Chris Christie Spent Over $82K At Jets And Giants Games, Which Is A Lot Of Food And Beer

You might need to be late on your rent if want to check out an NFL game at Metlife Stadium. Tickets are expensive -- average 2014 price for a New York Giants ticket was $366.34 and $240.37 for the New York Jets prior to the start of the season -- and then there's the whole cost of food and drink inside the stadium. Having said all of that, it's still surprising to find out New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spent $82,594 in taxpayer money during Giants and Jets home games in 2010 and 2011.

Christie spent over $80,000 over 58 transactions over the course of two seasons, according to Watchdog.org. He doesn't have to pay for his ticket, so that's one less cost he has to worry about ahead of Sunday. The report does not indicate how many games Christie went to or the number of guests he entertained over two years, which would affect the average cost per game.

If we had the chance to go to every home game for both teams -- 32 games across two seasons and not including preseason games -- the bill would come out to around $2,581.10 per game. Let's take a hypothetical --and totally unscientific -- look at how we could have spent $82,ooo on food and drinks at football games.

Drinks Of All Varieties

You're bound to drink something while watching a football game. The average price of beer is $8.75 while water will set you back around $4.25. During the winter months, you could get a $5 hot chocolate while soda costs around $7. Based on Yelp reviews and photos, you could also get wine for $13. Chances are likely the $2,500+ budget per game will be skewed toward food purchases. In theory, you could get 50 beers, 25 bottles of water (you need to stay hydrated), 20 glasses of wine, 10 sodas and 10 hot chocolates for $923.75. You could adjust the price as you see fit and there's also a premium bar for more expensive drink options.

Steak Sandwiches, Burgers And Other Tasty Treats

After getting drinks, you'll have around $1,657.35 left of your budget to spend on food. This is likely where anyone will spend the most money. A simple hot dog costs around $5, a grilled steak sandwich sets you back around $19, while an organic chicken kebob sandwich costs around $10. Stadium Journey has a great rundown of food costs at Metlife that includes a 4-piece chicken tenders and fries combo for $11, a $10 Papa John's pizza, $12 brisket sandwiches, two Mrs. Fields cookies (or one brownie) will set you back $6. Nonna Fusco’s Meatballs cost $9 while a burger is around $8.

We figured out that you could get 10 pizzas, 20 hot dogs, 5 chicken tender combos, 10 brisket sandwiches, 10 buffalo chicken mac and cheese, 5 grilled cheese sandwiches, 20 grilled steak sandwiches, 20 orders of Nonna Fusco's Meatballs, 5 organic chicken kebabs, 10 burgers, 10 orders of fries, 10 bacon on a stick, 19 value pretzels, 10 rice bowls, 6 orders of dumplings (4 per), 10 sloppy joe sandwiches, 10 orders of cookies and 10 brownies for around $1,657.

While Christie may have initially put the tab on the taxpayers, the New Jersey Republican State Committee returned the $85,000 to the Treasury in 2012, Watchdog.org reported. The governor has not used taxpayer money at Metlife or any other sports venue since 2011. That's not to say he's stayed clear of any trouble related to his attendance at football games.