Having friends and family over for Super Bowl Sunday can be fun but expensive. If you’ve got guests coming and still need to pick up items, here’s a few easy ways to save money…..
1. Make Your Own Party Trays – Party trays are convenient to pick up but can cost up to twice as much than if you made them yourself. For example, Albertsons Market has large cooked shrimp on sale for $4.99 lb and pre-made shrimp rings on sale for $4.99 (for 11 ounces). For the same price, you get 5 ounces more if you buy the large shrimp and arrange it on your own platter. Vegetable platters are a lot cheaper too if you make them yourself. You don’t need a huge selection of vegetables and dips are quick and easy to make, but pre-made dips are on sale too, it that’s easier. Safeway has cucumbers and extra-large green bell peppers on sale for 99 cents each, and both King Soopers and Albertsons has 16 oz bags of mini carrots on sale for $1.50. Cold cut and cheese trays can sometimes just cost a tiny bit more than if you made them yourself. The last time I made one, I realized I only saved about $2 because lunchmeats weren’t on sale so for the extra bucks, I would buy it pre-made and save some time for myself. It’s easy to comparison shop these days with grocery stores having their sale papers online.
2. Make A Big Pot of Something – Who says a Super Bowl party has to consist of just appetizers, which aren’t necessarily that filling and usually costs more than if you make a big pot of something like chili or spaghetti. Make a big batch of chili and you can create several different options like chili dogs, nachos, or frito pie. King Soopers has pasta and tomato sauce on sale for 49 cents, which means you could make a really big pot of spaghetti for next to nothing. My own personal favorite from the past year is our Peperoncini Pulled Beef Sandwiches which may sound strange but DELICIOUS. I know at least a dozen people who have told me they (with some trepidation) tried this recipe and loved it…super easy and only two ingredients. You can serve it on buns, bread or wrapped in tortillas. You don’t even need condiments with this!
https://www.719woman.com/2012/10/chili-con-carne-in-a-bread-bowl-10-00-or-less-meal/
3. Stock Up On Alcohol At Big Chain Stores – I’ve been eyeballing the price of beer and it’s really marked down at the larger liquor store chains for up to $4 to $6 savings by the case. If you have a lot of beer drinkers coming over, stock up so you don’t run out during the game and hit the nearest store, spending more. And it’s not like you won’t use the beer that’s leftover before it goes “bad”.
4. Save On Paper Products – Why spend more on paper plates, napkins and eating utensils when you can stock up on these items at your local dollar store. And because the dollar stores sell paper products in such a wide variety of colors, it’s easy to choose the colors of your team. If you’re decorating a lot, steamers and balloons are easy and cheap ways to add to your theme and also available at the dollar stores.
5. Get Cheap But Stylish Serveware – Don’t have enough bowls and platters? You can pick up clear plastic ones at the Dollar Tree or for a few dollars more, something a bit more “stylish” at Ikea. The last time my husband and I were there, we found tons of great bargains for stainless-steel big bowls and glass bowls (I got several for $2 each). If you can pick up something you can reuse for about the same price as something disposable….well, you do the math.
6. Save At Bread Outlets – If you’re serving hot dogs or burgers, save money on buns and rolls by shopping at bread outlets. www.BimboBakeriesUSA.com will tell you where the nearest outlet is in your area. Click on the “Our Brands” link, enter your zip code and you’ll find the nearest one.
7. Serve Basic Desserts – Cake mixes are on sale for 99 cents at a lot of the grocery stores and in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with a cake out of a box! Especially when it’s easy, inexpensive and will be gobbled up just as quickly as something I “slaved” over. Or you can buy ice cream (another item on sale right now) and ask your guests to bring their favorite toppings.
Super Bowl is one of those events where I find basic food and snacks are just fine. The day’s about watching football (or in my case, the commercials). Make it easy on yourself so you can enjoy the game too. And remember, if you take about 20 minutes to comparison shop your meats, chips, drinks, etc., you can really rack up some savings. And if you have the patience, shop at a store that honors other store’s sales (just make sure you go prepared with the flyer and items marked).
And remember, your guests are usually happy to bring something to share if you’re hosting…