5 ways to save on your Super Bowl bash

There’s nothing like a killer Super Bowl party. Even if you're playing defense with your budget, you can still host a crowd-pleaser. 

• Bing:Super Bowl predictions

As with most expenses in life, the best way to save is to substitute imagination and creativity for money.

I called up two all-stars in party planning, Dawn Sandomeno and Elizabeth Mascali of PartyBluPrints, to see what they had up their jersey sleeves. Their advice? Keep it simple, but make it memorable.

Check out the tips they offer in this quick interview below, then meet me on the other side for the play-by-play.

According to Dawn and Elizabeth, no matter who’s on your guest list, you can score a winner on a tight budget.

Here's the replay:

• Offer food and drink options appropriate for everyone. For drinks, limit choices to three.
• Make it a team effort. Assign each guest a dish to bring and pass. This shares work and expense.
• Go with Jell-O. It’s inexpensive and you can keep the kids busy making football-themed “jigglers.”

• Let your guests take care of decorations by asking them to wear team jerseys and bring memorabilia. Turn kids into fanatics by providing face paint. 

When it comes to food, you can feed a crowd for very little with fan favorites like nachos, chips, dips, nuts, sandwiches, pizza, chili, hot dogs, wings and barbecue pork (recipe for Lazy Man’s BBQ pork sandwiches).

• Bing:More Super Bowl recipes

Where do you buy this stuff?

• Here's a story about the best deals at warehouse stores.
• Here's a story about the best deals at dollar stores.
• Here's a story about salvage groceries.

If it's a guys-only party, check out these ideas from PartyBluPrints.

If you’re going to serve alcohol, make sure you find rides for your guests. Even if it means stealing keys! Find a taxi with this Web site.

Related reading at Money Talks News:

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