The heat is rising, which means it’s time to fire up the grill and enjoy some delicious food and good company. Grilling can be the home’s best friend in the summer time because it allows you to enjoy your favorite foods without having to heat up the home with the stove and oven. Of course, if you’re not careful, the convenience of the grill can make a huge hole in your budget. There’s a few simple ways to take back your summer barbeques and simple grilled meals, without having to stress out over the money involved. With these ten tips, you’ll be able to get excited about cooking outdoors again, rather than getting stressed out over the budget.

1. Make It From Scratch
One of the biggest ways to waste money at a barbeque is to buy pre-made items when you can easily make them at home. From salads to sauces, there’s not a whole of grilling recipes that can’t be mimicked at home by even the most inexperienced chefs. Typically, people tend to buy tubs of potato and macaroni salad so they don’t have to make it themselves. At the end of the day, the money you spend on one of these tubs would allow you to make several days’ worth of the iconic salads. Plus, they’re one of the easiest things to make and whipping it up from scratch will make it better for you too. Beans are another big deal in the pre-made world because they seem so intimidating. Simply pull out your crock pot and find a recipe, you may find they’re less work than you think. Last but not least, the rubs and sauces for the meat are especially pricey. Dry rubs can easily be made with items already found around the home and barbeque sauces are just a few ingredients away from perfection too.
2. Go Easy On Meat
Sure, meat is one of the best things to add to your outdoor meal, but if you’re on a budget it can also be one of the most expensive items to buy. This is especially true if you’re feeding a whole lot of people. Rather than concentrate your menu around meat, try to incorporate other items into the meal to make meat more of a side dish. One great way to do this is kebabs. You still get to enjoy your favorite grilled meats, but you also get vegetable and sometimes fruits added into the mix. This alone cuts down on meat consumption per person and allows other foods to show that they’re at one with the grill too. You can also cut down on the price of meat for your barbeque by shopping a bit on the frugal side. For instance, you can easily buy cheap hot dogs and hamburger meat to cut expenses. Also, chicken legs and thighs are another frugal option and tend to have more flavor than the pricier pieces of meat.
3. Shop Bulk
If you know you’re going to be doing a lot of grilling this season or if you have a party to shop for, bulk buys can be the best way to save you a whole lot of money. Typically, your local wholesale store should be able to provide you with some of the best deals around for meat. Often, you can buy large racks of ribs or packages of chicken at a price you won’t believe. Of course, you could also talk to your butcher about bulk deals as some will offer great prices. Produce is another great thing to shop for in bulk stores as you can usually buy boxes of some of the best produce around for a surprisingly low price. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try your local farmers market. Typically, you should be able to get an extraordinary deal there if you shop in bulk. Last but not least, plates, cups and napkins are always best if you purchase them in bulk, but only if you’re going to be doing a lot of entertaining.
4. Keep It Simple
When it comes to grilling, a lot of people get the impression that they have to take it up a notch to impress the people they’re grilling for. This can be bad, especially in the money department. People having been grilling for hundreds of years and they seemed to manage without the high tech toys. These items aren’t just expensive, but they don’t actually do a whole lot for your food. In fact, some of them can actually be off, which could make the food you make taste worse than it would if you kept up with the classic meat thermometer and grilling accessories. You should also consider a grill that doesn’t require you to read the manual a few times to get an idea of how it works. Simple can help you keep the temperature even and won’t leave the meat burning on the grill while you try to figure out which nob reduces the heat.
5. Seasonal
Choosing food can be one of the toughest ways to plan your family’s menu or choose what you’re making for a barbeque. One of the golden rules for picking, especially when on a budget, is to keep it in season. You don’t need to grill up foods that thrived in the winter time to impress your guests. In fact, most of the summer produce is going to be the best items for the grill anyway. Foods like corn, zucchini, tomatoes and even peaches are prime choices for the grill. Not to mention, they’ll cost a whole lot less than foods that aren’t in season. Generally, you can tell which foods are in season based on price and how the food looks. Seasonal foods tend to be more vibrant, larger and healthier in appearance. Of course, there’s lot of guides to help figure this out though, if you plan on working up a menu before you go shopping. Of course, meats can also be seasonal too, so watch out when you’re shopping for these meal components too.
6. Potluck
Inviting friends and family over for a barbeque is what summer is all about, right? Of course, the company is always nice and the food is great too, but if you’re on a budget your get-togethers won’t be as appetizing as they could be. Instead of working around your budget to make sure everyone has plenty to eat, you could send out your invites for a potluck instead of a standard barbeque. You could even ask people to bring certain items, like chips, hot dog buns, or hamburger meat. Of course, you could also send out a list of ideas and have people let you know what they’re bringing so you can plan accordingly. With a potluck in full swing, your family and friends will be able to enjoy a great variety of food while you don’t have to stress about entertaining and feeding everyone on a tight budget.
7. Skip Alcohol
It’s not hard to believe that serving alcohol at your get-together can actually double the price of your event. Even if you keep expenses down by buying generic brands or sticking to cheap beer, you’ll still end up spending a lot more than you should on beverages. Not to mention, alcohol is a good way to dehydrate your guests in a hurry, which could make people feel sick and have to leave early. Luckily, there’s a lot of options that can keep costs down while providing your guests with a tasty beverage. For starters, you can can serve your favorite mixed drinks virgin style. This is especially good if you choose to make them with fruit that is in season. Apart from these drinks you could try iced cold tea, infused waters and fruit punches.
8. Lighting
Even though nightfall doesn’t come until much later in the summer, there’s still a good chance that your party may end up going until later into the night. Rather than set up lights that will use a lot of electricity, you can easily create a more intimate atmosphere by lighting candles. Tea lights are an especially good option as they cost mere cents and can burn throughout the evening. Of course, if you’re feeling crafty, you may want to consider making your own bug free candles. There’s many easy tutorials online and they will help keep your guests from swatting away at pesky mosquitos throughout the party. You can also use inexpensive tiki lamps to help out with the issue. Solar lighting is also a great option, but it will cause you to have to invest in some of the lighting if you don’t already own these lights. Luckily, the price of solar outdoor lighting is fairly inexpensive and makes a great home investment.
9. Stick to Charcoal
You can probably spend hours upon hours online trying to sort through the charcoal vs propane debates. Everyone has their own personal preferences and both sides have some valid points. However, if you’re looking to save money, charcoal is the way to go. For starters, you can easily make your own grill from items you find around the house, which already cuts down on the price significantly. Of course, if you don’t want to tackle the grill hands on, you can pick one up for only a few dollars at most department stores. Charcoal and lighting fluid won’t cost you a whole lot of money either, which is a bonus in the long run. If you use the items sparingly then it shouldn’t be a frequent buy. Plus, you can keep a charcoal grill going for longer without having to worry about how much of a resource you’re using. You also don’t have to worry if you turned the charcoal off when you’re done cooking, it goes out naturally!
10. Clean the grill
When it comes to keeping your barbeques as frugal as possible, there’s one key component you may not even think about. That is, keeping your grill clean. It doesn’t matter if you have a charcoal or propane grill because they all need to be cleaned to keep them usable and your food tasting good. The better you clean the grill, the longer it will last which means you’ll end up spending a whole lot less on grilling in the long run. All you need is a couple of tools to get the job done, which should cost you no more than a few dollars at any department store. Ideally, you should wipe down the grill before you heat it up, but this isn’t always on your mind when there is food to be cooked. One of the most important things you can do is get rid of the charring on the grill once the food is off of it. This will help prevent permanent damage. Cleaning while the grill is still hot can also help you save time and do a better job. Some grills even require oils to keep them up, so make sure you know what’s required of your grill before you let it go to waste.
Summer time is a great time to fire up the grill and make all of the classics you crave when the weather is too cold. With these ten money saving tips, you should be able to grill to your heart’s content without having to worry about the amount of money you’re spending on grilling supplies. Now, summer get-togethers can go back to being care free opposed to expensive and burdensome on your budget.