There’s nothing like a satisfying traditional Sunday dinner; I love when Phil makes one. Although they can be costly, if you do the right planning, they can actually be done without stretching the budget. Today I have a guest post from Stephanie with her top budget tips for making Sunday dinner.
The good recipe never gets old. Surprising an entire family with fine meal after a long and tiring day will come up as an excellent solution for making it all worthwhile. Of course, as Sundays are traditionally for family gatherings, making a fine Sunday dinner and inviting closest family around dinner is something that should be part of every family’s routine.
If you ever run out of ideas for a fine meal, make sure to bookmark and regularly revisit our recipe list on this page here. In this article, we’ll just stick with neat tricks that will ultimately save you a buck or two when preparing everyone for a fine family Sunday reunion (around the dining table).
Spend Wisely
Decent meals need proper ingredients. From a vast experience of preparing meals that you already have, I bet that you know by heart what ingredients are essential for a dinner you’re about to make.
However, it is true that lots of people end up overspending when they find themselves shopping in the nearby grocery store. Whether we are impulsive shoppers by nature or we simply get drawn by product placement, discounts, or some other marketing trick – somehow we always end up spending more than we initially planned for.
If you want to prevent this from happening, the good strategy calls for making a groceries’ list prior we even begin our journey to the supermarket. If you’re struggling to suppress your consumerist habit, sticking to pre-made shopping lists is what will keep you disciplined.
Learn to Manage Leftovers
Ahhh, that beautiful knowledge of managing leftovers. Honestly, how much food ends up in your trash can 24 hours after a family dinner? The bigger the number of family members, the more food will remain after the feast.
So, one of the main things you will need to take care of when deciding what to prepare for your Sunday dinner is will you be able to freeze food leftovers and use them some other day? Or will you be able to make another meal out of the remaining food?
If you learn how to do that, you’ll end up saving much more than you used to.
Stay Informed With Possible Discounts
Given that you are already subscribed to the newsletter of the local store chains, you might want to optimise your budget a bit by planning to cook and serve what’s on discount currently. For instance, it’s not really necessary to include strawberries if it’s not their season, isn’t it? You don’t want to spend a fortune on buying frozen goodies.
Despite sticking to buying seasonal fruits and what’s available and affordable at a given time, there are some little things that will benefit your budget to a great extent when they add up. For example, not overpaying just for the packaging will do it most of the times.
By saying this, we mean that you should perhaps restrain from buying sliced meat in the fancy packaging if the price difference is unjustified. Instead, try being your own butcher for once.
Last but not the least, be aware that there are many many other options and alternatives for the products you wish to buy. If something is cheaper doesn’t by default mean that it’s of lower quality. Don’t be hesitant to try out different producers.
I am a military spouse and travel and food blogger. I’ve lived in nine homes in the past ten years due to Uncle Sam. Read more about me, our lives as a military family and our travel suggestions at Military Travel Mama
