Cheap Appetizers For A Party: A $10 Appetizer Spread

My friend Jill threw a fabulous wine tasting party this weekend. It was the perfect kick-off for fall, a gathering of friends, great food, and an impressive selection of wines.

Now I don’t know a lot about wine, but I do know a thing or two about preparing food on the cheap.

I wanted to challenge myself to do a super-cheap appetizer platter that tasted great – and cost less than $10.

What did I learn?

Appetizers and party food don’t have to cost a lot of money. It’s entirely possible to feed a group of people on a very limited budget.

If you’re throwing a party – or are asked to bring appetizers to a gathering – try putting together a platter of food using the suggestions below.

Cheap Appetizers For a Party: The Method

I had to shop around, visiting several grocery stores to score the best deals. ALDI, in my opinion, was the best store for finding cheap groceries:

• Salami: A huge package of Genoa salami (perfect on an appetizer platter with crackers and crostini) was $2.79. I only used half, so I can use the rest to make sandwiches later in the week.
• Cheese: I also got a super cheap and quite tasty package of spreadable cheese from ALDI. A package of six cheese wedges cost $1.29.

By far, the best deal on the cheap appetizer platter was the homemade crackers. I really can’t think of a better value for your money than this recipe. A huge batch of crackers costs about 50 cents to make. I even had money left over to buy some fancy olives from the grocery store olive bar!

The Cost

Here’s what I paid for each item:

• Half a package of Genoa salami from ALDI – $1.40
• Four spreadable cheese wedges (cut in half to make eight) from ALDI – $.88
• About 2/3 package of pepper jack cheese from Walmart – $1.60
• Wasabi peas, bought in bulk from the grocery store – $.75
• Two olive baguettes from Rustica, toasted to make crostini – $1.50
• One cup of spicy spiced almonds – $1.70
• One huge batch of homemade crackers – $.50
• Olives from the grocery store deli – $1.60

All for a grand total of $9.98!

For those who are interested, two of the favorite wines of the night were Apothetic Red 2010 and Risata Moscato d’Asti.

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The $10 Cheese Plate

Check out my other post on creating a cheese plate for less than $10.

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How To Create a Charcuterie Board On a Budget

Don’t overspend when you can create a killer appetizer board for less!

30-Second Appetizers

Is it possible to make an appetizer in less than a minute? YES!

Here are several easy appetizer recipes that take about 30 seconds to make each.