Let’s be honest, for everyone who isn’t a football fanatic the only exciting things about the Super Bowl are parties, commercials, the halftime show and an excuse to drink beer on a Sunday night.

So for all the party planners out there, here are a few basic tips, tricks and ideas to help throw an excellent super bowl party on a college student budget.

First off, where is the party going to be held?

If the TV in your living room is a 19-inch giant box that looks like it’s from 1995, maybe it might be a good idea to give the friend that just got a 60-inch flat screen for Christmas a call.

Once that has been figured out be sure to take the time to actually clean and figure out seating details before guests come over, because, yes, friends are still guests.

The next part is completely optional but it will give girl hosts a little something extra fun to do. Decorate. Super bowl decorations are cheap, available everywhere and somehow manage to walk the fine line between tacky and adorable. They can also be saved to use for game days next fall.

Now for the most important part, deciding who’s going to bring what as far as food goes. Potluck style may be the absolute best way to handle food for super bowl parties because some friends have some kind of finger food, dessert or dip recipe from Pinterest they’ve been dying to pull out. With potluck, all the pressure to cook delicious and impressive food for everyone is off the host’s shoulders.  Now that just leaves plates, cups, napkins and all that jazz for the host to handle.

Once all of these are taken care of all that’s left is making sure friends have a great time at the party and enjoy watching the game, which kicks off Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m.