Are you hosting a dinner party this year? Well, we have some tips for you if you are working on a budget. Turkeys, hams and other Christmas necessities can be so incredibly pricey, especially during the week before the D-day itself.
One great way to save money is to cook most of the dishes yourself, and only pre-order pre-made items that are really difficult to make, such as log cakes. It is actually really simple to make a Christmas turkey at home, if you have an oven that is big enough.
Here are 5 Simple Tips On How to Plan For A Christmas Dinner On A Budget that will help you save time and money!
1. PLAN BEFOREHAND/DO UP A LIST
Do up a list way before the actual day and do be sure to set your budget then already.
First, make a list of the dishes you want to cook, as well as the list of items you need to order. Then, write out all the individual ingredients you need to buy and the estimated prices.
From there, you can easily sieve out the unnecessary ones to stay within your budget. This will also make your shopping process so much easier.
2. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR GUESTS CAN/ CANNOT EAT
Understanding your guests’ preferences and diet restrictions is so vital in menu planning. This may streamline your option, but it saves you from preparing unnecessary dishes and having to throw them all away at the end of the day.
Say you know that the majority of your guests do not take pork, then skip pork completely and focus on another dish instead. If you have a couple of diners that are vegetarian, you can re-portion your meats-to-buy in your shopping list. This will save you a lot of money and time.
3. COOK YOUR OWN DISHES INSTEAD OF PRE-ORDERING
We know that making a turkey sounds really tough, but in actual fact, it is really easy if you have a substantially huge oven. There are many quick and easy recipes you can find online that are super easy to follow.
Making your own turkey is most definitely cheaper and the process is pretty fun, especially if you are in the kitchen with your loved ones. Best part of them all? You get to be all creative with the stuffing!
4. ONLY BUY INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR SURE
If you have second thoughts about some of the ingredients, leave it out; you probably won’t need them. This will give you more money to invest on other better quality ingredients.
We often overbuy because grocery shopping can be therapeutic that way; just chuck everything onto your trolley and end up with a bill that will shock you. And more often than not, we do not need half of what we bought; or we only use less than half of them, and the remnants will go to waste.
Be sure to work out your proportions and to shop accordingly to avoid wastage as well as unnecessary spendings altogether.
5. STICK TO YOUR INITIAL BUDGET
No matter what you do, stick to the budget that you had planned in Step #1. This sounds simple, but it will really help to avoid feeling horrible afterwards when you know you have overspent. But of course, if you can afford it and since it is Christmas after all, a little more splurging should be fine!
Happy holidays!
About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.