This is a guest post written by Matt Rawlings
BBQ on a Budget
Feeding the whole family can be a costly process, especially if you have a large
extended family all coming over for a meal in the sunshine. One of the easiest
ways of cooking for a lot of people is to go for a barbecue – and why wouldn’t
you? A barbecue is epic! But a lot of the ingredients are expensive at times,
particularly in peak summer when the products are in high demand because
stores don’t have to put them on offer.
For that reason it is important than you don’t go spending too much money –
times are hard after all. Sometimes the host already has significant amounts of
food perfect for the occasion, but they still go off and buy more. Looking out
for offers and taking advantage of fresh vegetables and items already in the
cupboard or freezer are great ways of bringing costs down.
If you have a gas BBQ then your first port of call is to ensure that you have
enough gas. You don’t want to invite everyone round for dinner and buy all the
food and drink only to discover you have no way of cooking it! Most DIY stores
and even some petrol stations supply gas suitable for barbecuing and even offer
re-fills with your existing bottle.
In most freezers and cupboards you are likely to find something you bought a
while ago that is still in date and perfectly adequate for a barbecue. Whether it’s
a vegetable or meat product, as long as it’s in date then you can save money by
using it. After all, you’ve already paid for it, so don’t pay any more than you need
to.
Heading down to the shop for your food presents a number of real issues. How
much do you buy, is there a vegetarian guest, do you have enough sauce, how
many buns do you get, there are so many questions to ask yourself. Attempting
to keep it to budget sounds easy on paper, but it’s quite difficult in practice.
The first tip is to look for any offers in store. If you can take advantage of buy
one, get one free deals or three for the price of two offers then you’re on your
way. Many burgers and sausages in particular are regularly on offer around
summer time, and are relatively cheap too, especially in comparison to the more
fancy alternatives. A good old traditional burger or banger will be just as tasty
as the new kids on the block if cooked right. The same can be said for buns and
rolls, keep your eyes peeled for any offers on multipacks rather than individuals.
Another great way of hosting a barbecue on a budget is to get your guests to
bring a dish each. With your friends or family bringing a side dish or dessert, you
only pay out on the main course, leaving them to prepare the salads, relishes and
so on.
This guest post was written by Matt Rawlings, a food blogger working on
behalf of The Gas BBQ Company. Matt has written across a variety of food
topics from great barbecue tips to growing your own vegetables.