Enjoy a festive feast this Christmas without breaking the bank
Plan your Christmas dinner menu
Make up a menu plan for the holidays with a clear idea of what you’re going to cook every day and for how many people. Once you have a menu, you can write your shopping list. This will prevent you buying too much, and food going off before you have had chance to eat it and needing to be thrown out.
Shop in advance for your Christmas dinner
Make a list of what you have at home first in your cupboard. Pick up bargains and special offers and freeze or store them, shopping in advance can save you paying these higher prices. Also, by shopping in advance you can spread the costs of your purchases.Â
Buy the right amounts
When shopping for your Christmas meal, make sure you compare the price per kilo to make sure you’re buying the cheapest. Buying vegetables loose tends to be less expensive. Prices of turkey vary, but in general, frozen birds are much cheaper than fresh. If you’re trying to budget your Christmas dinner, you could add bulk to smaller sized birds with sausage-meat stuffing and extra servings of vegetables.
Cook your Christmas dinner yourself
Most of the traditional Christmas foods can be made from scratch for much cheaper than their store-bought equivalents. You can easily make gravy from the giblets, roasting juices, flour, and a stock cube. Stuffing for the turkey can be made from ingredients you already have in your cupboards. Pre-cut vegetables can be pricier than fresh produce so get your family to help with the preparation of the veg.
Replace old Christmas favourites with cheaper alternatives
There are some parts of the traditional Christmas Day meal that we can’t imagine doing without. However, you can substitute cheaper alternatives for some expensive items. For example, you could replace smoked salmon with salmon trimmings to make an inexpensive salmon pate.
Making Bucks Fizz with a sparkling white wine instead of champagne is a good alternative. Why not use cheaper wine to make a fruit punch? Why not buy chicken instead, you’ll find that other meat is much cheaper during this festive season.
Use up your leftovers
If you’ve made a menu and been careful with your shopping list, you’ve probably already have some ideas for using up any leftover food. Online there are plenty of sites which will give you ideas of recipes using the ingredients you have in your cupboards and fridge. If you can stretch the leftovers for 2 or more meals, you’ll have made savings and won’t throw anything away.
Check these link below for recipes ideas
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/menus/budget_christmas_dinner
https://www.savethestudent.org/save-money/food-drink/student-recipes/christmas-dinner-recipes.html
https://www.jamieoliver.com/christmas/collection/
https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/articles/a-mouth-watering-budget-friendly-christmas-menu
