Inexpensive snack ideas for b-day party

[disney*mom*82]

my dd is turning 12 years old and DH decided to book the local (and completely refurbished!) YMCA for her. They do not limit the amount of ppl invited, so we told her she can invite 80-100 ppl plus family and family friends. Im not expecting that many to show up, but thinking maybe 50-65 ppl. It is on a Friday night 8-10pm and they will be able to swim, play basketball, volleyball and dodgeball.

DH thought we would order pizza and cake, etc. I say no. I think we are spending plenty on renting the YMCA, I think we should just have snacks and finger foods. Havent decided on a cake or not.

What are some ideas you may have for some snacks to set out? We will purchase bottles or water and 2 ltrs of soda to drink. I would like to have snacks set out the whole time so they can snack as much or little as they want and dont really want anything that needs to be kept hot or cold.

Anybody?

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Are you a Sam's or Costco member? I would get a couple sheet cakes from there (they are quite inexpensive and they can be cut in small pieces. I believe at Costco you can get the style with the cut lines already on it as part of the design and there are 48 slices of cake) as well as some big bags of snacks (chips, candy, etc.) I also would provide some sort of beverage, especially since the kids will be running around. Liters of soda/jugs of juice would likely be most cost effective.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Also, the party does not start until 8pm, so the kids SHOULD have eaten dinner. That would be my justification for not having pizza.

 

[semo233]

The cheapest snack you will ever find is popcorn....not microwave, no pre-popped, but the bag of popcorn kernels. If you do not have an airpopper, look at your local Goodwill, borrow one or get an Anchor Hocking microwave bowl. It takes some time and you will need something to put it all in. I think I used plastic kitchen garbage bags once it cooled...not pretty, but it worked. Please pop the day of the party. Salt and butter to your own taste.

Since it is a party, some large sheet cakes would also be appropriate and cost effective.

If you have access to some large jugs, iced tea and lemonade from mix is also very cheap.

 

[stsomewhere]

Go to Sams CLub, get a large box of nachos and a can of cheese. Should be about $12 for both.

 

[daisyduck123]

The cheapest snack you will ever find is popcorn....

I honestly would never have popcorn as a snack for a party this size. It makes such a mess.

Even though you may not be required to clean up the party room, think of the person that will be stuck doing that. It will be a HUGE mess. (One note....my DS had a pool party at an indoor waterpark & we were required to do clean up when the party was over).

I don't even allow it in my 1st grade classroom during our Halloween or Valentine's Day parties. One of my students keeps bringing a baggie of it in for his daily snack & you would not believe the mess from just ONE KID eating popcorn.

I would go with pretzels.

Btw...I can't imagine having a birthday party for a 12yo without a birthday cake or cupcakes. I would try to fit that in the budget.

 

[disney*mom*82]

Thanks for the ideas so far. DD has 4 travel basketball games this weekend, all of which are by a Sams, so we will take a trip to the Sams during breaks!
Some of the things she wants so far are:

1. Chex mix
2. Potato Chips
3. Puppy Chow
4. Pretzels

Im thinking we will get some large bowls to fill with snacks. Im sure Ill do the above items. I can do a few large batches of puppy chow since I actually have that day of work off!

Should there be candy? Gummy bears, M & Ms, nuts? Anyhting else?

I know this is a budget boards, Im not super worried about budget, DH was asked to work a night a few nights at his old job which will easily bring in over $125 per night. This is our fun money, so no biggie.

I will probably order a few sheet cakes from our cake lady, she is very reasonably priced.

Will do soda, water and maybe some lemonade too for drinks.

IDK about popcorn you guys got me 2nd guessing that one

 

[McKelly]

How about cheese and sausage? More expensive, but it's low carb if there are some kids that need to watch that... Or veggies and dip, my DD is 12 and her friends really like raw veggies with dip, carrots and cucumbers being the most popular.

 

[of2dbeach]

I would do things that arent messy like the pretzel idea,chips,chex mix would work too. nothing like cheese balls because to messy.koolaid is pretty cheap so is lemonaid.you could get a sheetcake to give you an idea a 1/2 feeds about 50 people.you could also do cookies think in bulk. we did a cupcake party where the kids decorated there own but with that many people I would think that could get messy in a hurry.ice pops could be a sub for the cake but I would make them eat it outside.

 

[disney*mom*82]

I usually do veggies and dip but Im trying to avoid anything that needs to be kept cold.

I dont want the kids to take too much time eating, I want them to be able to swim, play basketball, volleyball or dodgeball more than I want them to eat. KWIM?

Ill probably do a cake, will have to make a call tomorrow. Probably will do a 1/2 sheet cake and cut small and also do the puppy chow and maybe some cookies or brownies.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Go to Sams CLub, get a large box of nachos and a can of cheese. Should be about $12 for both.

I 2nd the nachos. DD parties we always have nachos and the main food like grinders, chicken, pizza etc for about 40-60 people. Nachos arent expensive. We buy the big bag of tortilla chips at sam's or costco ($3-$4) and large can of nacho cheese ($10) Buy the small bowls in the paper plate section at walmart.
Optional jar of jalapenos-yum!

 

[Janepod]

A couple of bowls of grapes. We had a party over the weekend and I was shocked how fast the grapes went. Inexpensive and no prep work (bonus!)

Enjoy your party!

 

[Southernmiss]

Thanks for the ideas so far. DD has 4 travel basketball games this weekend, all of which are by a Sams, so we will take a trip to the Sams during breaks!
Some of the things she wants so far are:

1. Chex mix
2. Potato Chips
3. Puppy Chow
4. Pretzels

Im thinking we will get some large bowls to fill with snacks. Im sure Ill do the above items. I can do a few large batches of puppy chow since I actually have that day of work off!

Should there be candy? Gummy bears, M & Ms, nuts? Anyhting else?

I know this is a budget boards, Im not super worried about budget, DH was asked to work a night a few nights at his old job which will easily bring in over $125 per night. This is our fun money, so no biggie.

I will probably order a few sheet cakes from our cake lady, she is very reasonably priced.

Will do soda, water and maybe some lemonade too for drinks.

IDK about popcorn you guys got me 2nd guessing that one

You might want to go ahead and check on the price of pizza and specials at your favorite place. These snacks for 50-65 people may add up. I know when I have tried to cut back on snacks for bday parties I wind up spending as much on a bunch of little snacks as I would on just pizza or sandwiches, cake and ice cream.

It is a 12 year old's party after all. I just feel like a bit more substance is necessary even at 8 to 10 p.m. with all of the activities offered.

 

[dreamin_disney]

or chips and hotdogs simple. Keep them warm in a crockpot. kids playing around and sticking their hands in big snack bowls

12 yr olds running around, playing sports or in the pool will work up and appetite even if they already had dinner so i would do

nachos, hot dogs, or pizza

 

[DrPierreMcDuck]

You might want to go ahead and check on the price of pizza and specials at your favorite place. These snacks for 50-65 people may add up.

I agree that it is worth looking into the price of pizza at your fave pizzeria. Tell them it's for a large party. You can usually get a huge discount when ordering a ton of pizza at one time.

 

[mfd25wife]

If you have a Little Caesar's, they have large one topping pizzas for $5.

 

[Southernmiss]

I also like the nachos, hotdogs idea or finger sandwiches--pbj, lunchmeat.

Or what about "walking tacos" with doritos/fritos and a can of chili in the crockpot?

 

[disney*mom*82]

Thank you again for the ideas. I am going to refrain from pizza, it is hard to keep warm, cheapest pizza around is probably 2 large 1 toppings for $16, not knowing how many to expect would also make it hard to order.

I plan to put utensils with the snack items, so hope that no one goes sticking their paws in the bowls. I think that since they will probably eat at home first, they dont need much food while they are running around or swimming.

Ill stick with snack items. Not real sure if we will do cake or no. Ide like to keep food under $100, already bought 2 liters cheap, so not worried about the drinks.