6 Genius Money-Saving Tips for the Holiday Hostess!

The holidays are fast approaching, which means gifts, parties, extravagant meals, and a New Year’s resolution to stop spending so much money, ironically inspired by the remains of your bank account after all of the gifts, parties, and extravagant meals. The holidays are costly, but it’s absolutely possible to entertain without breaking the bank. These are 6 money-saving tips for the frugal holiday hostess!

Budget by Dish

Everyone knows that the first step to saving is budgeting, but how you budget makes all the difference! This year, plan your spending by the person. Think of it this way: if you were taking your guests out for a holiday dinner, how much would you willingly spend on each for drinks, dinner, and dessert? Would the kids get the same pricey dishes as the adults?

Instead of planning the budget for one grand buffet that you assume will be just enough, determine the cost of each guest and plan accordingly.

Once you’ve set your budget, make a list of all the food, drinks, and ingredients you’ll need for your party and take it with you the next time you take a routine trip to the market. Jot down the prices for every item on your list and add it up when you get home (don’t forget tax) to make sure you’re not going to exceed your budget.

If you find that your budget will be exceeded, make some cutbacks, choose cheaper brands, or use the next money-saving tips below!

Embrace Charlie Brown

Remember? Everyone brought their favorite dish to the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Take advantage of this genius idea and ask everyone to bring a traditional dish or family recipe. Make sure to assign side dishes, appetizers, and desserts so you’re not stuck with 12 bowls of stuffing and 8 pumpkin pies.

More Snacks = Less Food = Less Money

Who can resist a spread of sweet treats, salty snacks, and delectable finger food? While dinner cooks, make sure there are plenty of inexpensive bites available to munch on. This will fill your guests up a little bit before dinner, which means they won’t eat as much, which means you don’t have to buy as much! Offer crackers, cheese spread, soda pop, bread bites. Anything that’ll likely fill their tummies!

Sneaky? Of course not! A good hostess wouldn’t let her guests go hungry while they wait for the main course, now would she? Glorify your snack bar with these tips on how to design and arrange a darling candy buffet!

Buy in Bulk

This one is a no-brainer for saving money. When it comes to feeding many mouths, buying your ingredients in bulk ahead of time can save you loads of money! Below we’ve listed just a few of our fresh, scrumptious products and their price by the pound!

Don’t Overdo it

Unless you like a fridge packed with enough leftovers to last until Valentine’s day, don’t overdo it. Exercise a little portion control and stick to your budget and your grocery list! Buying more food than you need in fear of not having enough is the easiest way to overspend, but you can avoid it by using the tips in this very blog post! Budgeting, providing snacks, and asking everyone to bring their favorite dish will help you stay within your means.

Get Creative

There are plenty of creative, entertaining, and scrumptious ways to serve a crowd on a budget. For example, candied apple bars are all the rage right now! They’re fun, delicious, and cost-effective! Check out our blog post on how to create your own candied apple bar for the details.