How To Host A Frugal Football Party That’s Actually Fun

And even more fun is all the team T-Shirts, chicken wings, and die-hard spirit.

I think it’s no surprise that 70% of Americans watch NFL Football.

And there’s one commonality among all fans: they love to throw killer football parties!

But if you’re like me, then you also love it when those parties don’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Then you’ll love these football party decorations that won’t cost you a fortune.

Plus, these frugal football party ideas are great to get to kids involved with helping you make them.

And these football party centerpieces are so neat, your guests will love how creative (and frugal) you are!

So, let’s be smart and utilize these simple tips to make you a fabulous football host on a budget.

I spoke about this topic on my Savings Segment on Fox. Watch the replay video here:

Easy, Frugal & Fab Football Party Ideas

Easy & Fun Football Decor

Instead of buying expensive licensed, logo’ed team paper products at the party store, buy the team colors at the dollar store, and get creative with them.

And a simply green tablecloth is perfect to look like a football field!

For the above photos, I took some of our lunch bags and brown cups and added white electrical tape.

Talk about EASY football party ideas!!

DIY Pom-Poms

Twisting two one-dollar rolls of crepe paper in the team’s colors will add a ton of festive feel without much cost at all!

You can even make these adorable pom-poms with only two rolls of crepe paper!

Ra! Ra! Ra! Goooooo Team!

Talk about cheap football party decorations!

DIY Football Goal Post

No Football Party would be complete without a set of Yellow Football Goals!

I made mine using empty cans of Pepsi, a glue gun, and some spray paint!

Check out my step-by-step visual instructions to make your own!

These make for some great football party centerpieces!

Printable Football Party Fun

Print this adorable pattern on regular paper and curl into a cone.

Add some washi tape and you’ve got inexpensive and disposable snack holders!

Don’t Forget The Kids

The highlight of the day is the game, so any football party ideas before or after fun should be simple and not expensive.

Plus, the Super Bowl is a “game” party, so dust off those board games and give them a whirl with the kids who aren’t watching the game.

Or put out a football or Frisbee in the backyard (if you have any hula hoops, there are loads of great outdoor games you can do with them).

No Super Bowl is complete without the commercials!

Print out these adorable Super Bowl Commerical BINGO sheets and everyone will have fun participating.

But don’t’ forget to get a “prize” or this adorable Trophy!

DIY Super Bowl Trophy

And NO Super Bowl would be complete without a TROPHY, right?!

This is a simple square vase and foam football from the dollar store.

Grab some silver spray paint out of your stash and the kids will LOVE it!

They will compete hard to win that bad boy. {see the step by step for how I made this DIY Super Bowl Trophy here}

Football Cup Game

This fun game can also double as a fun table decoration!

My kids love a competitive game of “cups”.

Just use a stopwatch/timer (or simply use your phone) to see who can stack and UNstack the cups in the fastest time. Then beat your time!

Don’t forget my “Mommy of the Year Tip” to stock up on Glow Sticks and use them for games as soon as night falls!

I suggest getting all these decorating items for a buck at the Dollar Store!

Make Easy And Inexpensive “Crowd” Meals

It’s cheaper to cook in bulk. Grab out your crockpot (or two) and put it to good use to make it easy to please a large crowd of football fanatics. When we have loads of company over (whether for a football party or a birthday party) an easy way to feed a crowd with less fuss is to make a “bar” of it.

Two super easy (and cheap) meals are a chili bar and baked potato bar. And if you really want to impress… melt some nacho cheese in a small crockpot too!

Ask your guests to bring their favorite toppings! Both of those meals require about the same types of foods; sour cream, cheese, bacon, chives, heck, you can put the chili right on the baked potatoes. PLUS, both can be made right in the crockpot, so they will stay warm the entire time and you don’t have to worry about manning the grill!

A couple other of our recipe favorites are the ones you can make ahead of time and then just heat up before everyone gets there, such as chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, and pork nachos. Have your friends bring the accompaniments favorite drinks, a bag of chips or their favorite hot sauce for the wings…

Did you know that in just 2 Steps you can make melt-in-your-mouth chicken wings for just pennies (instead of 50 cents each ordering from a restaurant) Start with fresh (or thawed, just not frozen) chicken wings:

(1) Broil for about 5-10 mins on each side to make the skin crispy
(2) Crock Pot them on high for 30 minutes – 1 hour to finish cooking and simmer in your favorite BBQ or buffalo sauce!
That’s easy enough for anyone to do quickly! Add some blue cheese and celery and your mouth and your wallet will both enjoy them!

Lastly, my Peanut Butter Cheeseball Recipe is a super easy and delicious dip to enjoy because it has only 5 ingredients and zero “cooking” time (but you will need to put it in the freezer for 2 hours).

Go Home-Made, Not Pre-Made

Pre-made salads, sandwich platters and appetizer platters are easy, but they are also waaaay more expensive than making them at home. Mark up is at least 100% so, make party trays at home.

Did you know that homemade potato salad is the same price as a bag of chips (and healthier)? One 5 lb bag of potatoes will make 20 large servings of potato salad which is only 25 cents per serving, but chips with dip are 50 cents per serving!

Of course, it is easier to run down the freezer aisle and grab a bag of jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks, but you will not be saving any money this way.

Instead, save yourself some money by making them a couple of days ahead and then heat them up for the big day. Besides, home-cooked always tastes better!

Keep Cool

We always have an issue with running out of ice at parties.

But instead, if you put SOME of your bottles of water in the freezer, then they will keep the others cold and you won’t have to load up on ice. Or, freeze water in other containers.

Gallon Milk jugs freeze just fine and fit right in the corner of a square or rectangular cooler!

Download these fun water bottle tags and use a glue stick to add some fun decorations to your bottles!

Sports parties don’t have to be a financial burden on the hosting family!

Get creative and have fun with it… your guests will love it and so will your wallet!

That’s why you’ll love these football party decorations that won’t cost you a fortune.

Plus, these frugal football party ideas are great to get to kids involved with helping you make them.

And these football party centerpieces are so neat, your guests will love how creative (and frugal) you are!

Your Turn: Comment below with YOUR ideas for throwing a creative, yet inexpensive, football party!

More Fun Articles To Read: