10 Ways to Plan a Christmas Day Feast on a Budget

This post is sponsored by Woolworths

This year we are hosting Christmas Day for our family – which I’m actually super excited about!  While I’ve been having a great time thinking about ALL the delicious food we are going to enjoy, I’m also very mindful of making sure that we don’t go overboard (hello too many leftovers!) and have set a budget for the day which I’m determined to stick to.

As well as setting a budget, I’ve also been putting some money away each week over the past few months to help ease the burden of our Christmas expenses. I’ve also been saving the points we earn on our Woolworths Rewards Card to exchange for vouchers to put towards our Christmas grocery costs – you can do this easily by logging into your Everyday Rewards account on the Woolworths website. There is enough to get organised and do in the lead up to Christmas without having to also worry about firstly planning and then how much you are spending on your Christmas Day menu, so that’s why I’ve put together this list of easy tips to help plan your Christmas Day feast on a budget.

 

Start Early!

There is already enough rushing around at the end of the year without trying to plan (and shop!) for a Christmas Day menu.  It’s certainly not too early to start planning what you are going to be doing for your Christmas meal and having a think about how much you realistically both can and want to spend.  If you leave things until the last minute, you may find yourself spending a lot more than you need to as you will be feeling rushed and unorganised.

Setting a Budget – and sticking to it!

This is my biggest tip for planning a Christmas Day feast on a budget as, after all, you really need to know how much money you have to play with!  When setting a budget, it’s important to take into account the cost of your ‘hero’ items (Ham, Seafood etc) and allocate a portion of your budget accordingly to them.

Planning your Menu

Now this is my favourite part!  Once you’ve set your Christmas Day budget, it’s time to sit down and plan your Christmas Day.  Of course you can leave some space to vary or change things along the way, however if you have a good idea of what the main components are, you can then start to allocate your Christmas Menu budget accordingly.  If you need some Christmas recipe inspiration, you can find a great range of recipes on the Woolworths website, and of course here on my website too!

Make the most of in season fruit and vegetables

We are so lucky to have such an amazing variety of fruit and vegetables available during summer, so make the most of it and use them in your Christmas Day feast.  Include fresh mango, peaches and passionfruit in your desserts and bulk up your salads with in season vegetables – and don’t forget to by fruit and vegetables from the Woolworths Odd Bunch range too! Not only will they taste great as they will be at their peak, but by buying in season Australian produce you will also save money – and help our farmers too.

Shop from your pantry and freezer first

Before you start writing out your Christmas Day shopping list, take the time to check out what you already have stashed away in your pantry – think things like tinned fruit, soft drinks, biscuits etc which can all be used for your Christmas celebrations.

Spread out the Cost

Once you have locked in your Christmas Day menu and know what items you will need, it’s time to start picking up a few items in your weekly shop each week to help spread out the total cost.  You can now start to buy items with a long shelf life like Woolworths Summer Berry Fruit Mince Pies (our 6 year old’s favourite!), Gold Spiced Gingerbread Pudding (soooo good!!), sauces, soft drinks etc and pop them away in your pantry ready for Christmas day.

Watch for Specials

This Christmas money saving tip goes hand in hand with spreading your costs out.  Keep an eye out for items (you can view specials from Woolworths online) that you will need for your Christmas celebrations and when they come on special, stock up.  Also don’t forget to keep your eyes out for the huge variety of products that now have Woolworths Low Price Always guarantee.

Only buy what you actually need

Now this is something that I’ve really tried to work on over the past few years. It can be super tempting to buy ALL of the things for your Christmas Day meal, after all you don’t want people to be going hungry! However by ensuring you buy only what you actually need, not only will you save money on unnecessary items, you will also help reduce your food waste.

Bring a Plate!

There is nothing wrong with asking your guests to bring a dish or plate of food to your Christmas Day feast, in fact it’s a great way to also get others involved, take some of the pressure off yourself and also save money.

Keep it Simple!

This is sooo important, as after all, you want to be able to relax and enjoy your day too!  Remember that Christmas is all about spending time with your loved ones and you don’t want to be spending your entire day in the kitchen putting together complicated (and expensive!!) recipes. You can inject a little bit of festive cheer into practically any food just by serving it on a Christmas plate or adding some decorations.

 

So there you have it, 10 easy ways to help you plan a Christmas Day feast on a budget. I’d love to hear what your Christmas Day menu budget tips are too.