10 Frugal Kitchen Tips for the Holiday Season

Food and the holidays go hand in hand. So even though our grocery bills have already begun to skyrocket, the closer it gets to the holidays the high the grocery bill is going to go. If you follow these 10 frugal tips in the kitchen this holiday season, you will be happy with the money savings that you see.

10 Frugal Kitchen Tips for the Holidays

Kitchen Tips #1. Plan, plan, plan.

This is the number one thing you can do in the kitchen. I think as homesteaders we tend to be planners fairly naturally as a lot of things we do need to planned out months in advance. Take those skills and apply it to your holiday plans as well. Plan out your menu for the holidays well in advance. Plan your weekly menus carefully leading up to the holidays, too. You can save a lot of money by sticking to a carefully planned out menu. I really enjoyed this video by Kimmy at She’s in Her Apron and maybe it can help you too.

Kitchen Tips #2. Take stock in your pantry and freezer.

Check your freezer and check your pantry. Know what you have in both. Not only will it prevent you from over buying for your holiday meal, but you can also plan out your weekly menu with what’s left in your freezer and pantry. That will cut down on your weekly grocery bill, allowing you to spend money on your holiday menu.

We have some excellent inventory sheets in our Food Pantry Printable Planner in our Etsy shop, click the link to take you right there!

Kitchen Tips #3. Make smart purchases.

Buying in bulk and buying what’s on sale will be huge savings in your kitchen. Stocking up early will help you, too. Adding an extra bag of flour to your weekly grocery shopping here and there isn’t going to be such a big hit on your weekly shopping budget.

Kitchen Tips #4. Make lists.

Hey, Santa does it, so why shouldn’t we? Live with lists: lists of what you have on hand; lists of what you need to get; lists of how much you are spending. Keep them up to date and stick to them. This will be your lifeline in the kitchen, so utilize your lists carefully.

Kitchen Tips #5. Budget.

Set a budget and don’t falter from it at all. Have a budget for your holiday spending and a budget for your weekly spending.

Kitchen Tips #6. Store brand shop.

More often than not, store brand is cheaper than name brand. And here’s a little secret – many of your store brand products are made by the name brand company. So you are literally just paying for the label when you buy name brand.

Kitchen Tips #7. Organize your pantry.

Keep your holiday foods separate and do not touch these items for anything but your holiday cooking. If you figure out exactly how much flour you need, you can measure it out and then what’s left in your pantry is what you have to cook your daily meals with. And if you have something your family might be tempted to attack, then make sure it’s hidden and they don’t know about it. Not too hidden that you forget where you put it, though.

Kitchen Tips #8. Freeze ahead.

Make some of your holiday meals and baking in advance. If there’s a really good sale on potatoes, but you are worried they won’t stay good until your holiday meal, then cook in advance and freeze. Growing or getting pumpkins and making puree and freezing it will save you money for that pumpkin pie you need to make. If you love to bake, most cookies, bars, pies and candies will freeze beautifully.

Kitchen Tips #9. Decorate frugally.

Use what you have at home to decorate with. Make your own centerpiece for the table. Use your kids’ school art projects on your holiday table. Don’t run out and buy a new table cloth; just use what you already have. Revamp it to mask stains if you have to.

Kitchen Tips #10. It’s over! Get started on next year.

There’s nothing better than planning ahead. And taking advantage of the after-holiday sales will save you tons of money. For instance, you don’t have to get creative with your stained tablecloth next year; instead you can buy one during an after-Christmas sale and save tons of money that way.

This is what I have done over the years to accumulate our Christmas decorations! Get napkins and paper plates cheap and store them with your Christmas items. This way when the Christmas stuff comes out for decorating the rest of the house, you’ll find these things and will have a head start on your holiday shopping.

Get a head start on your holiday season and you are going to save tons of money and time this year. So what are your best frugal kitchen tips for the holiday season?

Here are more holiday related tips:

• How to Throw a Fun Christmas Party on a Homesteader Budget.
• Simple Outdoor Family Fun Around the Homestead at Christmas
• Crafty Old-Fashioned Christmas Fun
• Why Baking is Good for the Soul and 3 Easy Holiday Treats the Whole Family will love!
• How to Plan Homemade Edible Gifts from the Homestead
• Simple, Frugal, and Easy Holiday Homestead Decorating Ideas

And don’t forget to pin this for later!