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I think my brother and his wife are coming to us which I can cope with. The Christmas Day meal is another expensive headache. What do you guys do to stretch that food budget without looking cheap to your visitors?
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I was reading how to spice up a cheap ham, Splash. If that's what you're going to get, this could help shave some costs from the holiday feast.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6048266/how_to_spice_up_a_cheap...
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Why not ask your brother to bring part of the meal with them, Splash? They could supply the dessert. :)
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Why not ask your brother to bring part of the meal with them, Splash? They could supply the dessert. :)
I would! It's fair for every family to share the costs of a very big meal. When we get invited anywhere at the holidays the first thing I ask is what shall I bring. I don't just assume it's okay to come along empty handed. I still save because I'm not making or buying the main part of the meal. You could suggest snacks for later like chips and dip if you want to do the whole meal yourself.
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I saw the cutest selection of dessert and sweet ideas if you don't want to have anything heavy and they were easy too! They would all look fabulous on a Christmas table.:) There's also easy,cheap and goodlooking side dishes there too and it gives you a price per serving.
http://www.allyou.com/food/celebrations/christmas-sweets-00411000070239/
http://www.allyou.com/food/celebrations/easy-side-dishes-00411000069962/
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I saw the cutest selection of dessert and sweet ideas if you don't want to have anything heavy and they were easy too! They would all look fabulous on a Christmas table.:) There's also easy,cheap and goodlooking side dishes there too and it gives you a price per serving.
http://www.allyou.com/food/celebrations/christmas-sweets-00411000070239/
http://www.allyou.com/food/celebrations/easy-side-dishes-00411000069962/
Oh yum! I love roasted vegetables. That picture made me hungry for parsnips and carrots. They would be very tasty and cheap to make, Splash. When I make roasted veg I just spray a little oil on them, salt them well and shove them in the oven.
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Loaves of French bread go far too. If your Christmas is anything like ours, everybody likes to graze all day, before and after the main meal. Buy snacks and they won't notice if the meal isn't huge. Bowls of chips and easy little appetisers like cocktail sticks with pineapple, cubed ham, cheese and cocktail onions on them get them munching.
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That's what we like to do too, greenmachine. Another tip is don't open everything at once or you'll be left with half full bags of chips that end up going stale and getting thrown out or a handful of peanuts.Top up the bowls you have until a bag's finished then start afresh. I used to put out about ten different snacks. Now I keep that down to half that and if they want anything different, they all know they can just ask what else I've got.
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Above all, enjoy the day Splash, just enjoy the day. I don't count how many sides I get or slices of ham when I'm invited over for Christmas dinner. I'm happy to be with people I love and that I'm not the main host! Your brother will feel the same, I bet. :)
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Above all, enjoy the day Splash, just enjoy the day. I don't count how many sides I get or slices of ham when I'm invited over for Christmas dinner. I'm happy to be with people I love and that I'm not the main host! Your brother will feel the same, I bet. :)
You hit the nail on the head there, Savannah. Today I gave myself a telling off for still running around picking up last minute stuff I probably won't need. So I'm done and anything I forgot will be small potatoes. I'm taking tomorrow as a day off when I do nothing Christmas related except watch TV. I'm not giving myself a nervous breakdown over a holiday! It's silly and I hope you all decide to do the same. I want to be rested enough to enjoy the big day.
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Thanks very much for all the help. :) We had a bit of luck. A friend who's a contractor dropped by out of the blue with a very large ham for us last week. My husband had helped him out one weekend when he was in a bit of a bind with staff last summer and he didn't forget that he said. :D That helped very much. Everything should go just fine tomorrow. I hope! LOL.
I make a multitude of cheap sides they can fill themselves up on, like bread rolls and different kinds of potatoes. Mashed and roasted for example are easy and go further than baked. Also have at least three other vegetables. I've never been lucky at getting a cheap ham much.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. - Cree Indian Proverb