One of the areas many people overspend is in their Holiday Event planning, which includes meals like Thanksgiving Dinner, Holiday Parties, Christmas Brunch/Dinner, and even New Year’s Eve celebrations. I want to give you some tools to help cut your costs of entertaining your friends and family by half.
Meal Plan Around Store Sales
Just like you meal plan your family’s weekly dinners, you should also do a meal plan for your holiday meals. Write out a list of all the dishes you would like to make according to what is on sale in the store. The further ahead you begin to plan, the more options you will have and the better prices you will find. (Use my FREE downloadable Meal Planning Template and these FREE downloadable Shopping Lists to keep things organized.)
Meat. The first thing I determine is the meat, since it is usually the most expensive part of the meal. Decide if you will cook a whole turkey, a turkey breast, or opt for a pre-cooked ham. My decision is always based upon which cut of meat is the best price. Then I move on to the side dishes.
Side Dishes. Just like the main course of meat, I plan all side dishes around what I find on sale. Frequently, attendees will ask me what they can bring. I usually ask for items that I have either forgotten last minute, or items I didn’t find on sale but would still like to serve. This helps me keep my costs way down when serving a large group. Most of the ingredients to make holiday side dishes are all on sale now. So, stock up now for any recipes you will make now or closer to Christmas.
Desserts. The easiest of all courses for me to save on are desserts. I can usually find lots of ingredients very inexpensively by pairing coupons with sale items. This time of year lots of baking items have coupons and go on sale. This is a great way to save big and even get lots of items for free.
Learning to stockpile means you always have dinner on hand, saving both money and time. Get your copy of my new book, Saving Savvy, and discover even more ways to cut your spending in half.
Plan a Kitchen Prep Day
One of the best ways to save not only money, but time, is to plan a Kitchen Prep Day a week or more before your guests are scheduled to come. I use this time to plan out my entire meal and even think through step by step how the perfect day would go.
First, according to what I have purchased on sale, I determine all the dishes and recipes that can be made ahead of time, so that my time in the kitchen is limited. I double check all recipes and cross-check them with my ingredients on-hand. I make my final grocery trip and get started.
Usually my Prep Day includes items like rolls, casseroles, cookies and cakes, because they freeze well. I prefer to make pies a day ahead, because they don’t freeze well. I even think through things that need to be chopped and measured out. I write out a prep list, and include one for the actual event day.
Since most items I am making can be frozen, I can do this as far as three or four weeks in advance. Like you, I prefer to spend my time with my family, not in the kitchen preparing. By just doing a little advanced prep work, I can make my holiday just as enjoyable as everyone who is visiting, simply by planning ahead.
Saving on Potluck Meals
Often I will get invited to a family meal where everyone chips in to help the host by bringing a dish. I am usually the first to chime in, because it gives me the most options for dishes to bring. Once I know what the hostess is serving, I check out my stock of food in the pantry, freezer, and fridge and determine what I will bring according to what I already have on hand. (Don’t know what you have on hand? Use my Pantry Inventory List and Freezer Inventory List to get started.)
For instance, every year around the holidays I opt to make a Sweet Potato Casserole or Hashbrown Potato Casserole if a side dish is needed. I know from experience these items are always on sale, but I usually have most of the ingredients on hand.
Or, if a dessert is needed, I will bring brownies, since I usually have 5-10 boxes I got free over the previous weeks from stocking up. For the holidays I usually add a fun twist like topping with crushed peppermint sticks or drizzling with caramel for a special touch.
See all my favorite Thanksgiving Day Recipes, plus ideas from my readers.
