The holidays have arrived, your friends and family are planning to get together, and you have somehow become the host! Its an exciting task, but preparation and buying everything you need can be a bit daunting and honestly, expensive! How can we get through all the festivities this year without breaking the bank?
Prioritize and plan! Spread out purchases, utilize mom Facebook groups for discounts, and know what you are willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Decide on spending limits, assign money to each category, and utilize an envelope cash system! You can even set up a drip bank account to add for your extra spending over the holidays.
How can you remove some waste in your spending? Track your expenses! Pay off debt, get a side hustle to earn more during the high spending periods! Don’t be afraid to push off large purchases until after the new year. Chances are, with events like Black Friday and cyber-Monday, you can find those items on sale.
As for food, there may be more tips to save than you think. You might just have to get a little creative. Start by making a Pinterest board of all your projects or meal dishes, seeing it all in one place can help you prioritize, delegate, and build out a plan.
You can stretch the expensive ingredients like herbs, cheeses, and nuts over multiple dishes instead of buying for just one dish. You must make sure you plan properly so that you can ensure to eliminate the guess work in getting what you need and saving on what you don’t.
Also, buy in bulk! You are cooking for your entire family and all your friends after all. Use circulars, shop on certain days of the week, and begin your shopping for non-perishable items ahead of time. Buy wine by the case for discounts! If you have a membership to a wholesale grocery store, this could be the hub for all your holiday saving needs.
With all the preparation and running around to make sure you have what you need, the last thing you want to do is waste time finding it all! Save your time and energy in the store by doing a shopping list by aisle. This is a helpful tip for everyday and will prevent you having to walk back and forth or even aimlessly through the store. Never go to the store hungry or pregnant this could put you at risk of picking up random things you don’t even need. If you never saw it, you never would have known you “needed” it. Usually, you don’t.
One of your biggest holiday savers might be the easiest tip yet. Consider a potluck: encourage everyone to bring a side dish or dessert while you make the main and just a few sides. You can have your grand holiday dinner with the help of your own guests! This could be a fun idea as everyone can share their favorite part of what makes up their perfect dinner for the holidays. A fun way to use this tip is to have everyone bring a bottle of wine from a different country and go around the world! Or bring their local brewery!
