How to Build a Beautiful Charcuterie Board on a Budget

Charcuterie boards are so popular and trending right now, and for a good reason! If you're ready to create one on your own, there are ways to build a charcuterie board on a budget. These simple tips will give you a board full of great food while staying within your allotted food budget as well. It might look like an expensive appetizer to serve, but that doesn't mean that it has to be!

Here are some simple tips on ways to create a charcuterie board for a low price.

How to Build a Beautiful Charcuterie Board on a Budget

Start with the Board

I have a few different boards that make great charcuterie platters. 

These are a few of my favorites:

Serving Tray with Sides

Large Round

Long Picnic Plank

Small Round

Buy in bulk

Since you're going to be creating quite a significant amount of food, head to the bulk store and buy the meats and cheeses in bulk. This is a super simple way to get a better price quickly rather than buying at a smaller grocery store and paying per pound.

Include cheaper food options

Everyone knows that the biggest and most expensive food items on the board are going to be the meat and cheese, so think outside the box of other items that you can include on it that are delicious and affordable.

Items like crackers, olives, pickles, and even chopped veggies can be a great way to spruce up the look of the board while adding great flavors. Cutting down on the expensive items that you use by filling the space with more affordable items will offer more flavors and taste, which is a plus!

Don't forget to shop at your local discount grocery store. I often find lots of high-quality meats and cheeses at our local Grocery Outlet. 

Check out this post: Eight Items I Always Shop First at Grocery Outlet

Try different themes of charcuterie boards

Meat and cheese boards are great, but there are cheaper and less expensive options out there. Some other fun ideas could include:

Breakfast boards - Line a board with pancakes, sausage, fresh berries, or yogurt and topping ideas well.

Gameday boards - This would be a super fun theme to have during any sporting event. Think tailgate foods like chips, dip, sliced veggies; you name it.

Taco board - Everyone loves tacos, and they're a super fun way to have a ton of flavors and topping ideas for a really affordable price.

There are so many fun themes that you can try for your charcuterie board that can really make it fun, unique, and inexpensive.

Shop the sale ads

Check the local sale ads at the stores for the week and find out what items are going to be the most affordable. Use those items to create your shopping list for the creation of your charcuterie board. Each week, there is typically some type of meat and cheese on sale, so this could be the perfect way to get a big discount on some of the items you were going to be using anyway.

You can even buy ahead. Most cheese and meats you'll be using will last in your fridge for a few weeks and crackers, olives, and pickled items or jams will keep fresh for months in your pantry.

Buy generic versus name brand products

Shopping at stores that carry their own labels can save a ton of money! Instead of spending twice the price for a certain brand, be open to trying lesser-known brands instead. You just may find some new favorite foods that are less than half the cost.

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These simple tips are easy ways to lower the cost of creating a charcuterie board. With a little bit of planning, you can easily create a delicious board for a fraction of the cost. 

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