both available at Trader Joe’s. They’re $2.99 apiece and have multiple servings and tea bags in the packages so your Irish eyes will be smiling during more than one Irish breakfast.

Keep Your Belly Full

In case the spirit grabs you and you break out into an Irish jig, another hearty meal is in order to keep up your energy. Opt for Shepherd’s Pie—beefy goodness with veggies and mashed potatoes on top—you’ll find it for $3.99 in the frozen food section.

May You Have Food and Raiment

Trader Joe’s makes it so easy to go with a traditional St. Paddy’s Day meal: corned beef and cabbage. For under $10 you can get corned beef and cabbage, plus potatoes. And it wouldn’t be St. Paddy’s without a frothy Irish beer. Trader Joe’s has several choices from $5.99 and up for a six-pack.

Erin go Bragh

The iconic symbol of St. Patrick’s Day is the shamrock, or four-leaf clover, and a living plant can decorate your home for months for just $5.99 at Trader Joe’s.

Puttin’ on the Green

For a few more dollars—or maybe more—you can avoid the pinch for not wearing green. Goodwill on De Anza has a wide assortment of clothing for very little money—and there’s a sale going on right now so you can spend even less.

While you’re there pick up a couple of beer mugs for just a couple dollars each.

Down the road apiece Cupertino Florist is showing its St. Patrick’s Day with a cheery green flag outside. Stop in and pick one up for yourself. At $24.95 it’s a bit of a splurge but considering it will last for several years it’s still a bargain.

Do a Little Jig

Here’s the best bargain of all—the Cupertino Library. There are Celtic music CDs—free. There are Irish music DVDs—free. There are Irish-themed movie DVDs—free. There are cookbooks to learn how to make traditional Irish soda bread—free.