Planning A Christmas Menu On A Budget

With Christmas just around the corner, I'm sure you have all been very busy decorating your home and Christmas tree with special ornaments. Table runners, candles and Christmas lights can also bring the festive feeling to your home.   A couple of months ago I  started planning my Christmas Day menu too. Although I want this special day to be perfect, it is so easy to go overboard with the food.

Providing two meats, a couple of salads or roast veggies and two or three desserts is all that is needed to satisfy the hungry souls at your table. The more you have to choose from, the harder it is for the eaters to choose. How to fit it all on the plate ? There is only so much you can eat at one meal and many people travel from table to table ( family home to family home ) in one day.

Also, the more you provide, the more likely you are to be left with leftovers for a week. To avoid gastro,  food should be refridgerated between courses and consumed within 2 - 3 days of cooking. You are less likely to forget what is left in the fridge if it is consumed within a small time frame.

I've cooked traditional and casual Christmas lunches in the past. Here's what I've provided for my guests

TRADITIONAL

roast lamb served in gravy
roast chicken
roast potatoes, pumpkin and carrots
cauliflower and broccoli with white sauce and cheese on top
mint sauce
sticky date puddings in muffin size with caramel sauce, cream and icecream

CASUAL ( BBQ )

rissoles
bbq steaks ( cut into smaller pieces )
sausages
mushrooms and onions
bread stick
green tossed salad
potato salad
pasta salad
plum pudding ( no name ) with home made custard, cream and icecream
mini pavlovas ( home made ) with cream and berries


Both have been hugely successful and everyone is full and satisfied. The casual meal had a lot more leftovers. We just ate salads and sausages for the next two days. The best thing about these meals is that I have most of the ingredients on hand already so there are no grocery blowouts. The only extra expense is the meat and a few veggies / salad things.

Here are some handy hints for cutting costs

*  Grow your own lettuce and salad things.  Lettuce grows all year round in pots or the ground.

*  Buy your leg of lamb in Spring when it's about $6.99 a kilo.

*  Keep a look out for bbq meats on sale at the butcher.  Freeze ahead of time in smaller portions.  It's so easy to pull out the exact amount of meat needed from the freezer.  Less waste and quite often dinner guest numbers are not known until a couple of days before.

*  Spread the workload around and ask guests to bring a plate / dish.  Most people are happy to help.

*  Not everyone likes plum pudding.  Single serve puddings might be your answer to reducing costs and left overs.  I've found no name/ generic brands to be mild in flavour and well received by guests. Making your own could be another option.

*  Buy your bon bons on  Boxing Day at half price.  I always buy enough for a couple of years.  A cheaper option is to make your own from wrapping paper tubes,  wrapping paper,  ribbon,  your own printed jokes and a trinket / lolly.  Making your own costs next to nothing.

*  Snacks like nuts,  dried fruit,  chocolates,  chips,  soft drinks and lollies should be bought ahead of time.  Most of these items are on sale from week to week.  Just check out my grocery specials post every Wednesday.

With some forward planning you can have a fabulous Christmas Day full of delicious food without blowing your budget.

Have you started planning your Christmas Day menu ?

Christmas Stockings For The Whole Family

About five years ago I started giving my girls Christmas stockings with bits and pieces and little treats in them.  This was in addition to their other presents they received from Darren and I.  Although we've never done the Santa thing in our home we do call the stockings " Santa Sacks " mainly because they are red.

Two years after the beginning of the Santa sacks I thought it might be fun for Darren and I to get a Santa Sack each.  With trepidation I bought treats throughout the year for both of us with Darren buying a few surprises for me.  After opening them on Christmas morning I asked Darren if he'd like to do them the following year.  Let's just say he was very excited about the idea and a new family tradition was born.

The size of the Santa sacks or Christmas stockings depends on your budget and the size of the treats you put in them.  I originally started off with small stockings because we were on a limited budget and I bought the treats from the $2 shop.

We graduated to large Santa Sacks to fit in a box of cereal and chips etc.  Last year our budget was tight again so I made up some Christmas stockings from a material panel bought at Spotlight the previous year for $1 a stocking.  It's handy to have a few options and sizes depending on your budget. You don't want a sad looking half empty sack under the tree when a smaller bulging stocking would look the part

Here are some photos of the stockings and sacks we use -

The first two photos are of stockings suitable for lollies

Large Santa sacks

Christmas stockings I made from material panels bought at Spotlight for $1 a stocking.

If money is really tight,  a colorful pillow case would make a wonderful Santa sack.  If you can sew,  a couple of pieces of Christmas material bought on sale before Christmas or at the Boxing Day sales will make a very cheap sack / stocking.


To fill the sack / stocking,  I shop all year round to get the best prices and to make my dollars stretch further.  I check clearance tables in department stores,  op shops,  supermarkets in February / March for stationery clearance sales and  shop the Boxing Day sales.  I also check the shops after Grand Final Day for novelty items, and lollies / chocolates.  Easter Sunday and the following few days are a great time to buy all sort of chocolates and Lindt bunnies and half price.

Checking the supermarket catalogues all year round for half price toiletries and lollies will save you a small fortune.

Here's a list of items I've included over the years depending on the age of my girls and the bargains I can find -

Shower Gel - they tell me their favourites
Razors
Little packets of tissues
Hand sanitiser
Hair ties and clips
Packet of chips
Packet of lollies
Box of fancy cereal
Novelty stationery - note pads,  post it notes,  erasers etc etc
Gel pens
Sticky tape - because they are always borrowing mine
Face washers I fancied up - they asked for them
Drink bottles
Bag of share size chocolates
Mini torch
Colorful sports socks
Thongs
Imitation Van sneakers bought in Big W for $4 ( they were a hit )
Travel mug
Glow sticks
Magazines ( sometimes from the op shop )
Deodorants

For Darren and I I've included -

Bags of mixed nuts in shells for Darren
Flavoured cashews ( and plain )
Lindt balls
Colored socks for Darren
Box of fancy cereal if requested
Chocolate and lots of it ( we are easy to please )
Cookie cutters
Shower gels
Scented candles
Craft supplies
Veggie seeds and garden supplies mostly for Darren
Travel mugs
Lynx deod for Darren
BBQ sauces
Packet of chips
Packet of lollies

I've been able to fill a Santa Sack / stocking on a budget of $30,  $40 or $50 depending on how our budget is travelling.  If you are starting out for the first time or your budget is tight,  have a look in your local $2 shop  or op shop.  $10 or $20 could buy a handful of wonderful treats.

Christmas Table Decoration

Do you ever get stuck trying to work out how to decorate your Christmas table ? Here's a great idea for a decoration that won't cost you a cent.

Find a clear glass bowl or vase that you already have. It doesn't matter what shape or size although you don't want it to take up too much room on the table. 

Fill the bowl or vase with leftover Christmas ball decorations. We took a few from the back of the tree - no one will notice. I used smaller balls to fill in the gaps made by the bigger balls.  If they still have hanging loops on them, hide them underneath.

All our decorations are bought on sale after Christmas and we have lots to spare.  Each year we change the color scheme of our tree.  This year it's pink,  purple,  blue and silver.

I've teamed up the bowl of decorations with a beautiful blue table runner I made years ago.  Add a few silver tea light holders and it's complete.