Holiday meals are one of the things people look forward to the most each holiday season, but it can easily be dreadful if finances are tight. There are many ways you can save on holiday meals, so I encourage you to fret not.
Whether you’re hosting thirty-people or going to someone else’s extravagant feast for the year, today we’ll discuss quite a few money-saving tips that will help you save on holiday dinner.
From chipping in on a potluck with other family members to creating a simple meal yourself, these 16 tips will help you keep your holiday budget in check. Read on for 16 easy ways to save on your meal this holiday season.
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16 Easy Ways to Save on Your Holiday Meal
1. Decide on how much you’re spending.
The very first thing you need to do is create your holiday budget. If you’re hosting dinner yourself and want to prepare something extravagant, you’ll want to know where each dollar is going! Spending too much money in one area may force you to cut back on other areas so a budget will help you prioritize your expenses. Definitely do this before stepping foot inside a grocery store.
2. Get a headcount.
Another important thing to do in order to save on holiday meals is to get a headcount. This will definitely figure into the amount of money you need to allocate for the food budget portion of your holiday budget. If you’re hosting 50 people, you may need a lot more grocery money unless you’re going to keep your menu simple (which we will get into in a minute).
3. Buy your food ahead of time.
Another easy way to save on your holiday meal is to start buying your food ahead of time. Non-perishable items or baking goods, you can buy well in advance of the holiday season. Purchase a few items every other week and grab things while they are on sale. For example, around Thanksgiving, you will see sales on things like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar, flour, etc. Stockpile some of this stuff to get you through Christmas.
4. Prep some freezer meals to feed your family leading up to the holiday.
While you’re making sure your holiday budget is intact, it can be easy to go off the rails in your everyday budget. You have to eat in the days leading up to the holiday and it’s really easy to grab take-out for your family when you’re already worried about all things holiday. Do yourself a favor and prep a few freezer meals in October to feed your family the week prior to Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas. Check out this article for some other task you can do before the busy holiday season comes.
5. Check your pantry.
Another great way to save on holiday meals this year is to check your pantry before you go shopping! Stretch your budget even further by using up what you already have. If you have ten cans of corn in your pantry, incorporate that into your holiday dinner. Check your freezer too! If you have some meat in there you can serve it during the holidays too.
6. Use Ibotta.
One of my favorite ways to save money on groceries is using Ibotta. I don’t have to clip coupons or do anything other than selecting an item in an app and uploading my receipt. If you’ve never heard of Ibotta, it’s a money-saving app that pays you cash rebates for purchasing certain items at the grocery store. They also give out amazing bonuses that are pretty generous around the holiday season. If you’ve never signed up for Ibotta, join here and you’ll receive a FREE $10.00 welcome bonus for redeeming your first rebate this holiday.
7. Purchase cheaper cuts of meat.
I’m not a meat-eater so I simply find a way to incorporate legumes into my holiday meal, but if you’re not into lentil loaf, try purchasing cheaper cuts of meat. If you’re not big on turkey, who says you need to have a bird on the table for Thanksgiving? You could serve roast, chicken or any other cheaper variety of meat too.
8. Keep your menu simple.
Earlier I mentioned that you can serve a simple menu to save on your holiday meal this year, so let’s briefly expound on that. Like I just mentioned, some people don’t like turkey and maybe that’s you. You don’t have to serve a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner either.
Lasagna works just fine but if your guest prefers leaning more towards traditional, keep it simple with a meat and a couple of slides. Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Or ham, scalloped potatoes, peas, and rolls. I think you get the idea…keep it simple if need be.
9. Host a potluck.
What we love to do in our family is have a potluck. If you plan to eat, you have to bring a dish – plain and simple. Some families prefer a little more coordination so you could all chip in to pay for things like your fried turkey, ham, etc and designate certain individuals to bring certain dishes. This method has always worked in our family and our feasts can easily feed 70 to 80 people.
10. Use coupons.
In addition to using Ibotta, be sure to grab coupons to save on holiday dinner. Check your local newspaper but also be sure to pay attention to coupons that may come through the mail from your local grocery store. Also, check customer service at the grocery store too.
11. Cook from scratch.
It’s much cheaper to make those pies from scratch so if your family has a good recipe, be sure to put it to use. This is one of the easier ways to save on your holiday meal, but with the busyness that the holiday season brings, it’s easy to see why some people prefer to pick up a Patti Labelle pie from Wal-mart before the festivities.
12. Create a plan for leftovers.
What’s your plan for leftovers? You can always make turkey sandwiches the next day, but with a little creativity, you can create an entirely new dish. If the thought of eating turkey for more than two days makes you sick to the stomach, you can always purchase to-go containers and send your family and neighbors home with a few meals.
13. Purchase generic.
Don’t pick up the first thing you see when you go into the grocery store. They put those displays up at the front of the store during the holidays for a reason. You’re busy and you don’t even consider the fact that something cheaper may be on the shelf. Always look for a generic brand of whatever you’re buying. It’s more than likely cheaper and an easy way to save a few more bucks on your holiday meal.
14. Purchase in bulk.
If you can afford to, purchase items for your holiday meals in bulk to save money. With a Costco or Sam’s membership, you can save money on big-ticket items on your holiday grocery list like meats and alcohol. Don’t forget to use Ibotta too.
15. Purchase Christmas pantry staples immediately after Thanksgiving.
This tip ties right in with purchasing stuff for your holiday meals early. A great way to save on your Christmas meal is to begin purchasing items that crossover for both holidays right after Thanksgiving. You’ll still need things like cinnamon, evaporated milk, etc for baking in December. So be sure to work a little extra cash into your budget to catch those post-Thanksgiving sales.
16. DIY your holiday decor.
Lastly, another great way to save on your holiday meal is to DIY your holiday decor. Your decor doesn’t need to be fancy unless you want it to be. Make it a family activity and recreate some of these holiday decor ideas.
Now Go Save on Your Holiday Dinner!
As you can see, it’s not very hard to save on holiday meals, especially if you put a little thought into it. Create your holiday budget and a shopping list now. Save yourself the headache of going over budget (or in debt) this holiday season by following each of these 16 tips. You’ll be glad you did later and you can enjoy your holiday season knowing you’re keeping a little extra money safe in your bank account.