Are you having friends over to watch Super Bowl 46 on February 5, 2012? If so, then let me help you as you plan your Super Bowl 2012 party.
Whether you're a New England Patriots fan or are rooting for Eli Manning and the New York Giants, you'll want to plan a Super Bowl party menu with food that will feed your guests well. The good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a great Super Bowl party. In fact, I recently spoke with Teri Gault, CEO and Founder of TheGroceryGame.com, an online couponing service that helps subscribers to save time and money on grocery shopping. Here are her 10 tips for throwing a Super Bowl party on the cheap.
- Do lots of "do-aheads." Prepare everything possible in advance. Cold platters are arranged, covered, and in the fridge. Anything for the oven will be prepped, covered, and ready to pop in.
- Use your slow cooker. Super Bowl parties tend to be "grazing" parties, meaning people are going to want to eat throughout the game. That's why a slow cooker filled with something that can stay warm and delicious for four hours—and is a self-service dish—is a must for a Super Bowl party.
- Let the sales plan your menu. Supermarkets will be offering Super Bowl party fare at deep discounts, just as they do with burgers and dogs on Memorial Day and Fourth of July. Gault expects that you'll find ground beef at half off or better, which is perfect for a big pot of chili with beans in the slow cooker. You'll likely find grated cheese and corn chips on sale to go with it! Even drugstores get on the scoreboard with snacks and beverages. Bottom line: don't plan your menu or buy a thing until you look at what's on sale!
- Go for the spuds. A potato bar is an inexpensive way to offer your guests something a little different yet universally liked. Plus, potatoes often go on sale at Super Bowl time. In addition to potatoes being on sale, you'll like find deals on toppings, such as canned chili, grated cheese, bacon, green onions, salsa, and more!
- Borrow like a pro. If you plan a slow cooker-heavy menu but don't have enough slow cookers to go around, don't go out and buy new slow cookers—borrow them from friends. With three or more slow cookers going, you'll be catering like a pro!
- Stock up on appetizers when on sale. You'll find lots of chips, crackers, and cheese on sale along with celery and carrots. Pair these with refrigerated dips also likely to be at rock-bottom prices at this time, and your appetizers are good to go.
- Don't worry about doing the dishes. Super Bowl week has great sales on disposable plates, bowls, and more. At the same time, spring for slow cooker liners, which will help your clean up be that much easier after the party. Recently, coupon inserts, such as Smartsource, had $1 off coupons for slow cooker liners.
- Save on beverages. Great sales on beverages, including cases of water, abound at supermarkets and drugstores during Super Bowl week. Put them on ice in ice chests to grab and go. No cups needed, as Super Bowl is casual. Be sure to buy extra bags of ice as there's often a run on ice on the big day, or if you have an icemaker, start bagging extra now!
- Be prepared for over time. While the food in slow cookers will keep you going through the game, if the game goes into overtime, you might want to bring out some new food. You can find great sales on frozen pizzas at Super Bowl time. These frozen pizzas are easy to pop into the oven and should be ready in time for the overtime coin toss.
- Make it a potluck. Probably the cheapest way to entertain friends is to make your party a potluck. However, since we've suggested ways to cover your appetizers, main course, and drinks, why not suggest your guests bring a dessert as part of the potluck? It will be one less thing for you to worry about on Super Bowl Sunday and will be an extra money saver.
Now that you know frugal ways to feed your guests at a Super Bowl party, here's hoping that your team wins.
