Affordable Food Serving Options That Everyone Will Enjoy For The Holidays
The holidays can get complicated when it comes to dinners and the food you serve if you don’t plan carefully. This means it is important for you to find affordable food serving options that will help you cut costs.
The good thing is there are plenty of tips out there that you can easily implement into your dinner. Keep reading to learn about the following six tips that will easily help you easily prepare financially to avoid holiday debt, while still allowing you to enjoy your Christmas dinner.
Use These Six Affordable Food Serving Options Right Now
1. Cut Back On Appetizers
Most gatherings during the holidays include many family favorite appetizers. However, the truth is you don't need so much when it comes to the appetizers. Cut back to one or two appetizers if you are planning on serving a big main course meal.
One appetizer idea would be to have a holiday-themed charcuterie board. They are popular now and you can make an impressive spread using cheaper deli meats, fruit, vegetables, cheese, nuts, crackers, and anything else you can think of.
2. Get Creative
Creativity can make up for a lack of cost and still have the look and feel of an expensive meal. One creative idea is to do a chili charcuterie spread. The chili is in a crockpot with all the side items like cornbread muffins, cheese, onions, and jalapenos, displayed on a board.
It's a highly affordable meal that offers a fun, festive look. If chili isn’t something you and your family are interested in, there are plenty of ways to get creative with your holiday dinner.
3. Calculate Your Portions
Professional caterers and chefs calculate portions to manage food costs while home cooks tend to prepare an overabundance of food. The typical portion should be 1.5 portions of each food item per person.
Some less popular items can be portioned less while others portioned more. Calculate your recipe quantity according to the calculated portion numbers. It will cut your buying and costs by as much as 50 percent.
4. Go With Cheaper Substitutes
Everyone would love to have a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner, but you could save money with a pot roast or bottom round. Go with green beans instead of asparagus and use a cake mix instead of buying a fancy holiday cake.
The important part about the holiday dinner is sharing a meal with the people you love. This means finding cheaper substitutes that are still tasty won’t be a big deal to the people at the table.
5. Cook More Casseroles
Another way you can make your dinner more affordable during the holidays is through a casserole. Casseroles are easy, cheap, and stretch far in servings because you can make them with a variety of money-saving ingredients and still come out with a tasty meal.
Putting them into your holiday meal plan will make everything more affordable. You can even use some leftover ingredients you have in your pantry, so you don’t even have to shop if you already have enough items.
6. Make More Pasta Dishes
Everyone loves pasta, and different kinds of pasta can make meals interesting. The good thing is that pasta is cheap, and it’s a good way to stretch a meal because you can add things like some affordable meat like chicken or pork, some vegetables, and a sauce to make the pasta a full meal.
Add a yummy salad and bread and it's a full meal that can come to less than $7 per person, depending on what you add to the pasta dish. Just make sure you are shopping for the least expensive pasta you can find.
What If I Need Money Over The Holidays?
Regardless of how much you plan, emergencies can happen where you could need some fast cash over the holiday season. One option you have is to come to see us at Southwest Title Loans to get our title loans or to get our registration loans. Title loans have a maximum amount of $15,000 and you need a driver's license or state-issued ID, a clean title to your vehicle, and the vehicle available for an inspection to determine if you qualify for approval.
Registration loans are for those who are still paying for their vehicle and can’t get a title loan. This loan has a maximum amount of $200 to $1,500.
Those seeking this loan need a valid Arizona driver's license or government-issued photo ID, an Arizona motor vehicle registration in your name, an active checking account in your name, and a valid social security number. With either loan, you get to keep your vehicle if you are approved.
Anyone wanting either of these loans can start by filling out the online inquiry form on our website. The form is sent to a Southwest Title Loan store close to you and a loan representative will call you to explain the process.
From there you can set up a meeting to meet the representative in person so they can assess your items and determine if you qualify for approval. If you get approved for either loan, you can get the money either on the same day or the next bank business day.
Find Affordable Food Options This Holiday
While spending money on food can get expensive if you aren’t careful, there are affordable food-serving options that your family will still love. So don’t ruin your holidays by going into unnecessary debt!
Use these affordable options instead! Remember, if you run into an emergency and need quick money, Southwest Title Loans can help you get a title loan or a registration loan right now. Fill out the online form on our website to begin.
Note: The content provided in this article is only for informational purposes, and you should contact your financial advisor about your specific financial situation.
