Six Tips to Save Money when Hosting Your First Holiday Meal
If you’re hosting a holiday meal for the first time this season, you could be in for a shock at the register. Buying food for a house full of people can really add up. This article acts as a guide to help hosts save money when preparing for their holiday get-together.
Know Who You’re Feeding
You can’t control every little detail of your get-together, but you can find out how many guests are planning to attend your meal, and what kind of food they like. You can decide what your meal is going to consist of more accurately if you know you might be hosting people with specific eating preferences (vegetarians, or vegans), or if any of your guests have food allergies.
Plan Your Meal Ahead of Time
Decide what kind of food you’re going to serve before you go shopping. Knowing what to buy before you go will cut back on impulse buys, and make your shopping trip more efficient. Make a list, and try to stick to it. Make sure to include all of the ingredients you will need, so you won’t have to make a second trip.
Don’t Shop While Hungry
Another tip to cut back on impulse buys is, don’t shop while you’re hungry. You might have a perfect shopping list, but shopping on a hungry stomach could result in more purchases than you initially planned.
Buy in Bulk if it Saves Money
Sometimes, you can get a better deal if you buy in bulk. Since you’re planning to host a holiday meal, this option might make sense. Make sure to do the math before buying to make sure you will actually save money. Sometimes, buying in bulk seems like a good idea when it’s really not.
Buy Store-Brand products
Most of the time, store-brand products are cheaper than name-brand products, but don’t taste significantly different. I’m sure some people would disagree, but if you don’t have a bunch of picky guests showing up, you should be fine buying the cheaper brand.
Coupons and Sales
If you notice any sales going on, or have coupons for some of the items on your shopping list, it would be a smart idea to use them. Coupons and sales aren’t clever tricks to make you spend a lot of money; they’re there to get you into the store. Take advantage of them.
Good luck hosting your holiday meal!
