Last Memorial Day, I had 20 people coming over and exactly fifty-three dollars in my “party fund.” My first instinct was to cancel. My second instinct — after staring at my bank account for a while — was to get creative.

I fed everyone. Nobody went hungry. Multiple people asked for recipes. Here is exactly how I did it and what I would do differently.

The Meat Strategy: Go Cheap Cuts, Cook Slow

Ribeye for 20 people would have cost two hundred dollars. Instead, I bought bone-in chicken thighs (ninety-nine cents a pound at my local grocery store) and pork shoulder ($1.49 a pound).

The pork shoulder went in a slow cooker at 7 AM with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. By 3 PM it fell apart when I looked at it. Served on cheap hamburger buns with a bottle of BBQ sauce — pulled pork sandwiches for about 80 cents per person.

The chicken thighs got a simple dry rub and went on the grill. Dark meat is forgiving — you can overcook it slightly and it stays juicy. Chicken breast dries out if you blink. Do not serve chicken breast to a crowd unless you want to babysit the grill all afternoon.

Sides That Cost Almost Nothing

• Coleslaw: One head of cabbage ($1.29), two carrots, mayo, vinegar, sugar. Feeds 12 as a side. Took ten minutes.
• Pasta salad: A box of rotini, a bottle of Italian dressing, whatever vegetables were in my fridge. Feeds 15. Cost about four dollars total.
• Watermelon: One large watermelon, sliced into wedges. Three dollars. Nobody complains about watermelon at a BBQ.
• Chips and salsa: Two big bags of tortilla chips and two jars of salsa. Six dollars. Set them out and forget about them.

The BYO That Saved Me

I put on the invitation: “We will have pulled pork, chicken, and sides. Bring your favorite drink and a dessert to share if you want.” Almost everyone brought something. The dessert table was overflowing — cookies, brownies, a store-bought pie, and someone’s famous banana pudding. I spent zero dollars on dessert.

People like contributing. Do not feel guilty about asking. Most guests are looking for an excuse to bring something anyway.

What I Would Do Differently

I ran out of pulled pork buns. Next time, I am buying 50% more buns than I think I need. They are two dollars a pack — cheap insurance. Also: label the coolers. I had regular soda, diet soda, and water all in identical coolers and people kept opening all three to find what they wanted.

Total spend: $47 and change. Twenty people fed. Zero complaints. My brother-in-law still talks about that pulled pork.