Tips for Planning a Budget-Friendly Barbecue - bbq charcoal on sale

Weekend barbecues may be required for the long summer months to come, but planning cooking on a budget can be a challenge.According to mint.In 2012, Americans spent an average of $550 on meat.Whether you host neighborhood cooking or family dinners, here are several ways to light the grill without burning out your wallet: store frozen food.Keep track of grocery store sales and specials for frozen foods such as chicken and burger meat so you can reserve food for your cooking at a reasonable cost, instead of buying frozen items only when you need them.Have a barbecue.Many guests will be happy to bring a dish to the barbecue, which will help reduce the cost and reduce the burden of preparing food.Maintain the organization by creating the main menu and encourage each guest to register a specific dish to prevent attendees from bringing the same food.Shop at warehouse club.If you decide not to go to the potluck route and want to take full responsibility for the menu, go to warehouse clubs such as Costco or Sam's club for bulk purchases.When you buy it in bulk, everything from burgers, bread to fries and salsa is usually much cheaper.Such savings may increase when you provide food for a large group of people, so consider going to the warehouse club for a few drinks, picnic items, salad mix, meat and dessert.Be smart in decoration.Buy party supplies such as balloons, ribbons and other decorative items in the dollar store or in the dollar section of big-box stores.You can also make your own decorations with some basic craft items.Clip coupons for decorative items at the local craft store and note down any sales at the craft store in your area.Store charcoal.Many big-Box retailers sell charcoal before and after the summer start and July 4 holidays.So store charcoal as early as possible so you don't buy it at a high price for the last purchaseBuy in minutes.Remember to put the charcoal cube in a cool and dry place before the event and store the remaining charcoal for next year.Try new recipes.Try recipes like meat and vegetable kebabs, grilled fish or black bean burgers instead of cooking traditional BBQ items like chicken, burgers and hot dogs.Find out if guests have any dietary restrictions as you would like to provide alternative food for vegetarians or vegetarians.Request RSVPs before a specific date.Whether you're sending an email invitation, setting up a Facebook campaign page or doing something old --By mailing invitations, request a guest response at least a week or two before the event, so you can accurately count how many people you will cook.Guests are also requested to inform you if they plan to bring additional companies to the barbecue.This will help you to buy enough food and supplies for the party and manage your budget better.Prepare a food-Purchase schedule.Pay attention to the shelf life when you have to reserve fresh food such as salad ingredients, fruit and prepared pasta salad.Make sure you don't buy certain perishable items before the event, otherwise they end up being a waste of food.Create a shopping schedule so that these items remain fresh on the day of the barbecue.Buy a grill or borrow a grillAt the end of the summer, you can usually get the best price on the new grill.If you want to throw away cooking earlier in the season, consider buying a used Grill on Craigslist, or ask the neighbors if you can borrow a grill for the event.Learn how to buy barbecue grills and other shopping tips from Sabah Karimi in the shopping comparison blog on WiseBread.com.S. News and World Report 50 ways to improve your financial situation in 2013, can you live without a credit card?