Christmas dinner on a Budget

When you think about a Bajan Christmas meal, you think about something expansive. The ham, macaroni pie, sweet potato pie, vegetables, chicken, fish, turkey, all the salads and the desserts. Don't forget the Great Cake and Danish Butter cookies. We wanna be completely unable to move from the table when we eventually finish our gorging.

While this time may bring up some definite health concerns, that delicious spread can get quite expensive, especially if you're feeding a large family. In fact, some people can spend up to $2000 just on groceries for the two or three days that the meal will last. Wow, that's ridiculous! So how can we cut down on this? Here's how.

Great Cake

Make a plan

Plan in advance each dish you will be making and write down all the ingredients that you will need and in what quantity, especially if you're feeding a lot of people. This can give you an idea of how much money you will need to spend, where you can cut your spending and allow you to start budgeting for it.

Shop early

During the Christmas season, the demand for food products like ham and others can drive the prices of relatives cheap items way up. Let along, if you find yourself shopping on one of the last days, you may not even find a ham left in Barbados among the holiday shopping rush. Shop early to save yourself the hassle.

Cut down on meat

Ham

Honestly, you don't need to have ham, chicken, turkey, fish and beef stew all in one meal, no matter how impressive you want your Christmas meal to be. Try using one to two meats to cut down on your gas usage, cooking time, waistline and your spending. You can also try using tasty meat alternatives like beans and peas to make the same dishes cheaper and healthier.

Each person bring a dish

Sweet Potato Pie

If you're having the annual Christmas dinner with your entire extended family, try asking each person to bring their own dish to the party. This stops you from having the spend it all to feed everyone and saves you money.

Use your left overs

Ham Cutter

What is Boxing Day without a ham cutter? Use your leftovers for your meals during the rest of the week to avoid having to buy food from elsewhere. You freeze some up to three months and you can even have a repeat for New Year's.

Christmas is a joyous time, but you don't have to ruin your joy by overspending and worrying what to eat by January. Follow these tips to have a happy and financially healthy Christmas.