Festive food, gifts, new outfits, and beautiful Christmas decorations — all this seriously affects the family budget. Less than a week left before Christmas, which means that it is time to start pleasant pre-holiday preparations. Here are some simple tips to help you prevent unnecessary expenses on holidays.
How to Save on Christmas Table
1) Analyze your mistakes
In order not to overpay for the festive table, try to analyze the last years’ experience. What dishes were not eaten? This year, we recommend you to avoid traditional meats and mayonnaise salads. Instead, you can bake something healthy, make a couple of original vegetable salads, and come up with light snacks. As an alternative to cream cakes, make some glazed gingerbread cookies. It’s cheaper and more useful. You can also preview Kroger weekly ad to find all necessary ingredients on sale for your menu.
2) Prepare a menu
While making a festive menu, you need to consider several things in advance:
- number of guests;
- food preferences and restrictions;
- budget for a festive table.
If you plan to celebrate the holiday with friends, organize a common table. Let everyone bring something from home. As soon as you know all the above information, you can proceed to making a festive menu. Start from the snacks — make them tasty and light (for instance, shrimp tarts). Then, think about the main dish (baked salmon with grilled vegetables), and finish with a dessert (NY cheesecake or gingerbread cookies). Remember that making a menu without excess food will not only save your money but also allow you to avoid gaining extra pounds.
3) Make a list
Write down all the ingredients you need on a piece of paper. You need to consider not only the assortment but also the number of products you buy. Carefully examine the product, and think carefully before putting it in your cart. If you can’t cope with the temptation to purchase half of the store, take a cheapskate companion with you who will save you from unnecessary expenses. Do not take a lot of money to the store, only an amount approximately equivalent to the list of ingredients.
4) Don’t buy all the products in one store
You should not purchase all the products in one store: something can be at a discount, while something will be more expensive. Do not desperately buy goods with a promotion. Consider the cost realistically because the discount may already be included in the price.
5) Let your guests come with their dishes
If you plan to celebrate Christmas with your friends at home, you can allow them to bring their home-made dishes. It will give all your guests some new topics for discussion, the ability to exchange their recipes, and the opportunity to diversify the festive table. Moreover, your monthly grocery budget for one person will not suffer from holiday expenses.
6) Buy in advance if possible
Start thinking about the festive table in advance. It is worth buying frozen and canned food (caviar, fish, shrimps, meat, etc.), so you will not spend as much on them on festive days when there are so many other expenses. Moreover, food prices may be increased in December. For instance, on 20-25 December, the prices are close to the peak. Therefore, it is better to take care of food and gifts for friends and relatives right now. In this way, you will not only save money but also avoid the pre-holiday rush and crush in the stores.
7) Use promo codes, coupons, and cash back options
Pay attention to online shopping. Online shopping is not only more convenient but also cheaper. Moreover, you don’t have to spend money on petrol or public transport. Coupons and promotional codes will help you save even more. For example, you can use them to get free delivery or an additional discount on some products from your list. You can find up-to-date promotional codes and coupons on the aggregator sites or directly on the manufacturer’s websites.
As you can see, getting ready for holidays in advance gives its results. Use at least some above tips, and the effect will be guaranteed.
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