Party Food on a Budget
Feed your guests well without emptying your wallet
The Budget-Friendly Mindset
Throwing a great party doesn't require an expensive caterer. With smart planning, you can feed 20 people for under $100 - that's just $5 per person!
Most Affordable Party Foods (Cost Per Person)
- 🌭 Hot Dogs $1.50-2.50
- 🧀 Nachos $2-3
- 🌮 Tacos (DIY bar) $3-4
- 🍕 Pizza $4-5
- 🍔 Burgers $4-6
- 🍗 Wings $5-8
Budget-Saving Strategies
1. Go DIY Instead of Delivery
Making food yourself saves 40-60% compared to ordering:
- Taco bar: Buy ground beef, shells, and toppings - feeds 20 for ~$50
- Hot dog bar: Bulk hot dogs and buns - feeds 20 for ~$30
- Nacho station: Chips, cheese sauce, toppings - feeds 20 for ~$40
2. Shop Smart
- Buy in bulk: Costco, Sam's Club, or restaurant supply stores
- Store brands: Often 30-40% cheaper than name brands
- Sales and coupons: Plan your menu around what's on sale
- Seasonal produce: In-season veggies are cheaper and tastier
3. Strategic Menu Planning
- Fill up with cheap sides: Chips, bread, and salads are inexpensive fillers
- One main, many sides: Instead of pizza AND wings, do pizza with affordable sides
- Potluck style: Ask guests to bring a dish to share
- Limit drink options: Water, 2 sodas, and maybe lemonade
Sample Budget Menus
Ultra Budget: $3 Per Person (20 people = $60)
- DIY hot dog bar with 3 topping options
- Chips and store-bought dip
- Lemonade and water
- Store-bought cookies for dessert
Moderate Budget: $5 Per Person (20 people = $100)
- DIY taco bar with beef and chicken
- Chips and homemade guacamole
- Soda variety pack
- Sheet cake from grocery store bakery
Comfortable Budget: $8 Per Person (20 people = $160)
Hidden Costs to Watch
- Plates and utensils: Budget $0.50-1 per person for disposables
- Ice: Often forgotten, plan for 1 lb per person (~$10 for 20 people)
- Condiments: Ketchup, mustard, sauces add up
- Delivery fees: Can add 20-30% to food costs
Where to Find Deals
- Pizza: Look for "2 for $X" deals, order pickup not delivery
- Wings: Many restaurants have wing day discounts (often Monday or Tuesday)
- Groceries: Check weekly flyers, use store apps for digital coupons
- Warehouse clubs: Worth it for parties of 20+ people
Calculate Your Budget
Use our calculators to plan your quantities, then shop around for the best prices:
Try Our Calculators
Real Planning Scenario and Tradeoff Signals
Scenario baseline: 40-guest constrained-budget party. Budget-first planning where menu breadth is reduced to protect portion reliability.
Failure Cases Seen in This Scenario
- •Offering too many categories and buying too little of each.
- •Spending heavily on presentation items before locking food quantities.
- •Ignoring price volatility on proteins and leaving no contingency.
Budget Tradeoffs for Better Coverage
- •Prioritize satiety foods first, then allocate remaining budget to variety.
- •Use one premium feature item and hold the rest in value tiers.
- •Switch from single-use minis to tray-based service for lower per-serving cost.
Baseline menu: $280. A +10 guest plan usually lands near $360 (+$80 delta).
Execution Timing Plan
- T-5dPrice-check two stores and freeze baseline cart totals.
- T-2dBuy stable ingredients and lock substitutions.
- T-1dPrep volume sides that hold texture overnight.
- T-2hAssemble hot items in service order by demand priority.
What Changes at +10 Guests
- •Expand high-fill sides before increasing premium proteins.
- •Remove one low-demand specialty item to preserve core portions.
- •Increase beverage concentrate and ice budget before dessert extras.
Planning Intent Cluster Links
Use these hub links to keep this guide connected to calculators, scenarios, and event-specific planning paths.
- Budget Calculator - Test lean vs balanced allocations.
- Scenarios Hub - See constrained-budget execution cases.
- Per-Person Guides - Use serving baselines to cut over-ordering.
- Guides Hub - Jump to adjacent planning guides.
Editorial Change Log
Auto-generated from repository commits. Latest sync: 2026-02-19.
- 2026-02-19 • Improve trust signals, scenarios, and editorial content workflows (e90d416)
Corrections policy: if you spot an error, email contact@feedmyguests.com with the page URL and issue details. Material corrections are logged here after review by the FeedMyGuests Editorial Team.
Event Calculators
Planning a specific event? Try our event-specific calculators:
Editorial Process and Sources
Last reviewed: February 19, 2026
Publisher: FeedMyGuests Editorial Team · Contact: contact@feedmyguests.com
This guide combines budget-oriented calculator outputs with planning heuristics and is reviewed for pricing logic, planning clarity, and internal consistency.
Reference Sources
- USDA FoodData Central Retrieved: February 19, 2026
- FDA Food Safety Guidance Retrieved: February 19, 2026
- USDA FSIS Safe Food Handling Retrieved: February 19, 2026
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