The cost of groceries has skyrocketed this past year because of inflation. In addition, food companies have resorted to shrinkflation and reduced portion sizes. With the holidays coming up, hosting can be an especially difficult time.
Here is a list of tips to help families shop on a budget so they can avoid financial stress and enjoy filling their hearts, souls, and stomachs with love (and delicious food!) during the holidays.
Get Creative in the Kitchen
There are plenty of ways to make a holiday dinner. Keeping the tradition of turkey, stuffing, and all the fixings may create a hole in your wallet. So instead, aim to get creative in the kitchen.
Redefining your holiday feast doesn't take away the importance of getting together and spending quality time with family. Besides, not everyone likes turkey, and having a variety of dishes may help satisfy the tastes of picky eaters and those with dietary restrictions.
Instead of turkey, roast chicken is a more affordable option. Other creative, frugal, and tasty meals include lentil and rice tacos, chili and cornbread, baked ziti, egg and veggie frittatas, cheesy quiches, sausage and scalloped potatoes, and stew with cheaper cuts of meats.
Limit Processed & Packaged Foods
Shopping in the outer aisles of the grocery can help save you money and improve your health. When you calculate the price per pound of food, buying fresh produce, beans, and grains tends to be less expensive than packaged and processed foods.
If you compare buying a frozen lasagna versus making one from scratch, you'll get a bigger bang for your buck by choosing the latter. Plus, you'll have enough leftovers for tomorrow's dinner.
Buying prewashed bags of salad and precut veggies can shorten cooking time because those are more convenient. On the other hand, buying them without the packaging and washing — and cutting them at home — will do wonders for your wallet.
For mashed potatoes, avoid getting the boxed instant stuff. Grab a bag of potatoes, peel them together as a family, and create a new holiday tradition.
Instead of jars of premade pasta sauces, make your own using canned tomatoes, garlic, carrots, and a hand blender. It's not just cheaper. It's more delicious and better for you too!
Embrace Potlucks
From organizing gifts, writing cards, decorating your home, and other holiday activities, it's a very busy time of the year. Hosting and cooking an entire feast can be overwhelming, time-consuming, costly, and stressful. Don't be a martyr by taking on the burden of feeding everyone on this special occasion. No one ever said you had to do everything yourself.
Instead, share the responsibilities; do it as a team and embrace a potluck tradition. Get the family involved. From mashed potatoes and garlic bread to candied yams, assign everyone a dish. Or let them figure it out on their own. Just make sure only one person is bringing dessert or you might end up having pumpkin pie for dinner.
Bulk Buy as a Group
Buying in bulk is an effective way to save money on groceries. This is especially true for staples that won't spoil quickly such as cereal, rice, beans, and canned goods.
However, not everyone has enough pantry space or an additional freezer to store everything. And the full membership costs of a store such as Costco may not be something you can afford. Additionally, warehouse stores that allow bulk buying may be located far from where you live and paying for gas alone might eliminate the savings.
Therefore, bulk buying as a group works well as a way to save money by sharing these costs. Join forces with another family or two and designate one person every month (or more frequently, depending on your needs) to make the bulk buy trip and gather everyone's list of supplies. Then you can divvy up the goods and split the costs without having to store 30 cans of tomato paste in your bedroom.
Take Advantage of Store Promotions
There is no shame in buying items on sale. Before going to the store, check out its flyer, clip coupons, and make a list of the deals. Meat is often the most expensive part of a grocery bill, so getting a price cut can result in enormous savings.
Sign up for the store's free loyalty programs so you accumulate points and redeem them for more groceries. Try to shop mid-week and avoid weekends. Stores are more likely to put out clearance items and other bargains when it's less busy.
Don't stick to one store because there may be different discounts at other places that you're not aware of. One store may be offering promotions on a particular product that other stores aren't.
Remember to compare prices; some stores offer price matching or price guarantees where if you find the same item at a lower cost at a different store, they'll match or beat the price. That'll help save you a trip to the other store.
Ultimately, sharing a meal doesn't mean you have to break the bank. Holidays are about spending time with family and enjoying each other's company while reflecting on the past year and feeling hopeful for the new year.
