There are times when you’ll need to feed a crowd, whether it’s for a planned or unplanned event. Unfortunately, this can be rather expensive. If you’re already on a tight budget, it may seem impossible. However, there are a few different ways that you can feed a crowd without going broke. Let’s take a look…
Plan Ahead
If possible, plan ahead when you need to feed a crowd. If you leave yourself enough time, you can pick up your meal components a little bit at a time. This will allow you more time to plan and make it easier to pay for everything. This isn’t always an option, though, since some large gatherings aren’t always planned.
Use What You Have
Chances are you already have a good deal of food in your pantry and freezer to feed a crowd. Instead of heading to the store to pick up everything for a large meal and all of the fixings, try to use what you have first. This can be a great way to cut costs, since you may only need to pick up a few items at the store.
Scout Sales
As soon as you find out that you need to feed a crowd, start scouting deals and sales at your local supermarket and dollar stores. Plan your menu around what you have on hand as well as what you can pick up for cheap. Use coupons wherever you can to save even more money.
Accept Help
Don’t try to go at it alone when you need to feed a crowd. If someone else offers to help, by all means, accept the help! Allow other people to bring a dish, drinks, snacks, or desert. You can also feed a crowd for next to nothing if you hold a potluck meal.
Break Out the Slow Cooker
Slow cooker meals are a great way to feed a crowd, since they’re easy and – for the most part – inexpensive. Opt for cheaper cuts of meat, which are usually perfect for the slow cooker. A couple examples include pork shoulder roasts and beef brisket. You can also make soup, stew, or chili, which are all inexpensive and easy to make in a slow cooker.
Make Breakfast
When i need to feed a crowd, I often opt to make breakfast. A large pan of scrambled eggs will usually only cost a few bucks to make, or less if you leave out the extras like cheese. Pancakes are cheap, and french toast is a great way to use up old bread that will be going bad soon anyway. And, let’s not forget the sausage gravy and biscuits! If you don’t want to go homemade, you can usually pick up a large packet of country gravy mix for a little over a dollar. You can use biscuit mix, or you can make them from scratch.
