Go the homemade way
During the festival, people have to stock up on a lot of ingredients. And while it seems easy to just go out and buy them, preparing things at home always saves a lot of money. Mary Mathai, partner in an ad agency, who always hosts a family Christmas lunch or dinner, says, “It might be a little time consuming, but preparing things like butter, and even the entire lunch at home can save a lot of money. It seems like the easier way out to just go and buy the ingredients, but making it at home saves a lot of money.”
Replacing meat
During Christmas a lot of families prepare roast turkey or even curries using red meat. Chef Francis from ITC Kakatiya says that replacing the meat is often cheaper. “Instead of a roast turkey, people can opt for a smaller bird like a chicken. Even when it comes to preparing a shepherd’s pie (usually prepared with beef) or other curries, people can opt for an alternative as well,” explains Chef Francis.
Get innovative
Instead of stressing over expensive sauces, you can always get innovative and prepare them at home or even replace the ingredients. “Cranberry sauce is one of the things that is placed with a turkey, but if you find them expensive, you can look for a sauce made out of any other berry or fruit,” says Mandaar Sukhtankar, executive Chef from The Park.
Buy veggies and fruits from markets
Since people buy huge quantities of vegetables and fruits during this season, shopping for cheaper and fresh produce is the need of the hour. Chef Mandaar Sukhtankar says, “It is a better option to visit a farmers’ market than shop at a supermarket. You’ll get fresher produce and you also get to bargain at these markets, hence cutting down the cost.”
Homemade vs. buying
If you love to distribute cakes or desserts or any other Christmas delights, it is always better to make them at home. But, if you just want to opt for one or two cakes, it is a better idea to just buy them.
Go for smaller cuts
If you still want to stick to turkey or other expensive meat, go for a smaller cut. “Instead of buying a huge turkey, opt for smaller cuts from the bird. Firstly, cooking such a huge bird could be a problem and most people don’t even have the oven that is needed to cook a bird this huge. So the best option to save money would be to opt for smaller cuts,” Mandaar Sukhtankar, Executive Chef from The Park explains.
Potluck lunches
Instead of slogging out and struggling to make each and every dish, it always helps to host a potluck lunch. Mary Mathai says, “My entire family gets together for Christmas, so it can get expensive if one person is cooking the entire dinner. So we always do a potluck. That way each member brings a dish to the table, the costs and effort is cut down and we still have a grand dinner.”
Make your purchases early: During Christmas the ingredients become very expensive, so plan your purchases a little ahead and that way you can save a lot of money.
Make use of the leftovers: If you use a bigger bird, after Christmas you can use the leftovers to prepare a meal. You can always whip up different dishes with a big bird and it can serve as lunch or dinner. Instead of slogging out and struggling to make each and every dish, it always helps to host a potluck lunch. Mary Mathai says, “My entire family gets together for Christmas, so it can get expensive if one person is cooking the entire dinner. So we always do a potluck. That way each member brings a dish to the table, the costs and effort is cut down and we still have a grand dinner.”
Make your purchases early: During Christmas the ingredients become very expensive, so plan your purchases a little ahead and that way you can save a lot of money.
Make use of the leftovers: If you use a bigger bird, after Christmas you can use the leftovers to prepare a meal. You can always whip up different dishes with a big bird and it can serve as lunch or dinner.
