I have a confession: I know nothing about football. As in, nothing. At all. Sure, I know what a touchdown is, but that’s about it. Field goal? Huh? Running back? Which one’s he? So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that I don’t even know who’s playing in the big game next weekend. (I know, I know…go easy on me!)

But don’t worry – I do know the single most important thing about football. And that is: Super Bowl Sunday means Super Bowl PARTY! My dad throws one every year, and although I don’t care about the game, you bet I’m there for the food and entertainment! Think you’re too broke to throw one? Think again. Here’s my advice for throwing a fun, frugal Super Bowl party.

• Don’t waste a bunch of money on decorations for each team, especially since it could be years before you use them again. Instead, pick up some plates, cups, napkins, and maybe some balloons and streamers in team colors at the dollar store. That way you don’t end up with a bunch of leftover décor for a team you don’t care about – if you buy basic team colors, it’s easy to reuse the décor down the road for a birthday party or another celebration. Plus, this is WAY cheaper.
• I always suggest this for parties: make it a pot luck. Ask everyone to bring their favorite game day dish. You’ll end up with a bunch of tasty snacks, from jalapeno poppers to buffalo chicken dip, and you won’t have to spend much money. To make things more interesting, turn it into a contest. Have guests vote on the best tasting dish or the most creatively named one (for example, a few years ago we had Roethlisbergers at our party).
• Provide the non-alcoholic beverages, but ask guests to bring their own alcohol if they wish. You could make punch in the color of your favorite team, or pick up some generic sodas. (Some people don’t like store-brand sodas, but I think they taste about the same. Look for coupons if you’re a name-brand-only person!) Bottom line: if you volunteer to provide the alcohol, you’ll be spending a fortune, so let guests bring whatever they’ll drink themselves.
• If you’re providing the main dish, try a slow cooker recipe like chili. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive, you can feed a whole group of people easily, and it’ll stay hot all night so people can eat as they please. Plus, all you have to do is dump in the ingredients and the crock pot will do the rest!
• You want everyone to be comfortable viewing the game, but what if you don’t have a big screen TV? No worries. Something we’ve done in the past is bring in another TV from another room and temporarily set it up on the other side of the room where we’re watching the game. Not enough seating? Ask friends to bring a folding chair, and everyone can sit wherever they’d like at either TV.

I may not ever remember which team won (or even which teams were playing) each year, but I definitely won’t forget the party. Throw a cheap Super Bowl party with my tips, and your guests will be begging to come back to watch the game with you again next year!

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This article was syndicated and originally appeared on the CESI Debt Solutions website.