5 Ways To Save Money On Holiday Entertaining

The holidays are right around the corner and while this season can be filled with fun, family, parties, celebrations and gifts, it can also be a time of financial stress as well. With family in town, extra meals to prepare, and lots of holiday baking going on, we use to really go over our usual grocery budget during the months of November and December. Between what usually ended up being a close to $200 Publix trip before Thanksgiving and another couple hundred dollars spent on our annual Christmas party, we quickly realized after our first year of marriage that we needed to plan/budget better for holiday season grocery spending.

If you entertain a lot during the season an/or play host to family and friends, it may not be possible to stay completely within your normal grocery budget (for us that is $80 a week for all household purchases). But it is possible to spend less by planning ahead and shopping smart. Here are a few of the things we start doing as early as the beginning of October to make our holiday meals and parties more affordable.

#1: Plan Your Menu Ahead Of Time

This may seem like an obvious thing to do but what I am really talking about is planning weeks, maybe months ahead. You don't have to get crazy with the specifics but it is good to know what meat, sides and appetizers you plan to serve because you can then purchase items when they are on sale and/or have a coupons. Do you serve Turkey every year on Christmas day? Then maybe purchase one the week after Thanksgiving and stick it in your freezer for later. We always serve Cheesy Potatoes at our Christmas party each year so when I see them BOGO with coupons at Publix in October I grab the four bags I know I will need and save them.

Things like chips, salsa, mixed nuts, sodas, baking supplies, and more can be purchased even a few months in advance when you see a great price and saved for holiday entertaining. Buying ahead not only saves you money because you bought on sale but it can also be rolled into your weekly shopping budget so that you don't have to spend so much out of pocket right before the event. Have to buy everything the day before a dinner or party means that you have to pay whatever full price is at the time and that can add up fast.

Obviously certain things like fresh produce and some dairy products can't be bought too ahead of time but buy saving on other menu items you will hopefully free up some of your budget to purchase those things week of.

#2: Use Money Off Total Purchase Coupons ($X/$XX)

Many of us already use coupons like the $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons from Enjoy the City booklets but the holiday season brings lots of these coupons. Target ads, Publix ad, drugstore ads and other grocery stores will often run money off total purchase coupons around the holidays. Most of these coupons are usually for when you purchase a certain dollar amount but many times that dollar amount is for your total before coupons which means that your out of pocket can still be lower than the total requirement minus the money off.

Publix also allows you to stack a Publix money off coupon with a competitor money off coupon too allowing you to save even more. With many of us making bigger than normal grocery trips during the holidays it won't be too hard to hit the $50-$100 total purchase price before coupons that many of these require. I love to use these on items like meat and produce that don't often have sales or coupons to help bring down the cost of those items.

#3: Save On The Basics

You may not be able to find everything you need for holiday meals on sale or with a coupons. Specialty ingredients, fresh items, wine and beer aren't often discounted so you probably will have to end up paying full price. So help offset the cost of these things, I try to save on the basics.

Saving on paper products, dry goods, household items and toiletries can free up cash to be spent on other things. If you are having house guests, it is even more important to stock up and save on these kinds of items so you don't end up having to run out on Thanksgiving morning to the only store open in town to pay full price for toilet paper or toothpaste.

Since paper products are easy to store and don't have an expiration date so you can stock up as early as you like if you find a good sale. I actually buy all my disposable plates, napkins, cups and silverware for our holiday party the year before when they are on clearance. I pack them away with the holiday decorations so that when I take things out to decorate, I just put those paper products in the pantry and don't have to spend full price on them before our party.

#4: Visit Different Stores

Even though I am guilty of doing the majority of my grocery shopping at one store (Publix), when shopping for holiday parties I try my best to get to a few different stores. It is unlikely that everything you need will be on sale/with a coupon at one grocery store. I try to plan out my shopping using the current sale ads for a few stores (for me its usually Walmart, Target and Publix) and then attempt to grab the best deals at each store. Planning ahead (tip #1) really helps with this.

Store promos, money off coupons, BOGO sales and clearance racks vary from store to store. By taking advantage of the best deals in each store you can maximize your budget. Since most traditional holiday items go on sale at least once sometime during November or December, shopping a few different stores will help you make sure you catch the sale.

#5; Look For In Store Promos

Gift card deals, items with purchase deals, and "Buy Theirs, Get Ours" promos are much more common during the holiday season. Be sure to take advantage of these when the occur on items you need.

Target is famous for offering $5 and $10 gift card deals or "Buy This, Get That FREE" year round but they seem to really pick it up in the holiday months. Publix occasionally has a promo where you get their brand item for free when you buy a name brand. Last year their had this promo with items like chocolate chips, condensed milk and other baking items which was great because I was able to stock up for some holiday baking at half the price.

Often these store promos may involve hard to coupon items like meat, deli items or produce. And for other types of items you can usually combine store or manufacture coupons with the deal to make it even better.

What are you favorite tips for saving money on holiday entertaining?

Want to learn more about couponing? Check out the posts below!

What Do Couponers Eat For Dinner?

Monday's dinner: Roast Chicken, Potatoes & Salad.

One of the biggest criticisms of couponing is that people feel that couponers don't buy "real food" or actually show the foods that they use to make their meals. While I can definitely see why someone might feel that way especially if all they knew about couponing was from Extreme Couponing, that really is not the case.

Even though I consider myself to be a "realistic" couponer I still get comments on my weekly shopping posts about what do we eat for dinner, do we have a balanced diet, ect. While we do occasionally eat the frozen pizza or frozen lasagna most of the times we make simple and fresh meals using what we have on hand. 

Keep in mind that most couponers (myself included) have a stockpile of basics and all the spices, oils, seasonings and other meal components that can add up if you have to run out and purchase them everytime you find a new recipe.

Although you see all of my recipe posts which are all made with things I buy during my featured weekly shopping trips, I am going to try and do a post once a week showing a full meal we ate and link to the shopping trips in which eat part was purchased. Hopefully this will show how it is possible for couponers to eat things other than frozen and processed food. 

Click on each menu item to see the shopping trip where it was purchased. We also had plenty of chicken left over for lunch too : )

This Monday we had:

 

 Salad with crasins, feta and balsamic dressing

A whole oven roasted chicken with potatoes with seasoning and a little shredded cheese

Healthy Choice Dessert Bars

What kinds of meals have you made lately?

Light & Easy Feta Dip

I love dips. All kinds of dips. Specifically cheese dips. Have you checked out my Swiss Cheese Bread Dip? Talk about one seriously intense cheese dip. This Feta Dip is like Swiss Cheese Bread Dip's lighter, more refreshing and much less artery clogging cousin.

When I saw this dip on Pinterest via Cooking On Clover Lane, I was worried that compared to the cheese dips my family is use to (among others would be Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip and Velveeta Salsa, really light sounding huh?) this dip would be too bland or mild tasting. I was so wrong.

I was in a pinch for an appetizer to bring to a dinner party this weekend and the weather was so hot that I could not fathom turning on the oven or stove top. I also had lots of feta on hand from some great couponing sales so I decided to give it a try.

With only four main ingredients and about as many simple steps to making it, you can't mess this dip up. It was so light and refreshing and went perfectly with the summer weather and white wine. I took the original recipe creator's advice and made sure I used Cavender's Greek Seasoning and good fresh bread to serve it with and I really think it made all the difference.

What's so great about this dip is you can use the bread slices in a variety of ways. You could go the civilized route and use a utensil to nicely spread some of the dip on your bread slice. Or you could use our preferred method and use the bread slice much like you would a chip to scoop up dip or even fold it in half and use it to "grab" some of the dip. See demonstrated techniques below:

Pretending to be civilized.

The scoop and the grab methods respectively.

However you choose to eat it, this dip is something you will be making again and again throughout the summer and the rest of the year. It has only been three days since I first made it and Justin is already asking me when I am going to make it again.

Feta Dip

• 1 package of crumbled Feta Cheese (I used Athenos traditional)
• 1 large fresh tomato chopped/diced (I think you could used canned in a pinch)
• A bunch of green onions chopped
• Fresh or dried basil
• Greek Seasoning (I stuck with the original Cavender's)
• Olive Oil (I used extra virgin)
• 1 fresh baguette 

This seasoning really does make a difference!

1.) Wet your serving dish with olive oil. You will want a light layer that completely covers the dish. Then add your chopped tomatoes, layer the chopped green onions and feta on top of that.

2. Lightly season with Cavender's and then gently combine everything with a fork making sure the olive oil is completely incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. I went light on the seasoning at first and then added more to taste.

3.) Top with fresh basil and some more chopped green onions for color and presentation. Serve with thinly sliced pieces of fresh bread.

Enjoy!

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Fiber One Bites {2 WW Points+}

This week I found myself facing two small but never the less annoying problems. 1.) I never have time to sit down and eat breakfast/cereal. 2.) I still have six boxes of Fiber One cereal left over from a great money making deal on it awhile back.

In an effort to free up some space in our kitchen cabinets, I have been trying to find ways to use/eat Fiber One without actually sitting down and having a bowl for breakfast. Combine that with some inspiration from my No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bites and Fiber One Bites were born!

I was a little skeptical of my own idea to begin with but I was pleasantly surprised with how great these little guys came out. Don't get me wrong, Fiber One Cereal is great but I wouldn't consider it dessert. By incorporating it into the peanut butter and honey recipe, you lose the bland taste while keeping all of the vitamins, whole grains, and fiber.

These are just sweet enough without going over board and even though they look more like dessert since they only have 2 WW points+ each (according to the recipe builder tool) and lots of fiber to fill me up, I wouldn't feel too bad having a few of these for breakfast. They would make a great afternoon snack too.

I sprinkled a few mini chocolate chips on some to give them a fun little twist (2 WW Points+ is figured without the chocolate chips) but you could also add anything you like to them to give them your own personal flair. Some ideas: dried fruit, coconut, granola, oats, or anything else you like.

Fiber One Bites original recipe from Couponing & Cooking
Makes 24 pieces/servings, 2 WW Points+ each

• 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I used crunchy but you can use any kind of nut butter you like)
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 2 Tablespoons of Canola oil
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (helps it to stick together)
• 3 cups of Fiber One Cereal (I used 2 cups of Honey Clusters and 1 cup of Caramel Delight)
• Any other mix ins or toppings you would like

1.) In a sauce pot on medium heat, mix together peanut butter, oil and honey. Heat and stir until completely combined.

2.) Turn off heat and stir in marshmallows. They should start to breakdown after a minute or so. They don't have to be completely combined.

3.) Take of the burner and stir in cereals (and any other mix ins) until completely combined.

The two types of cereal I used.

All mixed up.

4.) Lightly grease a mini muffin tin (helps them to come out easier after they cool down). Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop fill the mini muffin tin with the cereal mixture. You could also form it into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Top with mini chocolate chips or anything else you like while they are still warm and before you refrigerate.

5.) Refrigerate for two hours before removing them from the pan and/or eating them. I store mine in an airtight container in the fridge to keep them fresh and firm.

Enjoy!

On a side note: I am in no way affiliated with General Mills or Fiber One. I just happened to be able to get the cereal for free plus overage a few months ago and needed to start using it.

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Fresh Takes Pasta Bake

As a couponer, it is great to be able to get a certain product for free or really cheap with coupons. Whenever I can get an item for free, I like to stock up on as much as possible within reason as long as I am not clearing a shelf. Many times I donate items like this but other times we keep them on hand for our own use. 

If you are a couponer, than you may have a fridge full of Kraft Fresh Takes from the last few weeks of Publix sales and deals. While I love using them for their intended purpose (breading chicken and fish), we have been trying out new ways to cook with them. When I saw this sun dried tomato spaghetti from Cozy Cakes Cottage, I knew it was something we could work with. 

What to do with a fridge full of Fresh Takes?

Justin and I love easy pasta dishes and this meal is as easy as it gets. We adapted the original recipe to use what we had on hand and the Fresh Takes made for a perfect crunchy topping that only added to the flavor of this pasta. This pasta seems like it could be adapted to use whatever you have at home and want to throw on in.

On a side note, I am in no way writing this post in any connection with Kraft Foods nor am I being reimbursed in anyway for using this product. I just happen to have close to 15 packages of them that I got for free with sales/coupons and needed to start making some room in my fridge/freezer : )

Fresh Takes Pasta Bake

• 1 package of spaghetti (we used whole wheat because it's what we have on hand)
• olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded/chopped up ( I had a bag of left over shredded chicken in the freezer and I just used that)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (we used low sodium)
• 1 cup milk (I used almond milk, again because it's what we had)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (we just used the kind in the bag that were BOGO at Publix a while back)
• 1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or any kind you like)
• 1/2 the package of Kraft Italian Parmesan Fresh Takes (or any blend you prefer)

1.) Boil spaghetti to al dente, drain and set aside. I toss it with a little olive oil so it doesn't dry out or stick together.

2.) In a large sauce pan, melt butter and then stir in flour and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in broth and milk. I also added my frozen, shredded chicken to reheat in while I brought the mixture to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture thickens up.

At first, I thought it was too thin but it thickened up quickly.

 3.) Stir in peas and sun dried tomatoes (or any other veggies of your choosing).

4.) Add spaghetti to the pan and toss until completely coated. Transfer mixture into a lightly sprayed baking dish.

5.) Top with shredded cheese. Then top with Fresh Takes mixture until completely covered.

I went a little lighter on the cheese but feel free to add as much as you like : )

Topped with the Fresh Takes mix of cheese and breadcrumbs

6.) Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and nicely crispy.

Try to let it cool down before you dig in.

Can you tell we liked it?

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***