Budget Cooking For A Crowd

Smart Ways To Save Money

However, a putting together a meal for a large group shouldn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. On a frugal basis, you can save a great deal of cash by doing some simple budget meal planning ahead of time.

When it comes to eating meals economically, the following money saving tips will keep both your guests and your wallet happy.

Meals On A Budget

Guests Bring A Dish. You'll want to have your guests bring a dish. We have a large family and have done this for years.

I can't begin to tell you not just how much money we've saved, but also how much easier it is to cook for a crowd by having your guests lend you a hand.

What you can do is ask some of your guests, especially the good cooks, to bring a side. This would be pop, chips, a salad, dessert, peanuts, you name it.

That way, you can concentrate on the main course without having to run around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to do everything.

Besides, you'll find that people like to contribute. My sister in law, for example, makes a wicked cheesy potatoes hour derv. And she likes to cook - perfect!

Buy Meat Cheap. Since you can freeze meat, buy it when you see a manager's special at the grocery store, or better yet you'll certainly want to take a look at this (look for "meat" under "Frugal Grocery Shopping Tips").

Everyone loves tender meat and you can't beat a slow cooker to achieve this. What's great, is you can cook cheaper cuts of meat in a crockpot that will come out tasting like prime cuts.

Speaking Of The Crockpot. If you want to make cooking for a crowd even easier on yourself, serve one part of your meal or your main dish in a crockpot. Baked beans, taco meat and chili are just a few great examples that are easy to put together and can feed a great many people.

Crowd Recipes. This is a fantastic recipe resource; especially when you need to cook in bulk. Take a look at razzle dazzle recipes.

Better yet, a frugal fanatic like myself can barbecue to a large crowd cheap. Many times I’ll simply slap on the hamburgers and hotdogs, which are less expensive than steaks and fish, and we're good to go!

Wrapping It Up