Some Holiday Hints reposted

From November 2008

I just wanted to share some holiday tips from over the years here at Cindy's Tips and Hints.

More holiday tips...

So the holidays are coming and your thinking HOLY MOLEY how am I going to get a dinner cooked inexpensively...I mean you did so well on shopping the clearance aisles and using up you MY Points. Now you dont want to blow the budget on a huge dinner.
So what's a gal to do (or guy if your the cook in your home) Here are a few ideas...
*Think outside the box...who says you have to have ham or turkey for the holidays, watch your meat sales and buy on sale steaks, or roast. Also dont forget holidays are when all the turkeys are on sale, so buy extra if you cannot forego that turkey dinner
*Think Angel Food, it is available in most states and our local newspaper had a blurb this week, that this month's box was a holiday box..check them out, they are available in lots of areas, and for those areas where there isnt Angel Food, there is a program called SHARE that does the same thing basically.
*Think of volunteering in a homeless shelter..Offer to help, they usually allow the volunteers to have a meal too...but there is so much satisfaction in helping, it wouldnt matter if they did offer you a meal or not
*Think of potluck, all of us have friends or know people who do not have family, organize a big potluck dinner, with everyone bringing a dish.
*This one may be a stretch for some people, but think *wild game* last year we grilled venison ribs along with the steaks (bought in a Angel food box) Perhaps you dont hunt, maybe you have a friend who does, who would share some game.
*Do not forget Bent and Dent stores, they often offer lots of the canned goods you need for your dinner at much reduced prices, also Dollar Stores carry lots of food items very inexpensively, and watch at your regular grocery store, they have clearance carts..
*Perhaps your a young family starting out...a roasting hen is plenty for that...watch your sales papers
* Speaking of watching your sales papers, DO watch them because many stores offer programs where if you spend a certain dollar amount during the months of November and December you get discounts on turkeys or hams...so save those reciepts.
*Lastly, just enjoy the time you have with your family, play family games, take a family walk and look at the gorgeous foliage, just realize your family is the most important thing about the holidays, enjoy them.