Budget for the holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays should be a special time for families to be thankful for the many blessings they have received and for gathering together to enjoy each other. Sometimes we tend to let the decorations, food items and gift giving get in the way of enjoying this special time with family and friends. Before you and your family members start making your wish lists, it would be a good idea to set a budget for food, decorations and gifts. Once the budget is decided upon, you can plan how to manage that budget and who will be in charge of each specific task.

Food is a major expense associated with the holidays. By the time you factor in the cost of a ham or turkey, side dishes and desserts, you can easily spend a few hundred dollars, especially if you have a large family. However, there are ways to save money on your holiday meals. Whether you shop sales or simply shop smart, you can save cash. I have already begun to notice the sales ads and coupons in the newspaper. Most manufacturers use seasonal coupons, which mean they offer dis- counts on the most popular foods during that specific time. Canned foods and prepackaged or convenience foods often have coupons attached. The coupons will continue running until Christmas. There are also a variety of “couponing” apps available if you have a cell phone or other electronic device.

Take advantage of the sales offered by our local grocery stores. Most stores order more holiday items, but want to get rid of them before the holidays pass. Those particular foods are much harder to sell after the holidays, because consumers have eaten more of those foods than normal during November and December.

Discount and warehouse stores are an excellent place to find low-cost holiday foods. Warehouse stores let you save on items you need for the holidays and beyond. The trick is to only buy what you need and what you will use. Buying a case of mushroom soup for one dish of green bean casserole is a waste of money. But if you use that same soup for dips and other casseroles, it might be a money saver. Be a smart comparison shopper before you go to the store. Look at the unit price, and only buy items with a price per unit cheaper than you find at your favorite grocery store.

If you don’t want to be responsible for preparing the whole meal for the family, then have a covered-dish meal. Offer to make the main course, and have family members bring the side items. If they are traveling a long distance, let them use your kitchen when they get there or they can bring the extra plates, ice and napkins.

Keep decorating and gift giving simple. Try being crafty this holiday season and save some money. You pull out decorations that your kids and grandkids made at day care and school and display them yearly. They have much more sentimental value than anything you could buy, and they enjoy looking at them, too. Gifts for family members are also more meaningful if they involve your children.

Happy holidays! For more information or to schedule a program locally about financial management, nutrition, health & wellness, parenting education or OHCE, contact Janis Risley, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator at the OSU Cooperative Extension Service in Sequoyah County at 918-775-4838 or at Janis.risley@okstate.edu.