This is the Happier Holiday Series. This is
the first day of this series. Look for more helpful Holiday
tips in the days to come! Follow me here on Facebook!
to stay up-to-date with the latest posts!
Planning and preparing for Holiday Meals can be one of the most
stressful parts of the Season! I want to share some tips to help
lessen the burden! You will be able to save time and money,
even if you aren’t an extreme couponer. I hope these tips allow
you to be able to enjoy this joyous time with friends and family
instead of worry, aggravation and stress!
PLAN NOW:
We still have a few weeks away until Thanksgiving, and longer until
Christmas. This gives us plenty of time to have everything planned
out and be prepared in the upcoming weeks to have everything
we need and purchased for less!
You should start by planning out your guest list, write down everyone
you plan to invite, and get in contact with them to see if there will be
any guests that they are planning to bring. Getting a close estimate of
the head count will allow you to shop more accurately. You will be less
likely to have to make another trip out to pay full price for the extra
food items to accommodate the unexpected guest(s). You will also
want to jot down next to each guest if they are bringing a dish or
dessert.
Once you have a head count, start planning the menu. Make a list
of the foods you plan on making for the event. Decide if you will be
having Turkey, Ham or something else all together. (You may consider
waiting to see which you can get a great deal on in the coming weeks
before making that decision) If you have other friends and family
members that will be bringing along a dish, then make the notations of
those items being added to the menu.
You will next want to calculate the amount of ingredients you will need
to make each dish to feed the amount of people on your guest list. Write
these ingredients down in shopping list form, and then start “shopping”
in your own fridge or pantry. If you have the items on hand, and they
will stay in-date within the time frame of your event, then you can
mark that ingredient off your shopping list.
You should now be left with items on the list that you will need to
purchase.
The last part of the plan, is to make a To Do list. Which items will
you be preparing the night before? How much time do you have
to plan for each dish. At what time do you need to start cooking?
It’s OK to work on this list through the weeks, you may not have
your exact menu plan set in stone.
It may be fun and helpful to get your children/grandchildren
to help with preparation! They can help by washing any produce,
mixing ingredients, helping you to read recipes. This may be a busy
day for you, but to them it makes a great fun memory of being a big
helper in the kitchen!
PRINT/CLIP DAILY:
You’ll begin to notice new coupons popping up daily at various
coupon sites. Coupons for baking, Produce, Canned Veggies etc.
should always be printed immediately. Even if you end up not
needing them, you can always ask your friends, family or fellow
church members if the coupon(s) will help their Holiday Meal
plan! Some great coupon sites are:
I also post tons of new coupons daily as they become available!
Be sure to follow me on Facebook so that you will see the update
and can print them quickly! You can also do a search to see if
any coupons are available out there for the items you need
by using the coupon database!
If you do not have a lot of experience with couponing, that’s ok.
You will still be able to save a great deal of money on your Holiday
meals by staying organized and sticking to a plan!
I suggest making a special envelope just for your coupons to help
with your Holiday meals. You can decorate it to keep you in that
Holiday Spirit or just to keep you focused on the task at hand.
Each time you come across a coupon on the internet to print that
will work well with a Thanksgiving/Christmas meal, you should
print it and put it in your envelope. Coupons in magazines and
Sunday Paper inserts that fit well with your meal plan should also
be clipped and put inside your envelope.
By now, you should have a guest list, your menu plan, a shopping
list, a To-Do List and an envelope stuffed with some great coupons.
SHOP/BROWSE WEEKLY ADS:
I know what you are thinking! Going to the grocery store once
a week can be stressful! I get that! That’s why I want you to
browse your grocery store flyers before you head out!
New store ads and sales come out weekly. The closer to the
Holidays, the more sales come out on those dinner items.
Each week browse the ads and compare with your shopping
list. The general idea of a good deal is about 40-50% off Regular
price. Often times, we can find deals much better than that!
If a store has an item on your list for a great price, for example
canned vegetables at half off, then that is a good price to buy
what you need of them. You will want to see if you have a coupon
for them in your envelope as well! That’s when you’re really talking
savings!!
You do not have to buy everything on your list the first week. If
Sweet potatoes aren’t on sale this week, that’s ok. They will probably
go on sale in the weeks ahead and you will have saved by waiting for
that sale!
Don’t be afraid to change up your menu plan if you find a better deal
on a different item. For instance, if you were going to go with a Turkey
dinner but found an amazing deal on Ham, then switch it over to a
Ham dinner!
As the weeks pass by, you should be getting the last of your ingredients
purchased and marked off your list. Hopefully you were able to find most
of it on sale, but it’s OK if some things were not. Be proud of yourself for
any amount you saved! Don’t forget to check the coupon database to
see if you can print a coupon for an item you will be buying!
THE RESULT:
Because you have a plan, you should have a less stressful time. No
last minute items to forget to purchase, no surprise guests to
accommodate for, dinner will be timed just right, and you will have
plenty of food to keep the guests happy!
Since you are keeping an eye out on new coupons and printing/clipping
them immediately as well as putting them away in your special envelope,
you are always armed and ready with the savings you need!
Checking the ads and shopping weekly, you are able to browse what items
could be of use to you and obtain them while they are on sale.
Lastly, don’t forget to designate a dish washer! Happy Holidays!
What tips do you have to make Holiday Meals frugal & less stressful!
If you enjoyed these frugal tips, please consider taking a second
and vote for me in the Cheap Sally contest! Thanks!!
