Event Planning
Budget Your Event Menu
Imagine this: You’ve graduated from college, are living in an apartment in a new city, and want to host some of your new friends for a meal. You’ll choose from one of these event options:
Option A: A dinner party for four
Option B: A weekend BBQ for eight
Option C: A Super Bowl party for twelve
Your task: Once you’ve chosen your event, you need to plan a menu you’ll prepare for the meal. You’ll then create a list of all the expenses to create your meal. Your goal is to create a delicious menu that won’t break the bank. You should keep in mind that the US average food cost for a month in May 2018 ranged from $164 for a single woman on the thriftiest of plans to $368 for a single man on the most expensive plan.
The rules:
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You can have the meal catered but you must make at least one dish yourself.
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For dishes you’re creating, you must have a recipe. It can be from an outside source or made up yourself.
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You can assume your pantry includes basic staples -- any herbs or spices you need, cooking oil, eggs, milk, rice, flour and other baking needs, and drinking water. Everything else, you should plan on buying specially for your event.
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You must include a beverage for your meal.
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No ordering pizza!
Part I: Create an invite
Create a cover page invite to your event. It should provide the date, time, and details (including menu) for your event.
Part II: Provide the recipes
For any dishes you’re preparing yourself, provide the recipes you’ll be following. This allows us to see which groceries you’ll need to buy.
Part III: Complete the expense report -
Complete this Event Menu Expense Report,. Each column is described below:
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Item: The ingredient (ex: 2 pounds beef, 4 eggs, 5 green peppers, 2 trays chicken wings)
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Store: The grocery store, market, or restaurant where you’re buying the item
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Unit price: The cost of buying the item in whatever quantity it’s available at the store you’ve chosen (ex: 3.99 per pound, $2.50 per dozen, $1.50 per pepper, $17.99/tray)
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Total cost: The cost of the item as called for in your recipe (ex: $7.98 for the beef, $0.83 for 4 eggs, $ 7.50 for 5 peppers, $35.98 for two trays)
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Cost per person: Total cost of the item divided by the number of people you’re serving
Note: To find unit prices, you can visit your local grocery store, pretend shop online, use restaurant menus (if you’re ordering food), etc. You CANNOT just make-up prices for the items.
Once you’ve got everything entered into your expense report, use the spreadsheet and some formulas find the Total Cost for all of your groceries, and your Total Cost Per Person.