It’s that time of year again. The holidays are looming around the corner and thoughts will be given to food preparation. Panic might set in if you’re playing host this year as grocery costs are up and pocketbooks are thinner. You might be thinking about hocking a kid or two, but before you do something so drastic as that, consider a few of this cost effective tips.
Shop the sales and use coupons: It seems like one to two weeks prior to a holiday, foods and drinks go on sale. This is a great time to shop and save. When you couple sales with coupons, you can save dollars off your end total. Usually the store you shop at will have their own name brand items too, so don’t be afraid to take advantage of those in store sales and buy your stores brand of food stuffs.
Another approach to saving money during the holidays is to always keep your pantry full of the things you use the most during the holiday season. Be aware when these items go on sale and buy ahead of time. Don’t get caught up in the last minute shopping madness. You’ll end up not having all you need. So when you see canned pumpkin on sale or priced reasonably, buy what your budget allows.
If you want to be a trend setter, then think outside the box for those holiday meals. Do a potluck dinner. Have everyone who comes to your dinner bring a course of the meal. this way everyone is participating and no one person bares the cost of a whole meal. Assign out the desserts, rolls, gravy, dressing, salad, drinks, paper goods and so forth. You be responsible for the main or largest meal item.
Why not also explore the idea of eating out for your big holiday meal? Arrange with your family and extended family to meet at a place which is serving for the holidays and each family be responsible for their own families meal cost. Yes, this will cost some, but when you add up all the cost which goes into hosting a holiday meal, you’ll more than likely coming out cheaper by eating out. Too watch the ads in the newspaper. A lot of restaurants will place coupons for meals, desserts, or kids eat for free. If you’re a savvy shopper, you’ll utilize all the coupons you can for these occasions.
Hopefully these money saving tips will ease the burden of stress during these pre-holiday times. Plan ahead, get your plan in order. If you’re prepared ahead of time you’ll not need to run out to the store each time you need a food item because you didn’t get it while you could. The holiday season can be fun without the fear of financial woes loading your mind down. So enjoy that party, because you planned ahead.