(Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Amanda Green. Amanda is a freelance writer and Buffalo sports nut. She has been going to Bills, Sabres and Bandits games her whole life. Amanda has been writing online for a few years now but loves to write about things near and dear to her like the city of Buffalo. Amanda’s best sports memory was Matthew Barnaby’s playoff hat-trick against Montreal and her worst was the Monday Night Football loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Buffalo.)
You may be “the buzz” among your friends and around town for throwing awesome tailgate parties. While you may not be working with the ideal budget for a supreme tailgate party, you still don’t want to leave your friends disappointed when they show up on the day of the game.
So what do you do in such a situation? Ask for help? Cancel the party? Come up with an excuse? Luckily, you don’t have to do anything like that because the answer lies in generating ideas that are creative, inexpensive and original. This will allow you to save money and throw a good tailgate without overwhelming yourself. Here are some of the things you can consider:
1. Buy in advance and in bulk
Start shopping a month earlier than you initially plan to throw the party. Doing so can let you save a lot of money as there are promotions, discounts, specials and sales available on grills, bottle openers, etc. You can also benefit in an indirect way if you use a credit card for purchases.
If you don’t have a credit card, look at several options available to you. Some credit cards have reward programs like airlines reward frequent travelers. This means you earn rewards when you use the card, and later those rewards can be used while shopping to save money.
For having extra money to spend on tailgate parties and similar events, there are options available for you in which you can earn passively, so you have an overall higher amount at the end. Good savings accounts interest rates and current account benefits can be used for this purpose.
2. Don’t shy away from home cooking
While tailgating parties offer a chance to fire up the grill and cook away, it can be expensive to do so. There are a lot of things you have to buy, such as charcoal and other condiments.
A great way to cut on some of the expenses is to prepare some food at home. There are several tailgate recipe ideas available which will let you create popular dishes for the occasion. You can also watch videos for visual help with the instructions. You’ll also find specific recipes such as low-carb, high-protein and low fat. Such recipes will be handy if you’re currently on a diet or are looking to build some muscle.
3. Be aware of the venue and drive less (vehicles)
You may be partying at the home stadium for a long time now, but it can be expensive and inconvenient to find such spots. You have to wake up early morning and still sweat that there will be others who may get there before you. Furthermore, the parking fees at such locations are quite high and parking lot policies at most stadiums are not the easiest to adhere to. You may be able to save a good amount of money by choosing locations that are away from the home stadium (Hey, you’re on a budget, remember?).
When you’ve decided the venue, try to go in with as few vehicles as possible. One vehicle can be used by you and your friends and the party items can be kept in a separate one if there’s less space for everything to fit in a single car. This way, you and your folks will be able to save money on parking and gas as well as save time on trying to get spots around each other.
You’ve heard my top three tips on saving money while tailgating. Leave your own money saving ideas in the comments below.