It’s easy to get carried away with the holiday season and overspend. However, the thrill of giving nice gifts and hosting large parties is fleeting in comparison to the stress of having to pay for it all later.
You can avoid debt and keep your spirits up long after the holiday lights have gone out by planning ahead of time, saving money, and sticking to a budget. So, how can you save money while hosting the holidays? In this blog post, we will learn about it in detail.
1. Take Advantage of Pre-Holiday Sales
Almost every week, grocery stores announce their impending sales. Some foods have a long enough shelf life to make it through the holidays. Other foods can be frozen without affecting their taste or quality.
Some grocery stores will also lower the price of vegetables before they go on sale.
This is why avocados may drop from $2 to $0.85 a pound. The store wants to make as much money as possible before throwing away the entire bushel.
Determine what day of the week your store restocks its produce. Prices are frequently reduced a day or two before the shelves are restocked. They don’t want old produce mixed in with the new.
2. Purchase Seasonal Foods
When food is considered “out of season,” you will likely spend more money. This is due to the fact that it must be shipped from further away. Companies must recuperate their shipping costs, as well as any food that goes bad during transit.
Purchasing food that is in season reduces the cost of transportation from the farm to your table. It also has the advantage of being “fresher.”
3. Choose Store-Brand Items Over Name-Brand Items
Name brands are often market leaders for a reason. However, sometimes this is just because the brand is more well-known. And, in many cases, off-brand things are just as good as, if not better than, name-brand items. However, we pay extra for name-brand items.
If you want to save money, you should consider purchasing store-brand items rather than name-brand foods. According to Consumer Reports, buying store-brand goods over name-brand goods can save you an average of 25%.
4. Plan A Potluck Supper
In the United States, the average Christmas dinner will cost $150. You can save a lot of money if you ask others to bring a dish or assign dishes to guests.
Is it more expensive to make three dishes than one? Asking others to cook a dish might be an inexpensive way to share the workload without putting undue strain on one person.
If you’re not comfortable asking for help, ask a friend or relative to prepare a dish they’re known for. Every family has a relative who is well-known for a certain cuisine. Whether it’s a traditional holiday ham, cranberry sauce, or stuffing, in many cases, those people don’t mind being praised for their culinary skills.
5. Saving Money While Hosting Holiday Parties
Cooking a complete holiday feast may be quite hard and stressful. You don’t want to work so hard that you’re too tired to enjoy the meal with your family and friends.
Wrapping Up
Certainly, these ways will surely help you save money while hosting holidays, and you can invest your saved money and more. To know more about it, visit Heritage Financial CU today.