Once upon a time, your wallet was full and life was a joyful thing!
Then next thing you know, the trees sure did show, it's Fall again.
Well joyous that is, pretty colors everywhere, yards are haunted by ghouls.
But god help us now, November has hit and our pantries must be stocked! Or less the guest will complain...
So a-shopping you go, spuds and birds do flow into your cart again.
But oh and behold your bill is in the hundreds for just ONE MEAL!
And now the wallet does scream, at this light feeling and your eyes start to water...
Because the Holidays are here and your broke again, how will you afford this again?
Hehe, I hope yall liked that, its actually a free hand poem I did on the spot last year... After the my tragic wallets demise... I can assure you, my wallet and bank accounts weep as my credit company parties every holiday...! Im sure a lot of you have the SAME issue! So, how about I share a few tips and tricks I googled and brainstormed to help lighten that nasty blow?
1. Go out to eat!
No, really. Go to a buffet! Theres plenty open. It'll be 10-15 a person but its less expensive then $200 to feed 3-5 people! Have you seen the price of a ham? Easily 10-20 bucks a pound! The turkeys aren't much better then that either!
So if your looking to entertain multiple people, why not consider a buffet? Each person can chip in abit for the tip atleast, theres no clean up for you, the food is endless and theres options for MORE then just Thanksgiving, free refills, and PLENTY of room unlike in your 5 by 5 apt "dining room/kitchen/bedroom/living room/hall way"!
So if you don't mind a big bill at once, why not hit this route? It can be just as traditional and is a lot better then reheating a "Meal" from a local store!
2. Start Saving.
This goes 2 ways. One, you save money. Two, you save Food!
Lets start with Money.
We all know its expensive to celebrate and be human. But is it better to put away 5 dollars here and there then to put back 500 in one month? Ya, I thought so.
So I suggest you first start by Making a few "jars." These should include but not be limited to: Thanksgiving, Swear, and Pick-Me-Up Jars! Im serious on that last one, by the way.
First the Thanksgiving jar. Plan to put 5-10 dollars a week in it. Its not much now but it'll add up FAST!
Next the swear jar. Set a "Small" amount for this one and don't exclude the kids or crabby parents from it! Every swear you say, put a dime or something in the jar! This will teach not on you but everyone else that its not a cool thing to swear, but instead its REALLY costly!
Last jar (I suggested anyway!), The Pick-Me-Up jar! Every week empty your pockets and drop those few bucks, pennies and dimes right in! This will help you learn to save your left over cash instead of thinking "Hey, I got 5 bucks. Imma go get a Milkshake!"
Now, you DO NOT TOUCH these jars or the cash in them. Instead you save it.
So, saying you've been doing it for a year straight, lets do the math!
Thanksgiving jar, averaging a GRAND total of $40.00 a month by 12 months you've made around the bouts of $480.00! Did that few bucks a week hurt you? Not too bad. Did it help you? HELL YA!
Next, swear jar. Lets say your hitting atleast 5 biggies a day at .10 cents each in 365 days. Canceling out the big math and averaging, your $180.00 a year, now aren't you? See how much that swearing is costing you and the family? Well now you've learned abit of a lesson and its time to spend it on your holiday prepping!
LASTLY! Pick-Me-Up Jar! This is my favorite, tehe. Assuming you've got about 10 bucks a month in change from the pennies you've found, extra cash you find in the cushions, or just cash you take out to keep yourself from spending it. Your pushing the 120 range about now! That's over 100 smackers! Ain't the idea of buying yourself something real nice for $100.00 better then getting a extra shake each week? Personally, I say yes! That's a few console games, nearly a years worth of my sub payments on WoW (world of Warcraft), or a new pair of boots and some nice jeans! Now in that stressful part of the year, aint that a nice Pick-Me-Up? Ha!
Okay, okay, im ranting on the money! But option two is effective too!
Now, you know those people that buy in bulk and like the sales? They aint crazy! You see canned foods and boxed goods have a VERY long shelf life. But they really stay just as fresh 5 years down the road from that too! But you don't need it to last that long.
Now, after the holidays you'll see all the holiday stuff on sale. This is the BEST time to go buy your canned yams, canned cranberry sauce, extra gravy packets, dressing, boxed potatoes, the works! Pretty much everything but milk, the bird, oinker, and anything you make from scratch.
True the bird and oinker are the more costly part of the meal and half the bill but with freezer burn, I wouldn't wanna chance ruining a huge turkey and wasting 30 bucks to save 10 dollars next thanksgiving. But hey, that's a personal choice, but I didn't recommend it!
A side note: You can wait for a lot of this to go on sale. Unless its only common on the holidays (pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and yams especially) then you can hold off and stretch that bill over the course of several months!
Heres the kicker: No matter how clean you are no one can escape the bugs. So make sure you keep your boxed goods somewhere safe, dry, and away from any rodents. Don't forget about, but don't dip into it either! Try and check on it once a month.
Canned goods... Hide them with a note in your pantry reminding you what you got and where it is for next year. Trust me, its fiiiinnneee!
Lastly...
3. Don't celebrate (humbug!)
Really, you want to save money? Then just skip it! Sure you'll be a Grinch and your life will be abit duller, but hey? Your saving money!
And with that, I call this season OVER! For this year atleast! ;3
Until next time, darlings!
~Wolf
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