Steve Rhodes / Flickr
I must confess I have no clue what teams are playing on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 5), but what I do know is how to throw a party on a budget! Below I share suggestions to lower the costs of drinks, food, and decorations.
Food
- Prepare your food from scratch. It will take you longer, but it will taste better and save you money! Buying pre-made food from the grocery store is always more expensive. Make foods that can be prepped ahead of time or come in large batches so you can enjoy the game or commercials. Try this turkey chilli recipe. Make your own dips and salsas as well.
- Clip those coupons – When it gets close to the game, many stores begin having deals on potato chips and sodas. Keep an eye out for deals and don’t forget to check out our Coupon Database. Just print and save!
- Buy in bulk. If you’re having lots of people over, consider shopping at Costco or Sam’s Club. Just make sure you use everything you buy or you’ll end up wasting money. Newcomers can often get a FREE trial membership from the customer service desk or the warehouse website
- Skip the paper plates. They make clean up easier, but they add to the cost of throwing a party. Instead put the dishwasher to use. Don’t have one? Get friends to help.
- Potluck. You provide an entree, ask friends to bring sides and drinks.
- Pizza party. If you want everyone to chip in for the pizza tab, in the invite say something like “bring a few bucks for pizza.”
Drinks
- Buy drinks in bulk. Make sure to hit the stores ahead of time to get the best deals. Just make sure the drinks whether beer or soda don’t disappear. Many, many, many hosts use the next option to save money on booze.
- Bring Your Own Beer (BYOB). I don’t drink so the thought of buying beer for others is ridiculous. It can be so expensive. To cut down on costs, have water or soda available for guests and have them bring their own beer, wine or liquor.
- Make your own drinks – Skip the soda and instead, make lemonade, or strawberry lemonade. It’s cheaper to buy lemons, sugar, and frozen strawberries and blend them.
- Nix the pot luck. Instead of saving money by making your party pot-luck style, save by providing the food, but making everyone else bring the drinks of their choice whether that be beer, wine, liquor, soda, or mineral water. The reason I say this is that alcoholic drinks are much more expensive than preparing nachos, and sometimes pot-lucks turn into a lot of stuff that no one eats and not enough of the few things that are good. You know what I’m saying!
Decorations
- Skip the decorations. This is one party that doesn’t require frilly stuff. Just make sure your home is clean and put together.
- Hit the dollar store. If you really want to have decorations, make sure you don’t pay a lot for things with the teams’ colors or mascots. Hey, next year they may not make it to the bowl.
- Do It Yourself. If you’re watching the Super Bowl, you may already have shirts of one of the teams that you can wear. You can also infuse your home with your team’s colors.
Are you watching the Super Bowl with friends? How are you saving money on your get-together?
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Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
FYI – I’ve figured out who’s playing the Super Bowl since writing this! Though, I’m still going to be watching just for the commercials and half time.
@Yazmin ~ I’m not a big football fan (prefer volleyball and basketball), but I do know that the match-up between the NY Giants and the New England Patriots is supposed to produce a good contest. Of course, the half-time program is always a big draw.
Since we have quite a few parties in my neighborhood, I “invested” in a variety of paper/foam plates and bowls some time ago (from Costco and Smart & Final) so that I always have them on hand (none are wasted). I do use my dishes for smaller groups. I like making things like chili, soups or stew in my slow cooker where they can be kept warm for serving. Cornbread or garlic bread are always good sides, along with cole slaw or “bunny food” (which is what we always called crudites when I was a kid). Chips can be rather expensive in the long run, so I try to avoid them. Using crudites for dipping into sauces, guacamole, etc., works just fine and is more economical. A plus is that the veggies offer a lower calorie option to the higher calorie main dishes. I find my best move is to keep it simple and to a minimum of choices, sticking with things I know will be enjoyed.
@EllieD Bunny food cracked me up! I get what you are saying… there are so many benefits when you stick with veggies. I hadn’t thought of making the chili or stew in a crock pot, but that’s also a really good idea. It gets you out of the kitchen so you don’t miss the game.
Great tips. I’m sorry I found this article a bit too late, but will make use of it next year.