You’ve filled out your fantasy football draft and stocked up with cases of beer, but you may have forgotten the most essential part of football season…the man cave. A man cave is a safe haven for men to comfortably kick their feet up and watch the game, providing room for friends and snacks that come with a football game. There are a few crucial steps to a man cave that should be considered while you’re prepping for the upcoming season.

Step 1: Location

The location of your man cave will make or break your experience. Having limited outside noise is key, as you want to be tuned in for every part of the game. Additionally, when friends come over to celebrate with you, having a bathroom near is a step often forgotten. Your guests don’t want to miss too much on their travel to other parts of the house, but if they have to, at least make it worthwhile! Stock up on all the latest products from manly scented candles to beard oils to supplement your retreat space, and impress your guests with your attention to detail. While those minor steps seem to be unimportant, they pull together a theme for the room and make you and your guests as comfortable as possible.

Step 2: Furniture

While it seems the most basic of steps, having quality furniture to suit your space is vital to your comfort level for kickoff. You want to be lounging on a soft and homey sectional couch that fits all your buddies and takes the curvature of the room. Look through popular social media posts, like this here, incorporating room setups with things like lounge chairs, and couches to optimize your man cave space. Once places to sit are covered, get creative and invest in items like a pool table, or ping pong table, for any idle time during commercials or when you want some quick fun in the off-season. Lastly, you’ll want to have a large enough table in your cave to hold various dips and drinks, allowing ease of access to refueling while you’re hanging out.

Step 3: The Fridge

Oh, the fridge! How could we forget? While most are experts in this step, you have to remember to accommodate to your guests’ style, as well. Beer is generally a staple for football, but don’t leave out wine coolers, and liquor -- you’d be surprised how many friends might choose a Truly Spiked & Sparkling over a typical football beer. Having a fridge in your man cave, whether mini or full-sized, will prevent any food from the game from spoiling. Things like pre-packaged dips can be thrown into the fridge for next week, without the hassle of bringing things room to room to be stored. You could even go as far as installing a kitchenette with a microwave or toaster oven. That way you can combine your love for pizza rolls and football and never leave the comfort of your man cave!

Step 4: The Forgotten

So you’ve nailed down the location of your man cave, set up the furniture, stocked the fridge, now what’s missing? The smallest details are what will make your man cave stand out from the rest. Run out and grab some things like koozies, coasters, napkins, and plasticware (which you can make yourself from some perspex sheets). You’ll prevent your new furniture from being stained from the condensation of drinks, have plenty of items to clean up possible spills, and avoid doing copious amounts of dishes at the end of every game! Taking the time to pick up these forgotten items will save you many trips to the sink, and allow your furniture to stay new and lively for many seasons to come.

Step 5: The Food

Now that you’ve set up your man cave with the essentials, you can start prepping food for your guests to come over. We know not everyone is a gourmet chef, but you can create some delicious dishes using premade ingredients, all you need as an oven or refrigerator! Check out recipes for chicken wing dip, and taco dip that serves many people, for a small cost. Anything dip related requires your favorite chip and some serving plates! With those two items, plus the beer, you’re ready to head into the first quarter with confidence. It is recommended to start a money pool for things like pizza and wings, that way everyone can contribute to the party every week.

Step 6: Throw the Party

The very last step is throwing the party, which is the best part! You’ve set up the furniture to your liking, threw the dips in the oven, and lit your manly candle; now you are ready to party! Invite your best buds over and enjoy a relaxing evening in your man cave.