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Holiday Meals on a Budget · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to Talking Facts.
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  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized award winning podcast is hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello and welcome to Talking Facts.
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  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
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  I am your host,
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  Mindy mccully Extension Specialist for instructional support with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  My guest today is Doctor Nicole Huff,
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  assistant extension professor for family finance and resource management.
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  Welcome Nicole.
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  Hi,
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  Mindy.
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  So today our topic is hosting holiday meals on a budget and I love this topic.
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  First of all,
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  because I like holiday meals and second of all because I like to save money.
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  So I hope that this is a topic that our listeners will enjoy as well.
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  And I should mention that it is also the topic that you are featuring in November's Moneywise newsletter.
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  So we will link that at the end of our show notes and our listeners can go back and get more information if there's something that they want to learn more about that we talk about today.
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  All right.
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  Sounds good.
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  So let's just kick this off with holidays.
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  They're here.
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  I can't believe it.
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  It's 2022.
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  It seems like it was just 2021.
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  How did we get here?
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  I'm not sure,
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  but the holiday season is definitely just right around the corner.
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  Um,
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  and I am like you,
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  I like to uh eat and I like to host and I love the holidays.
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  Um but I also um my wallet is feeling the pinch of just inflation and how everything is going up the cost of goods and services.
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  And so I'd imagine that those rising prices of groceries are probably on the minds of many Kentuckians as well.
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  Um Especially if they are tasked with hosting those holiday gatherings.
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  And so I have a few tips that I hope that our listeners can,
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  you know,
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  put into practice uh to save a little money if they're hosting.
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  And the first is to plan ahead.
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  I know it sounds like a,
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  I know it sounds like a common sense thing,
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  but so many times we don't,
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  we go to the grocery store and then we make our list.
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  And so when we,
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  when we do that,
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  we can't see,
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  you know,
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  what is in our pantries?
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  Do we already have something in our freezer that we can use?
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  Do we already have this seasoning or this spice um or something?
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  In our,
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  our freezer spice cabinet or pantry.
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  And so when we make a list ahead of time of those recipes that we want to make.
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  The list of ingredients we need.
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  We can shop our home first and then when we go to the grocery store or we place an online order,
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  we are prepared with just what we need and,
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  and the more we can plan ahead,
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  the more we can take advantage of those sales and comparison shop.
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  Oh,
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  I love that tip because that is where we spend a lot of money.
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  That spice cabinet can be very expensive.
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  So one of my favorite tips is to hit the discount store for those,
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  those spices because you can really save a lot of dollars.
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  Now,
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  our nutrition friends might say check the date and I,
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  and I definitely agree with that because spices aren't forever items,
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  right?
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  They do go bad or not.
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  They don't go bad but they lose their potency.
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  So do check the,
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  the ex expiration date,
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  but you can definitely save some money if you look at the discount stores for um uh of your spices because they will jack up that,
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  that bill very quickly.
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  So let's talk about some other shopping strategies.
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  What should a host?
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  Keep in mind when shopping for um their holiday meals and gatherings.
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  Yeah.
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  Well,
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  I think you,
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  you started with this tip for discount stores.
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  And so part of that is just shopping intentionally.
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  Right.
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  Is this something that we only need once a year?
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  And again,
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  do is it still good from the last time we bought it or we,
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  that's how we wind up with,
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  you know,
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  14 jars of pumpkin past spice in our,
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  in our cabinet.
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  And so when we,
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  when we plan ahead,
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  we can also shop intentionally.
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  So that gives us time to look at store mailers or websites um and use mobile apps and,
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  and even social media pages.
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  Um Many times if you follow your favorite stores,
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  um you know,
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  I always encourage people if you know the two or three stores in your area that you shop.
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  And so make sure you're subscribed to their loyalty programs that you are reading their mailers and then you take advantage of technology.
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  And so when we shop online,
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  if we place a pickup order,
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  it'll allow us to control our costs because we can see what that tally is much easier than if we're in the store.
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  And so we can comparison shop for ingredients.
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  If you know,
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  if that's important to us sales,
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  we can look at at cost and really take advantage of the deals.
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  And so,
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  but the same thing goes,
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  you know,
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  and,
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  and shopping online can also help us avoid those impulse by throwing things into,
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  into our cab into our carts.
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  But if you are shopping in the store,
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  I would encourage you to do the same thing.
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  Take your time don't go in your rush so that you can,
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  you know,
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  whether it's with a calculator or just a,
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  a running tally on a notepad,
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  um,
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  or if you bring in a calculator and you mean business,
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  right?
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  Or if you use the calculator on your phone,
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  but pay attention to the price of the items you're putting in your cart shop wisely and then keep up with your running total,
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  you know,
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  but always,
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  um with shopping intentionally,
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  it is taking advantage of discount stores.
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  Um It may mean that you get some of your ingredients,
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  one place and other ingredients another.
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  But uh if you are strategic with your errand running,
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  so you're not wasting gas running all over town,
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  but that you are intentional,
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  you know what you can save,
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  you know,
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  what items you need and you know,
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  where is the best uh deal uh to get those?
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  And my tip is to shop alone.
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  Yes,
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  because other members of my family tend to add to my cart without my knowledge.
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  Absolutely.
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  I have three.
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  And if I take any one of them to the grocery store,
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  I wind up with all kinds of things.
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  Not in my budget or on my grocery list.
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  I understand.
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  I know um that I like to spread the wealth,
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  as I say,
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  or share the tasks,
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  putting together a meal and spread the cost as well.
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  Uh hosting potluck.
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  So,
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  is this a good way to save a little bit of money in the holidays.
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  Yeah,
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  it can be.
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  Especially,
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  you know,
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  Pollocks kind of went by the wayside a little during COVID.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  if you are hosting your friends and family and these are people that you interact with and,
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  and that is,
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  um,
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  safety.
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  Of course,
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  we always want to be safe when we're preparing dishes.
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  And,
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  um,
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  and I'll let our food safety,
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  people speak to that.
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  Um,
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  but,
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  but if you're hosting friends and family in your home,
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  delegating dishes can absolutely be a,
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  a good way to keep costs down.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  even,
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  um,
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  you know,
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  if it's not just the food,
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  if you delegate someone to bring the ice or the plates or the,
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  the napkins,
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  um,
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  the,
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  the drinks or the sides.
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  So if you ask everyone to sign up to bring something,
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  then it shares that responsibility,
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  which can reduce your stress.
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  It will also help reduce your cost.
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  Um,
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  and then,
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  you know,
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  in that,
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  look for ways that you can just simplify the sides because while the food is important and we all want a tasty meal,
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  you know,
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  most people would agree that it's that,
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  that fellowship,
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  that the laughter,
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  the time,
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  the memories that are most important.
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  Those are the priceless things.
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  And so you can save money by not doing,
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  for example,
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  a green bean casserole,
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  just do some green beans,
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  right?
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  It'll save us calories and cash.
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  So look for ways to simplify your sides and then you delegate those dishes to save you some,
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  some money.
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  And some time when I'm delegating,
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  I like to encourage people to bring their own,
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  take home containers so that I don't have to try to figure out how to get my items back.
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  Um,
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  and they don't have to remember what comes back to my house.
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  So that's one of my smartest tips that I learned a long time ago from my mom.
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  So as we wrap up today,
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  what's a last money saving tip that you can offer our listeners?
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  Yeah,
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  it,
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  you know,
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  we have over um the pandemic,
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  we had to learn how to be creative.
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  So we had to put these uh twist on our traditional celebrations and I would encourage you to continue looking for ways to do that.
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  You know,
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  there is no rule that says you have to serve turkey on Thanksgiving.
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  So think about creative alternatives that could maybe become your new tradition.
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  And so choose your meals and your meats and,
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  and your themes based on what fits the needs and preferences of you and your family and your guests um what fits into your budget and also not just being creative with meals,
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  but also with the times that we meet.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  if you host your holiday meal earlier in the day,
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  for example,
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  many breakfast and brunch uh items are,
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  it's just cheaper to make.
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  And so they can be a new tradition that you could do nothing.
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  So you have to serve a,
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  a five course dinner.
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  Um Yeah,
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  and so if we meet earlier in the day,
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  it gives us more time to gather together to make some memories,
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  you know,
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  maybe that friendly game of football out of the yard or,
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  or,
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  or card games in the house.
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  And so there's other low cost ways,
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  but it'll also help cut down the cost of our meals.
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  I love all of these ideas.
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  And as we said,
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  at the beginning,
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  we will link the money wise newsletter in the show notes.
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  And you've also suggested that we link plated up recipes in our show notes as well.
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  If people need ideas for new twists on their favorite holiday traditions,
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  uh We can give some ideas for different recipes there as well.
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  Thank you,
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  Nicole for joining me today.
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  I think this will be a fun new twist for holiday traditions.
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  Thank you for having me,
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  Mindy.
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