DIY appetizer/catering under $5 per person possible?

Start making calls, see what places can do for you.

Or check out craigslist or a local cooking school for people trying to make a name for themselves and get experience.

A friend has volunteered for the task .. she went to culinary school.. but not a professional.. she is just a sweet friend with great experience.. has volunteered her time and only charging me the cost of food. I just have not idea what items to suggest to keep the cost down...

Sorry i guess DIY was misleading, but thought it would give me ideas from a COST perspective

I do not know about catering prices, but I am SURE you could do A LOT of appetizers for 100 bucks at Costco. I get Spanokapeta there all the time (it is a spinach and cheese triangle wrapped in a light flaky crust) my caterer is actually making that as our appetizer for us. They also have mini fillets wrapped in bacon, shrimp served many different ways and a few other choices. Just a thought. I really do not think anyone would ever know where you got them from, because they have some really nice finger foods!

How about bruschetta, fruit kabobs, cheese platter, mini grilled cheeses?

Def check out Costco, Sams club or BJ's - you should be able to get a lot of decent apps there for a good price :-)

I agree with bee j. Definitely check put what places like Costco and Sams Club have to offer. You will probably more snacks for your budget, which your guests will sure appreciate.

Thank you! Will definitely check out these ideas. Knowing my friend she'll want everything from scratch ...but if these options are lower costs and tasty why not?

Costco does have a lot of tasty options. One of my personal favorite is their potato salad. Yum!

We have friends over a lot because I looove making mini appetizers. I have so much fun doing it and they can be cheap. I have two that come to mind immediately..

- cherry tomatoes stuffed with mayo and chopped bacon. (and lettuce if you want to get really into it.) but it tastes just like a Blt, even without the lettuce. I use a melon scooper to scoop our the tomatoes. I pack of bacon will fill A LOT of tomatoes.

- a pack of pepperoni, chopped up finely, mix with 8-12oz of cream cheese. Get pillsburry crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 3s, stuff and roll the mixture into the cresents. They are really small and cook perfectly in a mini cupcake pan. And they're tasty cold also.

Have you looked at pinterest? I find a lot of my apps there.

Maybe a dip like spinach dip? I make it for every holiday and it's a huge hit. I'll give you my recipe for that too if you're interested!