How to tackle tailgating inflation this football season

Football fans: Today’s high inflation is coming for you, too.

Tailgating your favorite team’s games this season might cost a little more than usual as the prices of food, alcohol and gas continue to climb.

Lifestyle expert Carey Reilly joined “Fox & Friends” on Thursday to share some of her best tips on how to save money on tailgating essentials.

She first suggested checking out slickdeal.net — a community of shoppers who send alerts on great deals from miscellaneous vendors.

The expert indicated that the current end-of-summer and Labor Day season is the best time to scout out deals and discounts.

Reilly pointed out a chair, displayed at Fox Square, that she found on the Walmart website for $34.

“Anything from TVs to coolers — you can find all those great deals,” she said.

For tailgaters looking to save on food, Reilly suggested ditching the grill and opting for chips and dip instead.

Reilly set out an example snack spread with bowls of shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, beans and tomato salsa so that guests could create their own nacho plates.

While beer might be the traditional drink of choice for most football fans, Reilly shared the alternative of mixing an inexpensive bottle of wine with some fruit juice and fruit slices to make sangria.

“Put it in the fridge for an hour, two hours,” she said. “It’s going to be delicious.”

For people who may not be attending in-person tailgates, and who are choosing to “home-gate” instead, Reilly recommended investing in freezer snacks that can be popped into an air fryer or oven.

Quick-prepped food can be accompanied on a tray of miscellaneous vegetables and other snacks for presentation, the expert shared.

“My tip for making a serving tray like this is just going in your fridge and find what you have — and shove it on the tray,” she said.