With just one week to go until the Big Game, it's time to start planning your best Super Bowl party ever. One that's filled with delicious food and unlimited booze that your friends will remember for the rest of their lives. A party that will keep them wanting to come back year after year. While throwing an awesome party always feels great and is a lot of fun to do, if you want your guests to be happy, it can get super pricey- and let's be real, we aren't all made of money here.
Super Bowl Sunday is a day that's notoriously known for being one of those days where you eat until you can't eat anymore, and when you drink so much that you wish the Monday after Super Bowl was a federal holiday. So how does one throw a party with all this great stuff, spend as little money as possible, and still have happy guests?
Here are a bunch of ways you can save money while throwing your Super Bowl 50 party and still have an awesome time.
Make it potluck
If everyone brings their own dish or snacks, not only is your entire menu figured out, but it's like you all just split the cost of the food. Potluck is always a great idea for a party because you can still cook a few things and then have several other items to choose from made or brought personally by your guests. This saves the host money on food in the long run, and it makes for a variety of options on your menu that you probably wouldn't have if you created the whole thing yourself.
BYOB
If you're making your party potluck, you might as well make it BYOB as well because alcohol can be the most expensive part of throwing a party. Sometimes people prefer to bring their own alcohol anyways because then they know they're drinking what they want to drink. Plus, this way, they can bring as much as they please and they won't be drinking all of your alcohol, which is always a good thing, so it's a win-win situation.
Provide cheaper options
If you decide you want to provide the food or alcohol, or at least some just in case there are guests who don't bring anything for themselves, there are several cheap options that won't hurt your bank account. Trader Joe's has their famous Two Buck Chuck wine, which is actually delicious and will definitely get the job done. There are also always sales on cheap beer around the Super Bowl, so just stock up as you see them. For snacks, just put out the cheapest chips and finger foods you can find. The brand really won't make a difference to your guests, who will just be eating them out of bowls anyways, so go ahead and buy the inexpensive generic brands.
Order pizza
If you can't cook, and your friends can't cook, or you really just don't feel like doing anything at all, pizza is your friend. And who doesn't love pizza? It's the simplest, and probably most delicious, solution to feeding a large group of people. Pizza places usually run Super Bowl specials, too, so this can actually be a cheaper option than cooking, and you could always ask your guests to throw 5's to make it easy and fair.
Have a schedule
Put your food out at different times so you don't have to worry about wasting food in the end. If you put out different courses or meals each quarter, people are more likely to finish what's out instead of piling up on everything at once when the game starts and having a lot go to waste because it sits there and gets cold. If there are leftovers, offer the leftovers to your guests to take home in doggy bags instead of just throwing them out or having it sit in your refrigerator for days and eventually just getting thrown out because you can't eat it all.
Have a co-host
Throwing the party with a friend will not only make the entire situation less stressful and less time-consuming, but you can also divvy up the costs of food and party essentials.
Don't worry about decorating
Honestly, nobody really cares. It's rare that people leave a Super Bowl party and can't stop talking about the decorations. While it may look nice, in the end, it's just a waste of money, so you're better off spending your money elsewhere.
The dollar store is your friend
Paper plates, napkins, forks, knives, spoons and whatever else you may need can all be bought at the dollar store. It does not matter what they look like because they will literally just be covered in food and thrown out. This is by far your cheapest option. And if you feel like you absolutely must decorate, this is also the place to do that. Also, don't ever forget coupons when shopping at any store.
Plate options
Buying reusable party plates and silverware might be a little more expensive, but it is a good idea if you plan on throwing more parties in the future. And if you don't want to buy anything at all and don't have a large amount of people coming over, just use the real dishes you already have in your home and hope and pray that your drunken guests don't break them.
Use cheap recipes
For the meals you do decide to cook yourself, there are several cheap and tasty options out there that can serve a large crowd. Chili, nachos, macaroni and cheese and potato skins are among a few of my favorites that are inexpensive, easy to make and perfect for game day. Cooking food in a crockpot is a great way to serve large crowds and save yourself some time. Check out these awesome crock pot recipes for chili and mac and cheese here.
