Budget Friendly Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning for the Holidays 

BY AMY BERGMAN

Happy November! We are revving up to the holiday season and that means LOTS of gatherings, parties and meals! Have no fear! With a little planning and foresight, we can all take the next few weeks to get everything ready so we can have a stress-free and delicious holiday season that doesn’t cost an arm and a (turkey) leg—lol! I am going to break it all down for you step-by-step. 

First let’s look at and take note of this year’s holidays on the calendar:  

 Thanksgiving, Thursday 11/23

 Hanukkah- 12/8-12/15 (First night: Thursday, 12/7, Last night: Thursday, 12/14)

 Christmas- Eve: Sunday, 12/24, Day: Monday, 12/25

 Kwanzaa – Tuesday, 12/26-Monday, 1/1

Now, you should also note when your child/ren’s school has winter break or when older kids will be home from college. Think about how this all affects YOU. Will you need to take some additional vacation or PTO days to allow for prep time or just to enjoy the company of others? If so, make those arrangements or put in those time off requests now. Remember to also think about “recovery” time for yourself after a holiday. Also ask yourself: Will the kids be home for all the meals/snacks every day during break? Will you need to pack lunches? Will you be traveling and need to purchase food or snacks to take with you?

The next step is to think about who will be visiting and how often you will be serving or hosting others in your home and how many out of home obligations will require you to bring something you make or buy.  Below are some examples of such things. Use them to start making your meal or item prep list. 

 Family Meals (Festive Dinners, Brunches, Cocktail Parties)

 Visitors

 Parties you are attending

 Work gatherings/Holiday parties

 School Functions

 Group Functions (Book Club, Committees, Block Parties)

Now that we know the when and who, ask yourself, what about their special needs or dietary requirements. It’s important to know any restrictions now, as this will also help you decide on what recipes you will be making and the ingredients you will need to purchase. These dietary restrictions may include: Lactose Intolerance, Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivity, Vegetarianism, Veganism, Kosher, Keto, Diabetes, Dairy-Free, Low Carb, and various Food Allergies (Most Common: Wheat, Nuts, Fish and shellfish, Eggs, Soy).

Now we are ready to actually plan out the holiday meals, choose the recipes we want to make, and finally purchase the groceries we will need to make the meals. When it comes to recipe selection, choose meals that guarantee you with leftovers–they’re the gift that keeps on giving. Pick recipes based on common ingredients. This starts with looking at what you already have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Shopping your home kitchen can help you decide on recipes and avoid wasted food. This is the money-saving aspect of meal planning in full effect. An example of this would be ground beef for taco night that could also be used for meat sauce on Italian night during a busy weeknight like during winter break when everyone is home. And finally, plan to cook things your family really likes. Ask everyone for their top three favorite dinners or lunches and see what they have to say. Now that you have some idea of what you want to make and when, before you head to the store, consider the below list of suggestions on how you can save money and time.

Use Your Slow Cooker

Eat Less Meat

Make Lots of Eggs- great for any meal and easy to make ahead

Use Seasonal Produce (think apple & pear-based pies)

Build Your Shopping List (and stick to it)

Buy in Bulk, Shop at Costco/Sam’s Club/BJ’s. (Share a membership with a friend/family)

Overlap Ingredients 

Use Your Freezer

Buy Generic

Choose recipes that call for frozen vegetables

Cook Turkey parts instead of a Whole Turkey

Buy Potted Herbs at Grocery Store for the Season (instead of the small containers)

Buy Milk at the Drugstore, not the Grocery Store (usually cheaper)

That’s it! Those are the all the steps you will need to keep it all organized and to save some money in the process. This holiday season will not only be stress-free and budget-friendly, but delicious as well! Finally, my gift to you is my Holiday Meal Planner to keep track of all your meals and ingredients. We can do this together, and I look forward to sharing even MORE holiday hacks on Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks, follow me so you don’t miss anything!

XOXO, Amy

Amyzing Spaces provides professional organization for your home & office! Amy Bergman is a professional organizer serving Palm Beach County who has always had a passion for organizing & simplifying things in life. She would love to help you make your space Amyzing!!! Check out her website at www.amyzingspaces.com, and you will see how she works with her clients to organize spaces in their homes & offices, creating systems that work for them so they can achieve more calm in their space and be even more productive & efficient with their time.