Christmas Dinner on a Budget
How to Have a Big Christmas Dinner Without the Big Cost
Christmas dinner is an important family tradition, but not everyone has the money to fork over for a big feast. Fortunately, there are ways around the financial hurdle. If you want to create a Christmas dinner to remember (without a bill that will haunt you) follow these budget-friendly feast tips...
A Turkey By Any Other Name...
If your store is having a sale on turkeys, buy one. It doesn't matter if the name is Butterball or something else. A turkey is a turkey and while I'll be the first to admit that some turkeys are better than others, any decent cook can make the cheapest turkey a platter worthy to be served at Christmas.
Do It Yourself
You can buy prepared green bean and sweet potato casseroles, but why do it when they cost more than twice as much as it would if you made them yourself?
Time is money and if you have more time than cash, invest some of that in your Christmas dinner preparations. Put together your own casseroles and make your own stuffing. It'll taste great and costs a lot less.
Wash Those Dishes
Another great way to save money is to use your dishes instead of buying paper plates and plastic cutlery. Yes, you're going to have to clean the mess when dinner is over but doing so can save you $20 or more depending on how many people you're serving.
Everyone Pitch In
There is no shame in saying "everyone bring a dish" when planning your Christmas dinner. Our family has made it a tradition. We do the turkey, grandma does the green bean casserole, the aunts do the sweet potato casseroles and desserts and the younger families bring bottles of soda and eggnog. It makes a splendid holiday feast affordable for everyone.
So this year if the budget of Christmas dinner is causing nightmares, keep the above tips in mind. You can have a feast without a monetary famine!