photo credit: thebusybrain

Half the fun of summertime is cooking outside for your friends and family. After months of hunkering down in your house to avoid bad weather, the relaxed atmosphere of grill-side eating is the perfect way to spend an evening. Unfortunately, grilling out can be expensive if you aren’t careful. Try one of these easy ways to save while enjoying a cookout.

Be open to more than steaks for dinner. Hamburgers and hot dogs have long been a vital part of cooking on the grill. However, if you had healthier thoughts in mind, chicken is always a cost-effective meat choice. Being flexible will allow you to shop for a great price, as well as a great taste.

Shop ahead of time. If you plan ahead, you can take advantage of sale prices at your local grocery store or wholesale club. Freeze meats that won’t be used right away. Other items like ketchup and relish will keep nicely in your pantry as long as you don’t open them until they’re needed.

Don’t forget to gather supplies for your grill, too. Whether your grill uses gas or charcoal, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty on hand for the big day. Last minute shopping doesn’t leave a lot of room to comparison shop.

Save money on bread products and dessert cakes by visiting a bakery outlet. The products found here are on the very edge of their usage dates, so they’re very cheap. This is one time, however, when you shouldn’t shop way in advance.

Recruit help for big get-togethers. Having a massive Fourth of July or Memorial Day party is a blast, but the expensive of feeding all of those people may be overwhelming for one family to shoulder alone. Ask everyone to bring something to lighten the burden. Take care to be specific when you’re making your assignments; you don’t want to end up with four potato salads and no dessert.

Forget expensive marinades or rubs. Instead, borrow a book or two from the library and make your own. The best part of this tip is that you get to tweak the recipes to suit your family’s tastes and save money at the same time.

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