How can you prepare a holiday dinner on a budget but still impress your family and friends? It isn’t an easy feat, but with a little planning, you’ll hit all the Christmas dinner high notes you need.
I hope all my American readers enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a wonderful meal for well under $100. We wound up feeding 9 people, sending meals to two who were ill or didn’t have family near and still had plenty of leftovers for the week.
The frugal part of me always wants to be selfish with my leftovers and squirrel them away. However, I also know how much it can make you feel cared about when you don’t feel well and someone brings you a plate. I battle my frugality and only-child selfishness with truly caring that others feel loved.
Yet, there is always more than enough to go around, so I should just be generous anyway, right?
What We Ate – What Did You Eat for Thanksgiving?
A recent survey by Farm Bureau found the cost of Thanksgiving dinner rose 20% over last year. The average cost to feed 10 people in 2021 was $53.31 and in 2022 was $64.05. the costs have creeped up steadily in the last few years, putting a pinch on everyone’s pocketbook.
You may spend more or less, depending on how extravagant your menu is and how many you feed. Oyster stuffing, anyone?
How Do You Make a Cheap Christmas Dinner?
One way I saved money was by keeping my menu fairly simple. I wrote it out back in August and started shopping all through September and October to ensure I had what I needed and got it while it was on sale.
- Turkey – Contributed
- Green beans – $5.00 (some onion and strips of bacon added)
- Mac ‘n’ cheese – $2.50 (plus butter and milk)
- Mashed potatoes – $5.00 (could have done them cheaper from scratch)
- Cranberry sauce (my dad likes the canned variety) – $1.67
- Gravy – $1.25
- Rolls – Contributed (a grown daughter brought them)
- Cheeseball – $6.00 (plus crackers were about $2.50 for the box)
- Deviled eggs – $2.00 (including some mayo, mustard, etc.)
- Strawberry cake – Contributed
- Peach Pie – $2.99 (got on sale and froze)
- Keto Eclair Pie – I am not sure what this cost me. I had all ingredients on hand to make the vanilla wafers and such. If I had to guess, I’d say around $4.00 because keto items like almond flour are pricey)
Total cost: $32.91
When you have others pitch in, it helps you out and saves money. They still get a delicious meal for a small contribution. They also get to show off their best recipes.
The Breakdown of a Holiday Dinner on a Budget
Keep in mind that although the meal was $32.91, we fed 8 people plus sent plates to 2 others. We also had enough leftovers for a couple of meals, making the cost around $10 per meal eaten. I could have stretched that more if I’d taken the time to make turkey broth from the bones and leftover meat, but I did not this year.
In the past, I’ve tried to do it all. I would have likely added a ham because me and the youngest daughter prefer ham. However, meat is so expensive anymore that I decided to limit us to one at Thanksgiving this year.
Here are the things I did to keep costs down that you can easily apply to Christmas. We decided since hubby has to work this year that we will be doing dinner out and a movie that day, but if I were cooking, I would do ham. Here is how to save big on your Christmas dinner feast.
1. Host a Pitch In
You could just buy the main attraction, such as the turkey, and ask others to bring the sides. You’ll only have to pay for and cook one thing instead of multiple things, which will save you a lot of cash. My husband’s family has done this for many years and it really helps whoever is hosting.
2. Shop Early
Here at Crabby Housewife, I often preach about shopping loss leaders and stocking up. You can save around 50% on your dinner just by shopping when things are on sale and securing what will keep ahead of time.
Each week, use your list for the holiday meal and check what’s on sale. My family prefers mac ‘n’ cheese from a box (I know, I know). I think it’s just some type of tradition thing started many generations back. I do dress it up with butter and milk but I grabbed several boxes when they were on sale.
Green beans were next and the canned ones we like never go on sale. I started searching prices. I found Sam’s Club had the best deal with a giant can for around $4.50. I grabbed two to get me through Thanksgiving and Christmas. We now are not cooking a Christmas meal, but I’ll use them for something else, like a pitch in or to make a giant meal prep of green beans, potatoes and smoked sausage, for example.
3. Reconsider the Cost of Dishes
Do you usually make Twinkie Cake but are tired of spending $15 on a single dessert? I’m not saying it isn’t worth the price tag, because it always disappears when I take it anywhere. However, it is not a cheap dessert to make.
Instead of Twinkie Cake, could you make an éclair pie with graham crackers and pudding? Think about how to cut the overall costs, especially on the high ticket items.
4. Stick to Your Budget
Back in October, people were fear buying turkeys. The media kept saying there was a shortage and the cost of turkey would be sky high for Thanksgiving, if you could even find one. I warned my family I was not paying $1.78 per pound for turkey when it was $0.59 per pound last year. It wasn’t happening. I pointed out I would make a couple of chickens if necessary.
I think I made my dad scared. He loves his turkey. He called me and said he found a deal at $1.09 per pound and it was their contribution to the dinner. Oops! I didn’t mean to worry him to the point of buying a turkey for me. I felt a little bad about it, honestly, but then again he taught me to be this frugal. LOL
It was a week later that they went on sale for $0.49 per pound at Kroger. I ordered one with my delivery order (I subscribe to Boost and will be sharing about that soon). Well, they were out of the Kroger turkeys and brought me a Butterball instead. Butterball is my preference–just not at $1.78 per pound.
If I had more freezer space, you better believe I’d have a second turkey in my freezer right now. I’m still clearing things out, but that was too good of a deal to pass up and turkey will be delish about February.
5. Don’t Cook Too Much
You want your guests to walk away feeling well fed, but they shouldn’t need someone to roll them out to their cars. I am horribly guilty about always having way too much food. If we have people over and order pizza, I’ll have two large ones left. I am always concerned someone is going to be left hungry. I’d rather eat leftovers for a while than risk someone not having as much of something as they want.
That said, you can save a lot by not overcooking. Pay attention to serving sizes. Caterers will tell you they plan for a 20% overage on serving size. It evens out as some people will eat less and some more. We seem to often pick up a straggler or to send plates to them, so I factor in a couple extra people and it is usually perfect with enough leftovers to get us through a week or so but no too many to eat.
6. Eat Leftovers
Speaking of saving money, you can reduce the overall cost of the food by stretching it across meals. So, some of the dishes I’ve made over the years and shared with you on my social media pages or here on Crabby Housewife, include:
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Freezable Turkey Stock
- Cabbage Stir Fry w/ Turkey (sub shredded for ground turkey)
- Turkey sandwiches
- Turkey noodle soup
- Tetrazzini with turkey instead of chicken
- Turkey quesadillas
In a nutshell, you can sub turkey into almost any recipe that calls for shredded or diced chicken. The flavor is a bit different, but it is still delicious.
7. Act Fast
One mistake I’ve made often in the past is thinking I’ll use all my leftovers within the three or four-day window before it goes bad. The problem with waiting three days to freeze those leftovers is that you shorten how long they then last on the other end.
One thing I’ve done in the last few months to stretch our budget further is to freeze leftovers right away. If I know I’m making turkey pot pie, I’m going to keep half the leftover turkey out and use it, but I’m going to freeze the rest for a future pot pie or whatever.
You’ve cooked for your family for a long time and a lot of meals. You can guestimate pretty easily just how much you need to make a dish and how much can be frozen for a quick meal in the future.
8. Avoid Eating Out
Do you know what I’m really guilty of? The day before I start cooking, the evening after I cook and sometimes several other days, I am worn out from all the preparation, last-minute house cleaning, taking calls from people with questions about the dinner, etc.
I will order a pizza or send the husband for take out. He is quite accommodating about it and it isn’t a good checks and balances for our budget. So, I tried really hard this year not to do this. He offered to take me out to dinner Wednesday night when I’d worked all day and prepped all afternoon (he helped a ton with all the cleaning, thank goodness).
I was quite tempted to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, but instead I told him I would just boil some hot dogs. He had chips for his side and I had some berries. It was simple, but filling. We had all ingredients on hand and didn’t spend an extra dime to eat.
9. Nix Convenience Foods
Yep, I’m guilty, too. My family loves the boxed mac and then I bought premade potatoes this year. Rolls are another culprit in the premade lineup.
The more things you can make from scratch, the cheaper your bill will run you. Pie crusts are expensive. I’m super guilty of buying them premade. They don’t taste as good and they are costly but they roll out so wonderfully perfect. I can’t seem to break the habit.
While I don’t expect you to cook every little thing from scratch, do consider what costs the most and if making it from ingredients rather than a box would reduce the grocery bill burden.
10. Go Non-Traditional
You won’t find a single law that says you have to serve turkey on Thanksgiving or ham on Christmas. You might just start a fun family tradition by having a pasta night or homemade pizzas. Be open to something outside the norm and see how much you can save. Pasta and tacos are both cheap meals.
You could also have guests each bring their favorite soup or sandwich and provide some chips, crackers and toppings such as cheese and sour cream.
11. Donate Leftovers
Perhaps you’re going out of town and you don’t want to freeze leftovers. Reach out to local homeless shelters. Some will send a person to collect leftovers to have on hand for those staying there or stopping in for a hot meal. Different centers have different rules so find out what they are ahead of time so you can donate as much of your leftover food as possible.
Someone might as well benefit from your cooking. I hate wasting food, so anything I can do to use it up I will. Helping others is a beautiful bonus.
Some Things Are More Important Than Money
What is a good menu for Christmas day? It all depends on what your family enjoys and what you can afford. Remember the holidays are about spending time with those you love. Although saving money is a worthwhile endeavor, don’t sacrifice family over it. Imagine if I hadn’t bought a turkey and one of my family said they weren’t coming to dinner? Was it really worth it to die on that hill and not see someone I love? Absolutely not.
While my family tends to laugh at my eccentricities and this wasn’t an issue, my point is that you shouldn’t sacrifice important traditions or being with those you love over saving a few dollars on a ham or turkey. Grit your teeth, buy the thing, save a bit on other things and make the most of every leftover so you get your money’s worth. Have a very Merry Christmas! Happy cooking.
