Simple Finances

The high cost of just about everything is putting a real damper on Easter this year. Even the cost of eggs that usually drops extremely low this time of year are hovering high. The good news is that you can save money on your family's easter dinner and avoid missing out because of the economy. I run a large household and in that I have learned a lot of tricks to help save money on meals for my family and those tips can be great for helping to save money on holiday meals. Try a nontraditional Easter dinner A few years ago we learned just how unimportant a traditional easter dinner is. I had just been injured and unable to cook, my dad was in the ICU, and with everything closed making sure the family ate was our only real priority. I ended up making salisbury steaks from the freezer section along with a couple of bags of corn and some instant potatoes. Was it fancy? No. Was everyone happy to have a meal and get to spend some time together eating even though it was in a hospital waiting room for the majority of adults in the family? Yes. As more and more families are struggling with the high cost of the ingredients in our Easter Dinners this year I would like to make sure you know that you do not have to have a traditional Easter dinner and you can make what you have on hand because the important part is spending it with the ones you love while they are here to spend it with. How to save money on Easter dinner While most of us held out some hope that the economy would stabilize and prices would drop back down, most of us have resigned that to make the most of Easter dinner we need to plan ahead to handle the rising costs of just about everything. These tips will help you save money on Easter dinner this year so your family can still spend a wonderful holiday together. Make Easter dinner a potluck Easter dinner is one of the best large family dinners to turn into a potluck. Everyone is just so excited for spring and the ability to get together again after the long hard winter. This means everyone is more than happy to chip in with helping bring extra side dishes, drinks, and deserts so the hosts only have to provide the main dish and their favorite dishes that they want to ensure are done the way they want them. Stick to your shopping list It's so easy to see cute Easter treats at the grocery store and get carried away. Instead of spending extra on these things, take the time to make a menu of what you are going to serve and make a grocery list from that menu. Stock it and do not allow yourself to buy extra food just because it caught your eye. Shop the sales ads Take the time to look over your local sales ads in the weeks leading up to easter. This can be a great way to get deals on everything from eggs to butter and even potatoes and carrots to help put together an amazing Easter dinner for your family on a budget. As you go to the store in the weeks leading up to Easter take the time to buy the best deals and stash them for your Easter dinner to save a lot of money. Buy ingredients in bulk Buying in bulk is a great way to save money on a lot of things. When it comes to basics for making your Easter dinner and desserts like flour and sugar you can not go wrong with buying these items in bulk. If you have a membership to places like Sam's Club buy the big package and use that flour to reduce the cost of your meal and stock so you can save money over the next couple of months. Save on your ham If you didn't save ham from the after Christmas clearance you can still get some good deals alongside the Easter sales this time of year. Look for the best price locally for ham and consider getting less fancy cut hams to lower the overall cost. Try bulking up the meal with more sides to make your ham go further. Make dishes from scratch When you cook from scratch you often save money. Compare the ingredients you have on hand and the cost of what you need to make dishes compared to the cost of buying the dishes premade. This is a great way to save money and serve a better quality meal. Things like homemade creamy mashed potatoes taste better and cost less than instant versions.