lanehalley

A friend asked "how do I feed a lot of people without much money"

If budget is tight, best to go with self-made platters. Don't buy anything already cut up or arranged, it adds cost. Think about having a variety of tastes, sweet, salty, savory.

cheese tray - get the large bricks of cheddar or ched/jack because it's pretty and something white (jack or swiss). cube and pile in bowl or platter.

If you want to serve meat, the most economical thing is to get a large smoked ham and cut it in cubes. I'd also suggest cooked turkey, if you had a way to keep it cold on the table. Ham will be OK for a couple hours.

bread or crackers - price it out, but usually sliced baguettes are most cost effective. Serve in a basket or bowl.

some sort of dip - hummus is very easy to make, it's chick peas (large can) lemon juice, garlic and tahini, run it through a food processor. You can also base a dip on black beans or white beans

veggie tray. People like baby carrots, and will eat SOME broccoli and cauliflower, but not much. Keep the ratio about 75% carrots, 25% other stuff

tortilla chips and salsa are cheap

round it out with a bowl of wrapped candies. Hard candies last longer, or you can get mini chocolate bars if you like them. The point is you want something that people won't grab by the handful (i.e. not M&Ms).