Sometimes that someone is even me!
I might not actually care about watching the game, but I love all of the warm weather snacky foods that go along with the party. You have to be careful though-some snacks and hors devours can run you into the poor house, while others are surprising thrifty.
Here are my top 5 Frugal Game Day Party Picks
1. Caramel Corn. I just love this stuff! It is so cheap and easy to make, but tastes 100X better than the tore bought stuff. I promise you, if you make homemade caramel corn people will rave.2. Deviled Eggs.
Folks just love deviled eggs-summer, winter, any time of year really. Eggs are pretty cheap too! Now it really is up to you whether or not you want to be crowded around the tv set with a bunch of men who just ate deviled eggs though. . .
3. Brownies.
Homemade, from a box, it doesn’t matter. Brownies are just great. Have you ever brought brownies to an event and had folks act disappointed? I think not. I can get a box of brownie mix at Aldi’s for $.89-and it makes an 8X11 pan of brownies.
4. Buffalo Chicken Dip
All the yumminess of Buffalo Wings mixed in with cheese and served up on a cracker or chip. Wowza. Folks will be asking for the recipe for this one! Look for it coming soon!
5. NachosA bag of store brand tortillas, a can of store brand refried beans, a sprinkling of cheese-It doesn’t have to cost a fortune! Melt in the oven for a few minutes and throw a few goodies on top like some chopped onions & tomatoes and you are in business!
And no Superbowl party would be complete without some brews and sodas. The best way to save is to know the usual price per can and keep your eyes out for sales and coupons.
Or, if you are having a really, really big bash, you may want to look into the price of a pony keg. Make sure you really know you’ll go through it during the event. I have been told (back in my days as a junior officer when I still went to parties that had kegs) that if you don’t keep a keg constantly cold once it is opened, it will get “skunky”. I didn’t get a chance to find out-at my promotion party to Captain we drank the whole keg-no problem. But lets face it, if it gets skunky and you have to throw away half of a pony keg of beer-that is not frugal.
So what are your favorite ways to celebrate the big game on a budget? Please share! We can all learn, and save, from each other’s ideas.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I love those Aldi brownies! I stir in a big ole handful of chocolate chips into the batter and when I take them places people always ask for my recipe for my “Homemade Chocolate Chunk Brownies”. LOL
Yum!
People always ask me how to make brownies at parties – they are a favorite! Take boxed brownie mix, make as directed. I make homemade frosting (recipe on back of Nestle Cocoa) and after you cut them, dip them in granulated sugar so they don’t stick to your tray! So yummy – people will rave!
Don’t forget ribs! I can find beef ribs 68 to 78 cents a pound on sale pretty often. Throw those in the crockpot with some BBQ sauce, and you are set.
I also love to make Barbeque Jalapenos. Fresh jalapenos from my garden, someone else’s (they grow abundantly here) or worst case 50 cents a pound or less at the store, stuffed with cream cheese $1 per package, and wrapped in bacon bought on sale. The recipe is on my blog, and we serve this at almost every get together we host.
Do you have a recipe for the Buffalo Chicken Dip that you’d be willing to share?
Niki-people just rave about the Aldi’s brownies. It cracks me up because they are so cheap.
Kitty-do you dip the brownie so the sugar covers the bottom?
TJ-I’ve never done the rib thing, that sounds good-but the Jalepeno poppers sound incredible! Unfortunately here in the frozen north I’m not sure how much the peppers would run us.
Nancy-the buffalo chicken recipe will be published in a couple of days. Look for it!
I've thrown many, many parties–a good portion of them sports-related! Here are some of my tricks:
- Pot luck goes a long way toward cutting the costs, and people always ask what they can bring. Let them bring!
- Play with chili recipes for something different–my brother makes a no-tomato chili that is made with a couple of cans of beer and cumin. It's green and delish!
- Soup & sammies–2 or 3 kinds of soup served out of slow cookers and a tray of sandwiches is always a crowd pleaser. Make sandwiches from big loaves of italian bread from the grocery store. But price your ingredients–a few $5 footlongs from your local fast-food sandwich shop might be cheaper to cut into slices.
The previous commenter's jalapenos sound fantastic–too bad they're $2.99/pound around here! Boo!
If you really want to make the Aldi brownies fancy, then add peppermint patties or Symphany bars in the middle of the batter. They are so super yummy!!
Great post!
Amanda-Potlucks RULE! It’s cheaper, it’s easier, and you get to try new recipes that folks bring. Win Win all the way around!
MommySecrets-Peppermint Patties, in brownies?!! Why wasn’t I informed of this sooner? They sound so incredibly good. . .