By Allison Martin
The 50th Super Bowl will take place on February 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Anyone hosting this year’s party is probably worried about having to shell out a hefty sum of money.
Luckily, you don’t have to break your budget to show your friends a good time. And you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen, either.
Here are some inexpensive Super Bowl party ideas that will make your life easier and give you the energy to cheer on your team come game time.
1. Potluck
Opting for a potluck dinner is one of the easiest ways to make your party planning a little less intimidating. You can even choose a theme that will get everyone involved. Just make sure you keep track of who’s bringing what: There’s nothing worse than too many pretzels and not enough beer.
2. Tailgate in the backyard
Just because you’re staying home doesn’t mean you can’t party. If you live in a relatively warm climate, all you have to do is move the party outside in the hours before kickoff.
Throw some brats on the grill and paint your face in your team’s colors. As a bonus, you’ll keep some of the rowdy behavior away from home.
3. Sports bar experience
Some people rent out part of their local sports bar to host a party, but this can get expensive, so why not recreate the experience at home for a fraction of the cost?
Put all your TVs in the designated party room, set up a makeshift bar, and voilà, you have your very own sports bar. Extra points if you have a large drink selection or a keg.
4. Snack City
Super Bowl parties are not dinner parties. There’s no need to go overboard with the food. Try to bring a variety of snacks and skip the convenience store platters of meat and cheese, veggies and dips. Make your own food instead.
In this video, Stacy Johnson, founder of Money Talks News, shares a delicious recipe for a Super Bowl snack your guests will love.
5. Reduce food preparation time
Everyone loves a DIY nachos bar and it saves a lot of time in the kitchen. You can apply the same idea to other foods as well.
Sundae bars are always popular, as is allowing your guests to decorate their own cupcakes. Or simply provide skewers for meat, cheese, fruit, or other foods that would otherwise be eaten with a fork.
6. Distribute the food
Don’t put all the food out at once. At the end of the game, you’ll probably want to throw away any meat and cheese that’s been sitting out for hours.
Instead, prepare only as much food as you need to avoid waste and have leftovers for lunch the following week.
Just make sure you keep an eye on what your guests are eating and make sure the most popular snacks are provided.
7. Buy strategically
Before you go shopping, think about what you want to prepare and make a list so that you don’t end up making expensive impulse purchases and going without the essentials.
Then check out your supermarket’s flyer or search online for deals and coupons. Watch out for no-name brands – unless you serve them straight from the pack, your guests probably won’t notice the difference.
8. Buy your alcohol wholesale
You can buy alcohol at any Sam’s Club in the country, even if you don’t have a membership. Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club have similar policies in some states.
Remember that not every employee knows the store’s policy, so do your research. Shopping at one of these clubs can often save you a lot of money when purchasing alcohol.
