If you're one of the millions of Americans hosting a party for the big game on Sunday, you may want to implement a cover charge.

Browsing a shopping center in Brick for the usual food and drink suspects of a Super Bowl shindig, the total tab amounted to more than $150 for a party of 10.

But about a third of that total could be shaved off with some simple changes to your menu.

For starters, skip the big name brands as you shop for snacks such as chips, dip and salsa. Opting with the store brand, for example, could save you as much as $2 per bag.

The same tip applies to soda, but the savings aren't as large.

Plan to serve chicken wings? On a supermarket's catering menu, a tray of wings for up to 10 guests cost $34.99. But elsewhere in the store, there were plenty of heat-and-eat options for nearly the same amount of food. Wings prepared and bagged by the store itself cost just $9.99.

Delis and grocery stores also offer extra-large sandwiches for parties. But a three-foot sub could cost you as much as $50. Going with smaller subs from the counter, even as many as five, could save you some dough (pun intended).

"Deluxe large" frozen pizzas were spotted in the supermarket's freezer section at just $5.99 each - about half of what you'd pay for a large pie at your local pizzeria.

Putting all these tips together, our cheaper-menu route ended with a grand total of $101.43.

As for beer, there's not much wiggle room in terms of price. At a number of liquor stores, 30-packs of beer for all the major brands rang up at about $21.99. We also factored in a package of frozen cookie dough at $2.99 for dessert.

According to the National Retail Federation, American consumers will spend more than $14 billion ahead of the Falcons-Patriots game. The survey found 45 million people will be hosting a party on Sunday.

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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