Holiday Ideas for the Family
It's that time of the year again when the leaves begin to fall, the air gets a little chilly and people start to feel a little nostalgic. It's time for the Holidays!!
Because I was raised with a family of 6 on a military budget, sometimes the holidays were on a very tight budget. Also, because I was raised as a military child, we always had a few guests at our table for the holiday meals. Most of the single men and women in the military are so far from home and have no one to share the holidays with. My parents always made it a tradition to include several of those men and women in uniform to every holiday meal.
With that tight budget, came some very creative ways to have a wonderful holiday! I wanted to share a few of our family's budget friendly holidays and share some from other people on the internet.
1. Make everything from scratch.
Believe it or not, it actually costs LESS to make everything from scratch. Avoid the store bought mashed potatoes, gravy, pre carved turkey......... Just make it yourself! Do the number crunching and you will see how much money you will save by making it on your own.
2. Stick to a budget.
I know. I know. It is SOOOO hard to go into a store and buy the items you need with out the distraction of finding everything else you MAY need. (at least it is for me, anyways) Write out a very detailed shopping list and stick to it.
3. Trade a few things with friends.
I have a friend that is a domestic Goddess. I - unfortunately - am not. Don't get me wrong - I am a good cook, I just choose not to. So, from time to time, we do a trade. Because her and her husband are empty nesters and my hubby and I are empty nesters, it just does not make good sense for us to cook for ourselves. She will make a meal and drop half of it off to me and I will buy the groceries for her to do that. Win - Win. So, why not do a trade with a friend?
4. Go Potluck!
Invite friends and family and have each one bring a dish. Not only will it save you a lot of money, it will save you a lot of time AND everyone gets to try each other's dishes. You will also have a very large variety of foods to choose from.
5. Keep it simple.
I'm sure you have been to fancy shindigs where the menu includes items like Turkey Roulade and Rocotta stuffed bacon wrapped dates. I mean, really? Who eats that stuff. And what is Roulade anyways.
One of the many reasons Americans love the holidays is because of the traditions. In our family, a traditional meal includes Turkey (plain ole turkey from the oven), mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, mac n cheese, broccoli cheese casserole, sweet potato pie, corn and pies, pies and more pies. You see, we aren't fancy schmancy. We just like to eat our comfort food.
So keep it simple. You will save money on extra ingredients that you may never use again and you can ensure everyone will eat it!
Now, let's look at decorations.......again, you've probably been to those homes where everything is set out like a Better Homes and Gardens center fold. Let's face it - that's not real life. So, unless you are living with Martha Stewart, don't go there. What do you have around the house? Pine cones? Fall leaves? Pull out some of those fancy wine or champagne glasses you use maybe once a year and see what you can do with it. Here are some great pictures below that I found on www.midwestliving.com
Be Creative! Have fun! Make memories!
