Slash Your Super Bowl Party Budget

Super Bowl Sunday is often the first big party of the new year, making it tempting to go all-out with your party plans and spend far too much. This year, you can slash your Super Bowl Party budget without sacrificing good food, excellent beer, and a great time with your friends.

Super Bowl Party Budget Slasher #1: Skip the Gigantic New TV

Electronics stores will have you believe that the only way to truly experience this ultimate gridiron game is to purchase a brand new and mega-huge TV. This year, slash your Super Bowl Party budget by either sticking to the TV you already own, or consider renting a TV for a day. Places like Rent-a-Center offer rent-to-own options, but also offer you the ability to rent a TV for the day.

Super Bowl Party Budget Slasher #2: Food

Food is often one of the most expensive aspects of any Super Bowl Party. Great Super Bowl Party foods include chips and dip, chicken wings or fingers, chili, pizza, and burgers, however most of these items can severely damage your Super Bowl Party budget. Here are some ideas to fill up your guests' bellies while sticking to your Super Bowl Party budget.

Potluck

To slash your Super Bowl Party budget, ask your guests to bring their favorite appetizer or main dish. Make sure you specify what type of food you'd like each guest to bring, though, so you don't end up with twenty bags of chips and nothing else.

Bring Your Own Meat (B.Y.O.M.)

Alright, get your head out of the gutter, we're talking about beef or chicken here. Because providing meat for a number of people is expensive, you can ease the strain on your Super Bowl Party budget by asking guests to bring their meat of choice. That way, they can choose to bring steak, chicken, or burgers, and you can provide the less expensive sides like chips and salsa and dessert. If there will be children at your Super Bowl Party, inform guests that you'll provide hotdogs, since they are relatively inexpensive.

Big, Cheap Meals

If you don't want guests to feel obligated to provide food, consider making a large pot of chili or spaghetti. The items to make each of these meals are inexpensive, so they won't damage your Super Bowl Party budget, and they are also filling and tasty. You could also offer a baked potato bar with all the fixings and find you won't have to spend much to feed your guests.

Super Bowl Party Budget Slasher #3: Beer and Alcohol

Lets face it: It simply isn't Super Bowl if there isn't beer. But, beer and alcohol tend to put a major dent in your Super Bowl Party budget. If you have asked guests to provide some of the food, you may consider providing the drinks, but if you want to be truly Super Bowl Party budget-friendly, don't be afraid to ask guests to provide their own drinks. Here are a few ways to save money on beer and alcohol for your Super Bowl Party.

Bring Your Own Beer (B.Y.O.B.)

Most people are used to the idea of B.Y.O.B., so chances are no one will feel put out if you ask guests to provide their own drinks. If you want a B.Y.O.B. happy-medium, inform guests that you will be offering a case of beer, and if they want something else, or want to drink more, they'll have to provide their own. This way, you're still conscious of your Super Bowl Party budget, but aren't responsible for supplying a large number of drinks for guests.

Skip the Hard Alcohol

Hard alcohol is often more expensive than any beer or malt beverage on the market. Inform guests that they can bring their own hard alcohol if they choose. If your Super Bowl Party tradition involves Jack and Cokes or some other kind of hard beverages, consider using a lesser hard alcohol brand or asking guests to bring a bottle to share. Your best bet in reducing your Super Bowl Party budget, however, is to simply skip the hard alcohol all together.

Pony (Keg) Up!

Often, purchasing a keg of beer will prove to be more Super Bowl Party budget-friendly than providing beer in cans or bottles. A pony keg, or half keg, will provide enough beer for approximately 83 12oz beers, and runs about $60-80 depending on the type of beer and where you purchase it. Often, you will find that a pony keg will provide more than enough beer for your Super Bowl Party. Depending on your crowd, you can charge for the cup. That is, tell guests they can buy a cup for $3 and have as much beer as they'd like. This will help offset the cost of the keg and is reasonable if you consider the inexpensive price per cup compared to how much the beer would normally cost. Keep your crowd in mind, however. At a college Super Bowl Party, charging per cup isn't unusual, but if it's a party with the CEO of your company and other professionals, charging per cup may look tacky.

Super Bowl Party Budget Slasher #4: Decorations

Your guests aren't coming to ooh and aah over your decorations, so don't waste your time going all-out. Ease your Super Bowl Party budget by either choosing not to decorate, or using things you have on hand. If your team is playing in the Super Bowl, chances are you have team paraphernalia coming out of your ears. Attach foam fingers or team flags to the windows, blow up a bunch of balloons in team colors, and maybe decorate with a few streamers. Anything more than this will cause you to dip into your Super Bowl Party budget unnecessarily.

Super Bowl Party Budget Slasher #5: Skip it this year

The quickest, easiest way to avoid overspending your Super Bowl Party budget is to simply not throw a Super Bowl Party this year. Keep your ears open for offers to attend friends or coworker's Super Bowl Parties. Heck, offer to bring a case of beer, and you'll find that you're spending less than you would if you were to throw your own Super Bowl Party on a budget.

No matter which methods you choose, you can easily throw a Super Bowl Party on a budget this year. Stay safe, have fun, and enjoy the game!