Hosting 24 people on a $320 budget used to mean three trips to the store and a flat of warm beer. Here’s the fix: three tested menus that scale, with every brand and every price pinned down before the charcoal even lights.
These shopping lists lean on Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Amazon. Pick a menu, send the list to one friend with a truck, and you’ll be sipping a cold one while the grill does the work.
Build a Burger and Hot Dog Bar With Costco and Walmart Staples
Twenty-four guests, one grill, and zero stress starts with a burger-and-dog bar. Grab a 40-count box of Kirkland Signature beef patties from Costco, which runs around $54 in 2026 and keeps everyone fed.
Pick up Oscar Mayer Classic hot dogs (about $18 for a 30-pack at Walmart), King’s Hawaiian or store-brand buns, and two bags of Kraft Singles. Add Heinz ketchup, Hellmann’s mayo, French’s mustard, and Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce.
Total spend sits near $320 and feeds 24 with seconds. Lay it out buffet-style on a folding table and let people build their own.
Skip to Chicken Skewers and Grilled Corn From Trader Joe’s
Want a lighter spread? Marinate 12 pounds of chicken thigh chunks in Lawry’s teriyaki the night before, thread onto bamboo skewers, and grill alongside 30 ears of corn.
Trader Joe’s sells soyaki sauce around $4 and honey mustard around $3.50, which punches up the marinade. Hit Costco for the chicken (~$45 for 12 pounds of thighs) and a local farm stand for corn (about $1 an ear, so $30).
Serve with watermelon cubes, Lay’s classic chips, and lemonade pitchers. Plan on roughly $260 total, and you sidestep the raw-beef liability of a burger bar.
Run a Street Food Night With Tacos and Grilled Skewers
Assemble a build-your-own taco wall and skewer station. Brown 8 pounds of 85/15 ground beef from Walmart (about $30) with Old El Paso taco seasoning (~$2).
Add 4 pounds of sliced Bell & Evans chicken breast for shawarma skewers with McCormick smoked paprika (~$5 at Target). Stock 18 Old El Paso hard taco kits (~$4 each) plus 6 jars of Pace salsa and 3 tubs of Tropicana guacamole.
Build a $35 case of Coca-Cola 20-oz bottles through Amazon and you’re at $290. Best part: kids, vegetarians, and picky eaters can all customize their plate.
Stock the Cooler With Walmart and Amazon Drinks
Hydration matters more than craft beer for 24 people. A 24-pack of Coca-Cola 12-oz cans runs about $9 at Walmart, and a 35-pack of Dasani water is around $7.
For the adults, grab a 30-pack of Bud Light (~$25) or a mixed 24-pack of Michelob Ultra and seltzers from Total Wine. Skip individual glass bottles and stick with cans.
Add two bags of ice (~$5 each) and you’ve got the cooler locked down for under $60.
Use Home Depot Gear to Set Up a Self-Serve Buffet
Skip rented tables. A 6-foot Cosco fold-in-half table from Home Depot is $79 and seats a full buffet line.
Lay down a roll of kraft paper ($12) as the runner, and weigh it down with Mason jars filled with lemons and wildflowers ($18 for 12). Add a $39 Weber portable side table for the grill master and a $25 galvanized trash can from Home Depot for easy cleanup.
You spend around $175 once and reuse the setup every summer after.
Buy the meat two days early, marinate overnight, and prep every side before guests arrive. That single rule turns a backyard cookout into a party.
Mia Carter writes about small-space living and budget home makeovers. She has restyled three rentals and tests most ideas in her own 45 sqm flat.