Dedicate your cookout to the USO

This has to be the easiest multitasking idea of the week: Turn your July 4 cookout into a fundraiser for the USO and the active-duty soldiers it supports. 

At www.bbqforthetroops.org, you can register to give a cookout, invite people to donate to your cookout, or find other people's cookouts to donate to. You can also get tips on spreading the word about your cookout using social media, and templates for things like invitations. The money raised goes directly to the USO's programs to support active-duty troops and their family members. 

Seriously, that's such a great idea that I won't even fuss because they called a cookout a barbecue.