How to have a dirt-cheap BBQ!

by Jane Baker on 18 August 2009  |  20 comments
Tweet

This coming bank holiday weekend could be your last chance to have a BBQ this summer. Here's how to make sure it's easy on your pocket.

A good old British BBQ is a great way to socialise with friends and family while the weather is still just about passable!

But the trouble is, unless you keep an eye on your budget the costs can easily spiral way out of control - especially if you have invited a small army of guests.

So, to keep your spending under control, take a look at my tops tips on how to have a frugal BBQ while the sun is still shining...

Something to cook on

Technically, you don't need a BBQ to have a BBQ party. But if you ask me, cooking everything in your kitchen is nothing short of cheating and not really a BBQ at all!

So let's say you need a BBQ. Of course, you could spend an absolute fortune buying a very fancy barbecue oven indeed, but it's by no means a necessity. If you don't already own one, it definitely won't cost you an arm and a leg if you shop smart.

For a budget option, get yourself down to Lidl where you can pick up this great 35cm Round Barbecue for a bargain basement price of just £4.88. And don't forget to chuck some Barbecue Charcoal Briquettes in your trolley too at £2.99 for a 5kg bag.

If you're having a small BBQ for just you and your partner or a friend, you can pick up this disposable Bar-Be-Quick Instant Barbecue including lumpwood charcoal for £2 from Argos.

Food & drink

Now onto the good bit: the food and drink. You really need to avoid shelling out on expensive items for your BBQ. This is where the costs can really start to pile up. Don't forget, it's fine to ask your good friends and family to provide a little something on the day too.

I'm going to show you how to serve up a perfectly acceptable BBQ meal at a knock down price. On my typical shopping list for 8 guests I have:

• 16 beef burgers (2 x 8 pack)
• 8 thick sausages
• 24 white bread buns (2 x 12 pack)
• Cheese slices (2 x 10 pack)
• Ketchup (340g)
• Salad (370g)
• Loose tomatoes (500g)
• Coleslaw (500g)
• 2.5 litres coca cola (2 x 1.25 litres)
• 2 litres lemonade
• 40 small bottles of lager (4 x 10 250ml bottles)
• And ask your generous guests to kindly donate desserts and extra drinks as required!

By comparing prices online at four leading supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Ocado (Waitrose online) - using mysupermarket.com, my shopping list is cheapest at Asda where it comes in at a grand total of £20.14.

None of the items shown above are part of Asda's Smartprice budget range. The list includes Asda Beef Burgers (2 x 8 pack) at £2 and 8 Thick Pork Sausages for just 50p. But by far the biggest expenditure is four crates of Asda French lager at £2.20 each for 10 x 250ml bottles.

If you're on economy drive, you can reduce the overall cost of the shopping list by exchanging all the items for Smartprice budget goods. This would cut your BBQ food bill down to £15.94 including items such as Asda Smartprice 8 Economy Beef Burgers at just 79p per pack or Asda Smartprice Coleslaw at a measly 20p for 250g.

But if like your burgers a bit more beefy (and lightly seasoned with bay, thyme, rosemary and a hint of spice!) try these Quarter Pounders From Asda at 10 for £4. Or, if you have a lot of people to feed, buy three packs for £10.

And don't forget to cater frugally for any vegetarians too. Try these tasty 5 Cauldron Cumberland Veggie Sausages for £1.

Of course, you may be able to find these items even cheaper at deep-discount supermarkets such as Lidl or Aldi. If you know of any good BBQ food deals at these supermarkets, please share them with other lovemoney.com readers using the comments box below.

Cooking equipment, plates & cutlery

That's the food and drink covered. But what about cooking your food and eating it? There are one or two indispensible items you should pick up first.

All BBQ cooks should have some good value for money equipment. For example, try this Oven Mitt and Apron from Poundland for...you guessed it...£1 each! You might also need a pair of Stainless Steel Barbecue Tongs which you can order today choiceful.com for £2.15. Now there's no excuse not to get flipping those burgers! And a Pack of Three Stainless Steel Serving Spoons from Poundland are a steal at £1 too.

If you're having a fair few guests, you may want to save some time and effort on the washing up by using disposable plates and cutlery. Once again Asda comes up trumps with ASDA Smartprice Mixed White Cutlery (24 pieces) for a tiny 43p. And don't forget 50 Paper Plates for 88p, while 100 ASDA Smartprice 1ply Napkins cost just 43p too. You can also buy 100 ASDA Smartprice Plastic Cups for £1.70, which is probably a few more than you'll need, but you can save some for your next BBQ!

So, now you should be ready for your bargain BBQ. If you don't have a barbecue oven already and no equipment, you could buy all these items and still treat eight guests to an al fresco meal for just over £35 all in! Now all you need to do is make sure you have fun!

More: Frugal Food | Frugal Friday