The #Holiday’s for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner. This is the time of year we like to cook and bake more than usual. It’s also when I start watching grocery store sales more closely.
For my family living on one income it’s never too early to start preparing for upcoming Holiday, and no, I don’t mean you need to start Christmas shopping in September. I’m not ready for that either.
But there is something you can start doing right now that could make Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas a little easier on your wallet: Clean out your pantry and freezer and look for the items you will need during the Holidays when you will be cooking more.
The watch for grocery sales. You don’t have to fill your pantry with everything you’ll need for the holidays and you don’t need to make a giant Christmas grocery list today. Instead, start paying attention to the things your family uses every year.If you see something you know you’re going to need later and the price is unusually good, consider picking it up now.
Here’s what I’m talking about Buttercup: Let’s say your family likes cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving dinner. You normally see it for around $2 a can. Then one day you walk into the grocery store and it’s 99 cents.
If you know your family will eat it, you have room to store it, and the cans have a good expiration date, why not buy two? You’re not Christmas shopping. You’re taking advantage of a good grocery sale.
And when Thanksgiving or Christmas comes around and that same item is back at its regular price, you’ll already have it sitting in your pantry. That 99-cent purchase may not feel like a huge savings by itself. But little savings can add up.
As you shop during September, October, and November, start paying attention to the things you normally use during the holidays. Maybe your family makes cookies and you know you’ll need flour, sugar, chocolate chips, sprinkles, frosting, or other baking supplies.
Maybe you serve canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, broth, or other pantry staples. Maybe you know you’ll need drinks, napkins, paper plates, aluminum foil, or other supplies for family gatherings.
You don’t have to buy all of these things months ahead. Just watch the prices. When something you know you’ll use goes on a really good sale, that’s when you can decide whether it makes sense to buy it.
But Don’t Buy Something Just Because It’s Cheap This is important. A sale isn’t automatically a savings if you don’t need the item. If cranberry sauce is 99 cents but nobody in your family eats cranberry sauce, you didn’t save money by buying six cans.
You spent money. The goal is to buy things you’ll actually use. Think about what your family normally serves and what you normally bake. Look at what you already have in your pantry before buying more. And always check expiration dates and make sure you have an appropriate place to store what you purchase.
One thing I really like about starting early is that some of the foods you purchase can work for more than one holiday. Maybe you find a good sale on something you’ll use for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Maybe you find a baking ingredient you’ll use several times between now and Christmas. Maybe you find a pantry staple that your family uses all year. You don’t have to label everything “Christmas.” You’re simply shopping smarter throughout the Fall.
Remember, our Christmas Interactive Gift Guide isn’t asking you to rush out and spend money. We’re preparing. We’re looking around our homes. We’re thinking about what we already have. We’re making activity wish lists. We’re finding creative things to do.
And when we eventually do need to purchase something, we’re going to keep our eyes open for a good price. That’s why I like the idea of starting with groceries. You can begin today without feeling like Christmas shopping has started.
The next time you’re in the grocery store, look at the sales. If something you know you’ll need for Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving or Christmas is dramatically reduced, stop and think about it.
Do we use this?
Can I store it?
Is this really a good price?
Will buying it now save us money later?
If the answer is yes, you may have just made your first little Christmas savings move of the season. And you didn’t have to buy a single Christmas present to do it. Sometimes preparing for Christmas is simply paying attention.
Use this checklist to see what you already have, what you may need soon, and what you can watch for when it goes on sale.
☐ Nutmeg ☐ Allspice ☐ Cloves ☐ Vanilla
☐ Baking Powder ☐ Baking Soda ☐ Pie Crust Ingredients ☐ Other: __________________
☐ Frosting ☐ Sprinkles ☐ Food Coloring
☐ Marshmallows ☐ Nuts ☐ Cookie Supplies
☐ Other: ______________________________
☐ Chicken or Turkey Broth ☐ Gravy Ingredients
☐ Cranberry Sauce ☐ Canned Sweet Potatoes / Yams
☐ Green Beans ☐ Cream Soup ☐ Fried Onions
☐ Mashed Potato Ingredients ☐ Pie Ingredients
☐ Other: ______________________________
☐ Butter ☐ Vanilla ☐ Baking Powder ☐ Baking Soda
☐ Chocolate Chips ☐ Nuts ☐ Sprinkles
☐ Frosting ☐ Candy-Making Supplies ☐ Pie Ingredients
☐ Other: ______________________________
2. _______________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Item: ____________________ Good Price: __________
Item: ____________________ Good Price: __________
Item: ____________________ Good Price: __________
☐ I checked my refrigerator and freezer.
☐ I checked what I already have at home.
☐ I know what my family actually uses.
☐ I will watch for sales on items I really need.
☐ I won’t buy something simply because it is on sale.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
