Setting up a cheap and healthy crafty table

Setting up a cheap and healthy crafty table

When you’re making a low or micro budget movie, you might not have the cash to hire someone for crafty, but you still need to make sure to feed your people. Here are some tips for setting up a cheap and healthy crafty table to keep energy and morale high on set.

Mix fun and healthy snacks

It’s a great idea to have snacks that people get excited about; things like Cheez-Its and fruit snacks are great for quick energy and a dopamine boost. But it’s also important to have things that will give more sustained energy and prevent an afternoon slump, like a high-protein trail mix, fruit, string cheese, and hummus. 

When there’s a mix of the two, your cast and crew can make decisions about how to best fuel their body and what will allow them to do their best work.

Buy in bulk to save money on your crafty table

While it’s important to have a mix, you should aim for a more limited selection of things that will last for a long time and can be bought in bulk. In the past, I’ve borrowed a friend’s Costco membership and bought huge boxes of nonperishable goods. Places like Walmart and Aldi also have great prices on snack foods, and often have options for buying large amounts. 

Big boxes of things like individually packaged pretzels will last a long time, maybe until your next shoot, so don’t worry too much about food waste. With perishable foods, be more thoughtful of how much you buy, or at least make sure it’s something you’ll eat if no one else does.

Find out what people want and need

There’s no point in splurging in a giant thing of almonds if no one on set is going to eat them. And if someone has a severe allergy, it could be downright dangerous. I like to send out a brief survey asking for everyone’s preferences and restrictions before I go snack shopping. This makes sure everyone has what they need, and it saves money by cutting down on food waste!

Don’t be afraid of generic brands for your crafty table

There are some things where brand matters and others where it simply doesn’t. I already mentioned Walmart and Aldi; both of these discount stores have cheap but high-quality store brands for a fraction of the cost of brand name items. People will probably notice if you buy generic cheesy mini crackers instead of Goldfish, but won’t mind if you go for cheaper options in other snacks.