Many holiday foods are starting to go on sale in anticipation of the holidays. The grocery stores want you to shop with the, so they will deeply discount the items that you need for your holiday table. To be frugal, take advantage of these sales and use the items in your cooking throughout the year, making the cost per serving of your regular meals go way down in price.
Here are some of the common holiday foods that you will find on sale and how to use them to save money.
Turkey and Ham
The bigger the better with these foods. The cost per pound usually goes down when you pick larger turkeys and larger hams. What can you do with all of that food? Freeze it of course! Both turkey and ham can be used in several different dishes and meals.
I usually divide it up, storing some as slices and some diced. I can quickly add the diced turkey or ham to crock pot meals, make hot pockets with them, or take out a small amount to feed a child.
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce in a can keeps on the shelf for a very long time. Use it to flavor chicken or even in baking. Of course, you can also keep some on hand to go with some of the turkey that you saved.
Potatoes
Stock up on potatoes and turn a bunch of them into mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes freeze easily, unlike cubed or cut potatoes. Freeze the mashed potatoes in muffin tins, then pop them out and add them to a freezer bag. You can microwave or heat on the stove as many “muffins” as you need for dinner. They can also warm in the crockpot. It is good, quick comfort food.
Take a look at all of the holiday foods out there and try to think of ways that you can incorporate them. You can live the holidays all year long.
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