Really cheap really filling snacks

[Waoop]

If you had to provide snacks in a rented home for 4 days for 30 people and wanted them to be really inexpensive what would you choose?

Context: family rental for 4 days in October the cost covered by the invitees.

We have been allocated snacks for 4 days as our contribution and we are trying to disguise that we have a very very small budget. Financially we are really struggling. The exact brief was a 'snack basket for each room'

There are three main meals a day, but from seeing what people are planning for these some are really light. Yogurt and fruits for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. We are in charge of the snacks so expect people maybe hungry.

Looking for really cheap and filling snacks. We have more time than money so we can shop from multiple stores.

What sort of budget should we set aside and what would you recommend?

I would go a bit retro. Terry’s Chocolate Orange, make some mixed bags of sweets that look like pick and mix. Any favorites from when you were young? Penguin bars or Mr Kipling. Tortilla chips and salsa. Fruit.

Home Bargins have there bars in for 19p

Also think one of the supermarkets had the cadburys chocolate pouches like twirl/wispa on offer for 95/98p??

OP is instructed: "a snack basket for each room' and people are suggesting loaves of bread with jam so people can make themselves toast; bringing the ingredients to make waffles or pancakes; veggies/breads/dips; baking cupcakes/brownies; having a cupcake decorating station; hard-boiled eggs; and making popped corn... how would these stay fresh in baskets in bedrooms? Not to mention the jacket potatoes.
OP isn't tasked with bringing things to make, she is tasked with making up little baskets of items that are stable and will stay fresh at room temp and not needing prep, heat or cold storage for 4 days. That's why other people are suggesting a fruit basket of apples, oranges and bananas with packets of cookies/biscuits, chocolate and nuts. It's meant for guests to have something they can nibble on in their rooms without mess or prep, presumably to keep kitchen to actual meal prep and fridge for the food needed for those meals. There are 30 people staying. It would likely be somewhat chaotic if people were trying to make themselves pancakes, others toast, sone decorating cupcakes whole aunt Jan was trying to get the dinner ready.

This thread is so funny, boiled eggs, "blocks" of cheese, baked potatoes, marg and cheap crackers. Like something out of another era.

Check out discount online shops - I use discountdragon.co.uk and lowpricefoods.com - they always have some great bargains on snacks, chocolate, biscuits etc

Custard creams (pack per room 30p each), bake some cookies, bake some flapjack, bake some shortbread. Most people expect biscuits in a hotel room so I would think along those lines.

Then some fruit for commmunal sharing, not the cheapest to provide but will work out cheaper than branded crisps. Grapes are good for sharing. A few apples and bananas. Nothing exotic or any berries which are expensive and don’t last long.

As a general rule of thumb stick to homemade as it is generally cheaper than branded stuff and nicer than the cheap stuff.

A snack basket for each room seems a bit costly and unnecessary when lunch can be batch made quite cheaply! I'd buy cheap multipacks of crisps, a big birthday type choc cake , nuts, etc from lidl as communal snacks

As u say you have time I would bake!
Flapjack
Chocolate cornflakes bars
Marshmallow crispy bars
Shortbread, gingerbread..
Lots of easy things to make in big batches and will be much cheaper than buying!

If u want some shop bought stuff then look for the packs of mix max cake bars, you get 10 in a pack for around £1.50 and they are individually wrapped so easy to split between rooms.
Id also mayhe buy a big box of crisps to split as its cheaper than buying several small pack.
Id also get a big bag of apples, morrisons do a huge 1.2kg bag for 2.50 so a couple of those to split between rooms helps add a little something healthy x

If you look on Home Bargains website they sell boxes of 30 flapjacks for about £11.70 I ordered the cherry and almond ones and they are very filling and tasty and are just over 40p each. Of course there’s p&p too but if you’re ordering other stuff they’re a bargain!

Homemade cakes will absolutely fit this bill. They’re cheap to make, and hugely expensive to buy. Pick a ‘luxury” flavour that doesn’t cost a lot - something like lemon drizzle, apple and cinnamon etc.