The Super Bowl is upon us, which means it is time to plan out your big Super Bowl shindig. It doesn’t matter what team you’re rooting for as these parties can run you a lot of money if you’re not careful. Luckily, there are a few great ways to keep your party frugal while still making it stand out when compared to your previous parties. So, if you’re ready to embrace the fun, these ten tips will make planning your party so much easier and cheaper. This should allow everyone to have a blast while they’re cheering on their favorite team.
1. Bring Home Concession Stands
One of the costliest aspects of the game is the food you provide your guests with. From takeout to making your own dishes, you’re most likely going to spend more than you would like on the snacks. Instead of going overboard on this aspect of the party, you might consider recreating your favorite concession stand treats. These foods are typically very cheap to make and won’t leave you in the kitchen all day long. One of the easiest and cheapest items to bring to the table are hot dogs. You can cover these in classic condiments or grab some chili and cheese to go with them. If you do this then you also have access to ingredients for nachos and Frito pies. Popcorn is another cheap option that concession stands tend to sell quite a bit of. Apart from that, homemade pretzels, bags of chips, or even fried pickles will help keep your concession stand booming for cheap.
2. Commercial Bingo
If you’re looking to keep your guests busy even when the commercials are on, then you might consider commercial Bingo. Super Bowl commercials are kind of iconic to begin with so you can really have fun with this. Simply make predictions based on the most popular brands and print out Bingo sheets that offers a lot of variety. Guests can mark the commercials they get in hopes of winning a prize. Prizes don’t have to be crazy either, as you can stick with just candy or something else simple. This will help keep everyone busy during break times too, so you don’t have to worry about any chaos ensuing when the game is on break.
3. Keep Water on Hand
One of the most important things you can do during a Super Bowl party is keep water on hand. In most cases, people will be drinking, but water is going to help you hydrate everyone that is feeling rough. If you have a water filtration system, then you might want to start there. Try filling a container with ice and water, so it will make people feel like they’re watching from the sidelines. With the cold water available people might also stop to hydrate when they get overheated over calls happening in the game. Of course, water can also prevent your guests from overeating, which will help save you even more money.
4. Make Bets
Bets are simply part of the game. However, if you don’t want to lose any money on your bets then tell everyone to leave the money at home. Instead, you might bet on clean up tasks. For instance, if a person loses big then they have to do the dishes from the party. If a person wins then they get extra points added to the score of a party game. There are lots of ways you can make betting more fun, without forcing you to lose out on any money. This might become a preferred way of betting too, especially if your guests are on a budget but still want to participate in some of the traditional fun of game day.
5. Paper Football
If you’re stuck inside or simply want something to do during commercial breaks or half time, then a paper football match might be the right move. You might start out the competition by having everyone make a paper football. Then, the best football wins and gets to pick the first competitor. This can start off the game on a competitive streak, which might make it a lot more fun for everyone involved. If you really want to get into the paper football match, then you can even set up a little stadium for very little. This might make your guests want to come over for paper football matches more often, so you won’t have to worry about entertainment as much.
6. Football Trivia
Another good way to have some fun is to bring some trivia into the mix. Your best option is to stick with a football theme, but there are tons of questions you can add to ensure it will be fun for everyone. If you want to make things especially hard, you might consider just doing Super Bowl trivia, as this really hones in the questions and will make your guests think. Trivia is also a great game because it can be picked up and put down on breaks, which will ensure no one misses a second of the game. You might even offer prizes to add incentive to the game.
7. Half Time Karaoke
If your group is more boisterous then bringing out the karaoke machine might be a wise choice. You can easily surf through a list of past performers to get songs that will make the football theme shine. You might even get lucky and find a few songs from past players, if you dig deep enough. When the half time show arrives, simply hook up the machine and let everyone have a turn. You might even give bonus points to those that can recreate some of the dances performed, too. If the game is a hit, then you might find your guests will even want to embrace the karaoke spirit after the game is over.
8. Drinking Games
Generally, there is some sort of drinking at a football game. So, if most of your guests are of age, then you might consider hosting some drinking games to keep things interesting. There are lots of fun ideas to this to. For instance, you can start with the commercials. If a commercial uses a certain phrase or motive, then the person has to drink. You can also choose specific commercials, like soda, to add to the mix. Of course, if you really want to get the game going then you might add behaviors to the mix. For instance, if a coach screams at a referee then you drink. There are lots of fun options for this, so embrace it. You can even download drinking games online if you don’t want to come up with your own options. This can make things faster and easier or will allow guests to vote on which they want to play.
9. BYOB
Apart from food, beverages tend to be on the higher end of the budget when you’re planning a Super Bowl party. One of the best ways to ditch this problem is to have people bring their own drinks. This will allow you to concentrate more on other areas of the party. Of course, it might be hard to facilitate a wide variety of drinks coming into the kitchen. If you’re looking at problems keeping everything cold, then you might ask guests to contribute money to put towards a keg. This will allow you to have one item to keep chilled instead of many. Any extra money can then go on sodas and other drinks that people might want during the party.
10. Throw Around the Ball
It is pretty easy to get worked up over football, especially if you have people rooting for different teams. So, one of the best ways to help everyone work out their tensions is to throw the ball around outside. You might consider having people throw the ball around before the game, during half time, and after the game. Of course, people can pop in and out to play if they lose interest in the game. This will allow everyone to have a little space while staying entertained. Plus, it is a great way to entertain the kids that might not be interested in watching the game to begin with.
Super Bowl parties can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re cheering on your favorite team. These ten tips will allow you to embrace the party without spending a fortune on everything needed to keep the guests busy. With any luck, you’ll come in under budget while ensuring everyone still has a blast at your grand event.
