Budget-Friendly Tips: 8 Hacks to Save Money While Preparing Your Holiday Dinner

Thanksgiving dinners are a little more work than your typical gathering.

There is a distinct aroma of cinnamon and rosemary filling your home, your loved ones have gathered around the table from all over the world, and there is a general feeling of festive cheer. The sole drawback? Many hosts find it burdensome to prepare a holiday feast due to the high cost. Additionally, the USDA projects that food prices will rise by up to 10% in 2022.
Registered nutritionists have provided eight inexpensive holiday dinner preparation ideas.

1. Establish and adhere to a plan

You probably will make at least one grocery store trip when preparing for a large holiday feast. Should you decide to wing it, you'll probably add ingredients to the cart that you hadn't planned for.
strategy ahead and have a strategy before you go to the grocery store to limit impulsive purchases.

First, schedule your menu in advance, including the appetisers and sweets. Jot down the quantity of every ingredient you'll need. Next, see if you already have any canned green beans or chicken broth in your cabinet.
In the grocery shop, having a plan and a thorough list of steps to follow will help you stay focused and organised.

Additionally, it will assist you in resisting the need to fill the cart with enjoyable but expensive seasonal things. Frozen pumpkin flavour? It is not necessary. Napkins with a holiday theme? Remain resilient.

2. Purchase in Bulk

Don't discount the significant cost reductions that come with buying in bulk: You spend less per unit the more volume you buy. "It pays to have a club membership to warehouses like Costco, BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club around the holidays," advises registered dietitian-nutritionist Anne Danahy, RDN, of Arizona, when you're already intending to buy a huge amount of food for a big feast.

"These stores usually have specials on holiday essentials, so take advantage and stock up."

Ingredients that spoil easily can be frozen if not used up right away. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that you can even freeze eggs that you buy in bulk. Simply crack and beat the eggs, then transfer them to freezer-safe containers.

3. Make use of frozen and canned ingredients

A lot of fresh produce, like carrots, yams, cranberries, onions, and so forth, is frequently used for holiday dinners. Although it adds up quickly, this is a great way to eat your fruits and vegetables. The more affordable option? Go to the aisles with shelf stables and freezers.

According to Joan Salge Blake, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian and nutrition professor at Boston University, "the canned versions can be as much as 80 percent cheaper than fresh and 50 percent cheaper than frozen," depending on the ingredient. "You can create a very inexpensive vegetable soup for the first course by substituting the fresh veggies in the recipe with the canned variety, such as tomatoes, potatoes and beans."

Bonus: You save time because frozen and canned vegetables are always cleaned, chopped, and ready to use. According to the Mayo Clinic, frozen produce might also have higher nutrient content.

4. Take advantage of big-ticket items during sales

You are aware that holiday main courses like roast turkey, glazed ham, pork tenderloin, lamb chops or any other meat-centered dish aren't exactly cheap. With careful timing, you can save a significant amount on the main course.

"Grocery stores often reduce the price of turkeys around the holidays to attract buyers," Blake explains. "They put the birds on sale to lure shoppers into the store to buy everything else for the meal."

To keep track of sales, the majority of grocery stores distribute flyers and post discounts on their mobile apps. Look around for the best deals, then act when the timing is ideal. Frozen meat can be thawed in advance of the big day.

Smaller items can also be used with this trick. "You can stock your freezer when your favourite holiday items go on sale," Danahy advises. For instance, fresh cranberries are available in the autumn and can be frozen for the entire year. Stock up when they’re on sale and defrost as needed for homemade cranberry sauce. Per the USDA, food that is frozen is safe for eternity.

5. Have a Potluck Gathering

Asking for assistance is never a sign of weakness, and sometimes a village is needed. It takes a lot of money to prepare a multi-course holiday meal for one person, and nobody expects you to pay the whole bill on your own.

Asking guests to bring a dish or item will help reduce the workload and expenses if you are hosting a large gathering.
"Everyone knows how much work goes into preparing holiday meals, so when someone offers to bring something, I always say yes," Danahy explains. To avoid having ten pumpkin pies and no gravy, she suggests keeping track of what people are bringing.

6. Simplify Your Menu

Feeding a large number of people can quickly become expensive and complex. Less is therefore more. It's true that you need a lot of servings, but not as much variety as you might think.

Remain focused on a small number of dishes rather than overcommitting to a complex menu.

You’ll save money and time by doing this.
"When you’re hosting a dinner, it’s easy to go overboard with too much food or too many different dishes," Danahy says. Make enough of a few of your favourite dishes for each person, averaging one portion per person. Nobody will ever be without that extra appetiser or side dish.

7. DIY to Trade Convenience for Savings

Purchasing a premade pie entails more than just paying for the ingredients; you are also paying more for the ease of not having to bake one yourself. There is a noticeable cost savings when you DIY, but you will lose time in the process.

Blake cautions, "Don’t pay extra for things you can do yourself." "For example, baby carrots come in a ready-to-cook size, but they typically cost more than double the amount of regular carrots." During the holidays, a lot of dishes are available at the store premade. If you don’t want to make everything yourself, some restaurants even let you purchase a complete spread.

Try to DIY some of the foods you would typically buy, like green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce, to get the most value for your money.

This also holds true for cleanup. Reusable dinnerware can help you save money if you typically serve holiday meals on paper plates, use disposable napkins, and plastic cutlery to cut down on cleaning time.

8. Make a Leftovers Plan

The leftovers are the best part of holiday dinners, arguably. You can reheat leftovers for days on end and find inventive ways to repurpose them in recipes.

It helps to offset the upfront cost a little to know that your labours will produce dozens of servings in the days after the holidays.

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