Most prepared foods are overpriced, but Party Platters are one of the worst offenders I’ve ever seen! Grocery stores heavily promote these—due to the absurd markup—but are they worth the money?

Let’s take Hannaford’s Finger Roll platter as an example. For $34.99, they will make you a lovely little tray that consists of 24 mini sandwiches. (When I say mini, I mean it; finger rolls are wicked small!)

I don’t know about you, but it sure doesn’t cost me $34.99 to purchase the ingredients, nor does it take a lot of time/effort to throw some egg salad sandwiches together. Why, then, would anyone spend such a high amount? Convenience…

We have to consider the cost of money and time. Because I had extra time, I’d rather make it myself and save the money.

Let’s do a quick cost comparison, using Hannaford’s typical prices:

* 2 bags of finger rolls, $2.99 each

* Mayo, $2.00

* A dozen eggs, $1.59

* Lettuce for garnish, $1.99

If those items can be bought on sale, it will be even cheaper. Since I already had $0.99 eggs and mayo, all I need to buy were the finger rolls and lettuce. (I also used pink platters I had on hand, but if you don’t have a platter, try the dollar store.)

I made two identical trays (one is pictured) for a total of 28 sandwiches—more than Hannaford offers. My cost? $7.97! Even if I had bought everything at full price it would only cost $11.56.

Saving $27.00 on a party platter is certainly worth it to me!

Do you buy Party Platters?