I decided to do some shopping for the holidays on a budget and get a few gifts along the way.
Budget? Holidays? Not possible right? Wrong!
I am always on a budget maybe obsessively so. Its OK I know it’s true.
The reason is I like to live well and share with my friends good meals and the best gifts I can give during the holidays. That does take a strict budget and knowing ahead of time where I will spend my money and on what.
The first thing I do is decide what to make for Christmas Dinner.
The first thing I do is decide what to make for Christmas Dinner.
Christmas Dinner is a big event for me and deciding what kind of meat to have for the main course is what will determine what else I will serve for the rest of the meal.
So I ask myself what will I make? Will it be Turkey or perhaps Ham or maybe something else. Decisions Decisions!
I have a routine where holiday meals are concerned I don’t make up my mine until I watch the food network holiday shows for both
recipes and inspiration for my Christmas dinner.
I did have several shows to choose from where I could compare the recipes because there is a trend on all the shows toward one type of meat and what the that chef does to prepare the meat and what side dishes and desert they choose to put with the meal.
This year my meal inspirations came from the Hungry Girl and Sandra's Money Saving Ideas.
Once I had decided what to serve it was time to make a list from the ads and go shopping.
As if by magic is that grocery stores seem to promote and put on sale the same or similar items that had been shown in the Christmas Shows on the Food Network .
So I ask myself what will I make? Will it be Turkey or perhaps Ham or maybe something else. Decisions Decisions!
I have a routine where holiday meals are concerned I don’t make up my mine until I watch the food network holiday shows for both
recipes and inspiration for my Christmas dinner.
I did have several shows to choose from where I could compare the recipes because there is a trend on all the shows toward one type of meat and what the that chef does to prepare the meat and what side dishes and desert they choose to put with the meal.
This year my meal inspirations came from the Hungry Girl and Sandra's Money Saving Ideas.
Once I had decided what to serve it was time to make a list from the ads and go shopping.
As if by magic is that grocery stores seem to promote and put on sale the same or similar items that had been shown in the Christmas Shows on the Food Network .
Is it a lucky coincidence this happens? No of course not we know better than that its called marketing of the best kind.
This year the meat promoted on the Food Network was Pork. That’s fine with me. I am an admitted pork aholic so I was happy that would be my dinner of choice this year.
I looked at the ads for the various grocery stores and made my list for the Christmas dinner I now planned to make.
I looked at the ads for the various grocery stores and made my list for the Christmas dinner I now planned to make.
Sure enough this year pork and ham were the meats of choice. Who would have though right?
After looking at all the sales I decided that Aldies offered the best deal for the dinner I planned to make for Christmas.
Every Wednesday they have a dinner deal for a low price that includes the meat and all the vegetables and seasonings in a dinner package.
It always reminds me a little of the meal deals offered on Wednesday at Price Chopper. The only difference is Price Chopper cooks the meal and Aldies has a ready to prepare meal that you make yourself.
Since it was Christmas and I wanted to prepare dinner for my friends myself.
After looking at all the sales I decided that Aldies offered the best deal for the dinner I planned to make for Christmas.
Every Wednesday they have a dinner deal for a low price that includes the meat and all the vegetables and seasonings in a dinner package.
It always reminds me a little of the meal deals offered on Wednesday at Price Chopper. The only difference is Price Chopper cooks the meal and Aldies has a ready to prepare meal that you make yourself.
Since it was Christmas and I wanted to prepare dinner for my friends myself.
Aldies special was a beautiful four pound pork roast that includes potatoes onions and carrots already cleaned and ready for cooking all for a bargain six dollars and would serve four people. I am sure some people passed up the deal because Alides made a mistake by calling it a crock pot meal. Its just a suggestion they make for preparing the meal not an absolute. You can prepare your meal anyway you wish because it still had to be cooked.
I decided to make a glazed pork roast with herded roasted potatoes and added sweet potatoes and a Yukon gold potatoes to the red potatoes included in the meal deal as one of the side dishes because all I had to buy to accomplish this was thyme from the dollar store.
Because family tradition is important to me I like to include something that was part of my family dinners growing up so decided to make my grandmas apple sauce.
Grandma only made two things is all the years she was alive. One was red chicken noodle soup and the other this recipe for apple sauce. It is so simple to make all I had to do was beat an egg white stiff and fold into apple sauce and add some cinnamon for flavor.
I would make homemade biscuits from Bisquick and the main course was complete.
Next it was time to plan desert. I decided to make low cal pineapple upside down cake because a lot of what I needed for the meat glaze and desert could be used for both making the most out of my purchases. For example the juice from the fruit for the upside down cake would serve two purposes. The juice from the cherries and the pineapple combined with a little brown sugar and mustard would make the glaze for the pork.
The pineapple upside down cake is only a hundred and eighty calories a slice. This also was a good value because it used applesauce instead of sugar. I bought a large jar of applesauce and it served two purposes for dinner and desert making it a very good value as well.
I decided to make a glazed pork roast with herded roasted potatoes and added sweet potatoes and a Yukon gold potatoes to the red potatoes included in the meal deal as one of the side dishes because all I had to buy to accomplish this was thyme from the dollar store.
Because family tradition is important to me I like to include something that was part of my family dinners growing up so decided to make my grandmas apple sauce.
Grandma only made two things is all the years she was alive. One was red chicken noodle soup and the other this recipe for apple sauce. It is so simple to make all I had to do was beat an egg white stiff and fold into apple sauce and add some cinnamon for flavor.
I would make homemade biscuits from Bisquick and the main course was complete.
Next it was time to plan desert. I decided to make low cal pineapple upside down cake because a lot of what I needed for the meat glaze and desert could be used for both making the most out of my purchases. For example the juice from the fruit for the upside down cake would serve two purposes. The juice from the cherries and the pineapple combined with a little brown sugar and mustard would make the glaze for the pork.
The pineapple upside down cake is only a hundred and eighty calories a slice. This also was a good value because it used applesauce instead of sugar. I bought a large jar of applesauce and it served two purposes for dinner and desert making it a very good value as well.
Dinner was planned and it cost me approximately seven dollars and fifty cents.
That averaged out to a dollar eighty eight per person. That made me happy because not only was I feeding my guests well it also would only cost me only about two dollars per person for this special dinner!
That averaged out to a dollar eighty eight per person. That made me happy because not only was I feeding my guests well it also would only cost me only about two dollars per person for this special dinner!
Christmas dinner is not the only thing that has to be considered this time of year. Nest I had to plan breakfast for the day after Christmas for my guests that would be staying over and other guests who would be coming over to exchange gifts.
I decided to brewed a fresh pot of coffee and then slice up some oranges and then make poached eggs with homemade hash made from the pork and potatoes from Christmas dinner. Then finish the meal with the leftover homemade biscuits and serve them with butter and marmalade.
The homemade hash is easy to make and is a real bargain. All I had to do was take a cup of the cooked pork a a quarter of the potatoes and onions and add a diced red pepper and I then will had everything I needed for the hash.
The only thing I needed to buy for breakfast is the oranges. Even at a dollar an extra large and juicy orange.
I would need only two oranges for breakfast because once you cut up two oranges it makes a large dish that everyone can help themselves to when they are eating breakfast.
This breakfast will impressed even the fussiest of my friends and cost only a couple of dollars to make and served four people.
The homemade hash is easy to make and is a real bargain. All I had to do was take a cup of the cooked pork a a quarter of the potatoes and onions and add a diced red pepper and I then will had everything I needed for the hash.
The only thing I needed to buy for breakfast is the oranges. Even at a dollar an extra large and juicy orange.
I would need only two oranges for breakfast because once you cut up two oranges it makes a large dish that everyone can help themselves to when they are eating breakfast.
This breakfast will impressed even the fussiest of my friends and cost only a couple of dollars to make and served four people.
We all buy special gifts for our loved ones but there are others you like to give a little something to as well.
Myself I have two neighbors I share a small homemade gift with this time of year and I always want to give my best friend and my boyfriend something a little extra and homemade from the heart that they would enjoy.
I decided to bake something for them. I didn't want to make cookies. Everyone makes Christmas cookies. No it had to be something I could that would be affordable and enjoyable for all I would give this homemade gift too.
Myself I have two neighbors I share a small homemade gift with this time of year and I always want to give my best friend and my boyfriend something a little extra and homemade from the heart that they would enjoy.
I decided to bake something for them. I didn't want to make cookies. Everyone makes Christmas cookies. No it had to be something I could that would be affordable and enjoyable for all I would give this homemade gift too.
That was when inspiration hit when I saw an ad with a coupon for Nestles Chocolate Chips. Decision made! I am going to make Bark!
I already have Walnuts in the pantry and only need the chips and some mint candy. I found Andies mint candy chips at Aldies for under two dollars used my coupon for Nestles chocolate chips that were already on sale and bought peppermint candy at the dollar store.. While at the dollar store I pick up four small metal tins decorated for the holidays and headed home to make their gifts.
What I like about bark is almost everyone loves chocolate and bark is so easy to make! It took one about fifteen minutes to make the bark. No cooking just melting the chips and topping the bark with nuts or mint. How much easier can that be?
The total for these homemade gifts were ten dollars. The best part was that I had extra left over for me to enjoy as well!
Everyone was thrilled when they got the bark. I was able stayed on budget though out the shopping and cooking this year.
How much better can it get?
I hope my ideas help you out this holiday season.
Remember nothing written in stone.
Think outside the box and add your touch to make your budget work for you.
That is part of what living well on a budget is all about don’t you think?
Remember nothing written in stone.
Think outside the box and add your touch to make your budget work for you.
That is part of what living well on a budget is all about don’t you think?
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