Save Money On Christmas Food
December 22, 2008 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Holiday Thrift, groceries
If money is tight and you’re still trying to wrap up your holiday meal expenses, try these tips for saving money on your Christmas feast…
Don’t over plan: You know that you always have leftovers, so why buy so much? Buy what you need and stop.
Pot-luck the day: Have everyone contribute a dish or two which can cut down on costs considerably.
Make it homemade: Making pies, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, cookies and other dishes from scratch, almost always saves you money over re-packaged mixes and frozen foods. The one holiday exception may be fresh fruit – it can be more cost effective to purchase frozen or canned berries for your pies, tarts, and cookies.
Stretch and compost leftovers: Say you did buy too much. You can always stretch those leftovers with soups and casseroles. You can also compost the oldest leftovers which at least gives you a good free garden start this spring.
Buy in bulk: If your celebration is going to be huge, buying a bigger amount is cheaper than many small amounts of food – think bags of potatoes and flour. If your celebration is going to be small, you can go in on bulk items with another family.
Use cheap stuff: Most people want the best for their holiday meals, however, break up your menu into categories. For example, buying a nice organic turkey or chunk of cheese is worth it for taste and health, but value priced chips taste pretty much the same as pricey brands.
Don’t buy tradition: At my house, no one but me eats the darn cranberries. Still someone always buys a whole lot. Why? It’s a tradition deal. We did used to have other folks around who liked cranberries. Now that we don’t we shouldn’t bother. If your family doesn’t eat an item yet it’s always been traditional to serve that item, maybe it’s time to rethink your traditions.
How are you saving money on holiday food?
[image via stock.xchng]
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