Plan A Budget Friendly Christmas Menu

If you are like most families who are trying to stretch their budget, you might be worried that you wont be able to splurge on your favorite holiday foods. There are some creative ways to cut costs on your Christmas meal, and still have a delicious Christmas menu with all of the trimmings. These ideas will help you stretch your budget a little further so that you can still splurge on your holiday favorites.

The hardest part of Christmas is always sticking to a pre-planned budget. When you are pressed for time, you will be more willing to spend extra money on foods for your Christmas menu that are overpriced. To combat time crunch spending, you will want to make a plan early, and begin shopping for the things you need about a week in advance. You may even be able to buy any frozen, canned or dried goods that you need in late November, when sale shopping it at its best.

If you are shopping at the nearest grocery store, then you may want to consider looking for a budget-friendly grocer in your city. During the holiday season, it may be worth it to drive for a few extra miles to buy the foods that you need for your Christmas menu. The gas that you use won’t go to waste when you can shop for foods at a massively discounted price over your local grocer, and you can still buy most, if not all, of the foods that you need for your dinner.

While this may also be one of the more obvious tips that you receive this holiday season, remember that making the foods that you want on your Christmas menu yourself will be more budget friendly than buying prepared foods from the grocers or delis in your area.

While it is much easier to pick up a prepared tray of cold cuts and cheeses, preparing the tray yourself will save money, and you will have some leftovers for a family snack, later. If you are pressed for time during Christmas, then you can always call in the family for help. Kids are especially good at decorating cookies, and Mom and Dad can share the prep work in the kitchen.

If you are all early risers then why not make Christmas morning last a bit longer and switch your big meal to breakfast?  Your Christmas menu could include scrambled eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls, juice and coffee.  Since breakfast foods are typically much cheaper then you will save a lot of money this way.

For families who have an informal dinner, the option of turning a turkey tenderloin and a heat and serve ham into a sandwich buffet with hot rolls and the trimmings can be far less costly, and can also be a fun way to have a potluck if you are having guests. You will want to make sure that you pre-plan the Christmas menu, so that you know who is bringing a dish to the dinner. Without some planning, you may not have an important item or you may have too many of another.

If you really have your heart set on a traditional Christmas dinner, making all of your foods yourself will definitely help you cut your costs, and your family will not only enjoy the Christmas menu but also the delicious leftovers!