How to host a College Football Championship party on a budget

So, you’re hosting a College Football Championship party Monday night.

A noble endeavor – you were surely voted “most likely to be carried away on a blanket of school spirit” by your friends. And that’s great! You’re probably ready to deck everything out in red and black (Go Dawgs!) or in crimson and white (Roll Tide!) and really get the team pride going.

But take a timeout and a little time to huddle with your budget, first. You don’t need to spend half your life savings on hosting this one-night party.

Check out these Pinterest-worthy tips for hosting a supreme College Football Championship party on a budget.

1. Make it a potluck. Even the junk food associated with football can be expensive to order in large quantities. Ordering 30 wings from Taco Mac, for instance, costs about $30 – and won’t give your guests a wide variety of munchies. Instead, ask each guest to bring a dish to share. Get anywhere from 5 to 10 guests, and you’ll have a feast! (P.S. – you can make your own dish to share, too. If you’re still stuck on wings, try these “7 Healther Wing Recipes for Game Day” from Greatist.)
2. Don’t provide top-shelf booze. Most football-centered parties tend to involve drinking, but don’t feel obligated to dig deep into your wine cellar. You don’t need a vintage red to pair with hot dogs and wings. Instead, try some of Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw Wines (affectionately referred to as Two Buck Chuck). Give beer drinkers something cheap, but drinkable. Try Pabst Blue Ribbon. It ranked high on VinePair’s “11 Cheap American Beers Ranked from Awful to Drinkable.” (PSA: Avoid Natty Light. VinePair ranked it the most awful of America’s affordable beers.)
3. Use what you’ve got for décor. If you’re hosting the gameday party, chances are you’re a fan of one of the two fine teams playing Monday evening. You likely have pompoms, jersies and posters left over from your college days or past games. Use those to decorate and skip trips to the store to buy marked-up memorabilia. If you’re desperate for more, check out Pinterest for some DIY ideas.
4. Nobody needs expensive party favors. Your guests likely scooped up all the UGA or ‘Bama swag they could ever need back in college. There’s really no need to provide party favors to celebrate the College Football Championship. But if you want something cute for your guests to take home with them, try making some DIY favors. The blog Everyday Party Mag suggests tying packets of peanuts to glass bottles of Coke with decorative ribbon to create the iconic Southern peanuts and Coca-Cola. She even included free Georgia and Alabama printables that can be used to decorate the favors.
5. Hosting a party can become stressful, but YOUR TEAM IS IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS. That’s already exciting enough, so it’s totally acceptable for your party to be a low-key affair. Just pop that Two Buck Chuck, chow down on some of your besties famous mac and cheese and let the rivalry commence! Go Dawgs! And Roll Tide!