The No-Effort, $40 Walmart Food Palooza for 6

I’m a sucker for appealing homemade food recipes, especially those of the appetizer and comfort food varieties. Bonus points if the author creates an aesthetically pleasing article, complete with attention-grabbing, mouthwatering photos. It makes me want to plan a party, invite all my friends, fill my kitchen with delectable homemade creations, and turn on the 65-inch flat screen my fiancé insisted was a household necessity.

The problem? We both work 60+ hours a week. I’m lucky if I can even find enough energy at the end of the day to pull a cork out of a wine bottle. However, I still like having friends over, eating great food, and good old-fashioned entertainment as much as the next person. Unfortunately, hosting usually comes with a price tag and large time-commitment. So what’s a busy, broke girl to do? Walmart, baby! I’ll explain.

I grew up in a family full of stay-at-home-moms who were also excellent cooks. If Betty Crocker had been a real person, these women are her reincarnation. As a result, I tend to be a slight food critic, especially when it comes to home-style comfort food. I then spent the first 4 years of my adult life drastically below the poverty line, in school, and working 3 jobs. I learned very quickly how to turn a few bucks at Walmart into a low-cost, low-effort spread of crowd-pleasing, comfort party food for myself and even a few friends.

When I say low effort, I mean almost 0 effort, because nothing we’re making today will be from scratch, but it will be JUST as delicious. I promise. With $40, a little dishware, and some method of baking (oven, air fryer, deep fryer, or toaster oven), you’ll be in business - frugal, yet amazingly delicious, keep-your-friends-coming-back kinda business.

Game-day (or any kind of hang-out day) food is all about variety. Chips, dips, finger foods, fried foods, baked foods, drinks, and anything else that sounds delicious, especially when hungover. Today, we’ll put together a Game-Day spread that’ll easily feed 6 people for just $40. Honestly, it could probably feed 8, but I make all my food plans around the bottomless pit that is my fiancé’s stomach.

For Chips:

One 13-oz bag of Great Value Lightly Salted Thin & Crispy Cantina Style Tortilla Chips for $1.74.

• They may be Great Value brand, but the lightly salted variety gives the illusion of restaurant-style brand-name chips.

• If you put them in a big bowl, no one will have a clue they’re the cheap kind, especially with the dips we’re providing.

One 9.5 oz box of Keebler Town House Pita Crackers, Sea salt for $2.50.

• I like these almost as much as the Stacey’s brand, but they’re a fraction of the price.

• Putting them in a bowl next to the tortilla chips promotes the illusion of “fancy-ness”

Total Chip Cost: $4.24

For Dips:

One 15.5oz jar of On The Border Montery Jack Queso for $2.96

• Warm this up, put it in a bowl, sprinkle the top with melted cheese of your choice (whatever you have in the fridge) and some black pepper.

One 12oz box of Great Value Spinach, Artichoke, & Gouda Dip for $4.96

• This stuff in HEAVENLY. I can't over-emphasize how delicious this dip is, especially for the price. It tastes homemade. It’s thick, creamy, and full of flavor. Depending on how much your friends agree with me, 2 boxes of this stuff may be warranted.

• This is in the freezer section. It can be warmed up in the oven or microwave. I don’t think there’s any taste difference between those 2 methods, but the oven does lightly caramelize the top if that’s something you prefer.

One 24oz bottle of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing for $3.88

• Who doesn’t love ranch? This is to go with the pita chips and/or carrot sticks.

• Great Value makes cheaper ranch, but most people can tell if you get the cheap stuff.

Total Dip Cost: $11.80

Finger Foods:

One bag of baby carrots for $1.94

• Enjoy by themselves, or with the ranch

One celery stalk for $1.50

• Cut these into halves and spread peanut butter on them! It only takes a minute.

One 16oz container of Great Value Natural No Stir Peanut Butter for $1.60

• Spread this on the celery

One 44oz (family sized) bag of Tyson Any’tisers Boneless Chicken Bites (any flavor you like) for $11.47

• This is the one thing we need to splurge on price-wise. Great Value brand sells decent chicken wings, but they require a lot of time and doctoring, which is what we’re trying to avoid for this Game Day Food Palooza. The Tyson Any’tisers are super easy and delicious.

• These can be made in a deep fryer, air fryer, toasted oven, or regular oven. No work required - just put them on a tray and cook with your method of choice!

Total Finger Food Cost: $16.51

Drinks:

Just get a 24 pack of Dr. Pepper, or other favorite soda brand, for $8.78.

• Everyone loves Dr. Pepper!

• Dr. Pepper is a great base to use with a variety of liquor. You can tell your friends to bring their favorite alcohol of choice, and pull out whatever rum/whiskey/vodka has been sitting in the back of your cabinet for too long.

Total Drink Cost: $8.78

Total Price: $41.33

$40 to host a party, feed your friends, and save your wallet. The total time required to set all of this up is well under half an hour, unless you decide to decorate your whole house in process. You’ll most likely end up with leftovers to save for yourself as well. Now go enjoy the game!