How to Host a Barbecue on a Budget

With the beginning of summer comes the inauguration of backyard barbecues. The smell of meat, corn, and kabobs on the grill is a welcome aroma in the neighborhood. Part of the fun of owning an outdoor grill is to host an outdoor cookout for friends. This is the perfect opportunity to get old acquaintances re-united to share in some good food, drink and laughter. The laughing stops though when one has to shop for the entire guest list and the barbecue budget seems to spiral out of control. There are some creative ways to keep you barbecue budget in check and still be successful with your guests.

Barbecue on a Budget - Food Costs

One way to keep your barbecue allowance healthy is to host a "bring your own meat" cook-out. This will allow friends and neighbors to decide for them what is appropriate. You will usually see everything from hot dogs to filet mignon hit the grill, but that is okay since it is not your salary paying for cousin eddies steak. As a host you should at least have the decency to provide meat seasonings and utensils for your guests to prepare their meat. It will be wise to set up a prep station or table right next to the grill for people to prepare their food.

Depending on how tight your budget is you may also want to create a pot luck environment where everyone also prepares a dish to pass. This can create a fun meal as everyone can bring their favorite dish for peers to sample. As a host you will want to track what everyone is bringing as to avoid duplicate and triplicates of one particular dish.

Barbecue on a Budget - Drink Costs

If buying meat for your guests does not send you to the poor house, purchasing alcohol definitely will. Try to keep alcohol purchase to a minimum by buying beer and perhaps a bottle of wine or two. The host is not responsible for providing a fully stocked bar, so make it point to tell your guests prior to the event that they are welcome to bring their own spirits as you will be providing beer and wine.

Non alcoholic beverage expenses can also be kept low by making lemonade and ice tea. If you plan on serving carbonated beverages it will be cheaper to buy during advertised sales around the holidays such as Memorial Day or Fourth of July when cases of pop are severely discounted. If such sales are not occurring, then consider purchasing two liter bottle pop with ice readily available.

Barbecue on a Budget - Plate ware & Silverware

When hosting a barbecue on a budget, the most cost effective way to keep your costs down with serving ware is to use your own plate ware as there will be no cost involved. This is okay for smaller gatherings up to about eight or ten people. I do not recommend this with larger gatherings as you will either run out of plates and silverware or items will get broken. A barbecue will also lose its fun if one has to spend hours doing dishes while everyone else is outside having laughs.

I do recommend purchasing disposal ware at a discount retailer such as a dollar store or warehouse club. These items can be really inexpensive and you can keep the mess out of the house if you provide a waste container and recycler outside near the party.