If you are about to start your holiday baking, you know this can mean a hefty grocery bill! Baking at this time of year often involves large quantities or more expensive ingredients, and that can add unnecessary stress to the season.
So before you get ahead of yourself, take into account how much money you have to work with and how to use it best. If you’re making baked goods for lots of people, pick an inexpensive recipe, such as brownies or sugar cookies, and make a large batch that you can divide and present separately. If you stay focused, you can make some great treats and still keep your finances in check. Here are our tips for saving a little $ (and hopefully time) on this fun and festive cooking tradition!
Buy early, buy store brands and store away
The chances of all the items you need for your baking going on sale at the exact moment you need them is unlikely. So if you want to score the best deals, you have to come up with a game plan and get some of your shopping done a little early. For example, butter freezes and thaws very well, so don’t be afraid to stock up when they’re on sale and stow them away in the freezer for later. Other common baking ingredients, such as flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, sugar and molasses, have really long shelf lives, so don’t hesitate to buy them up when they’re on sale. Plus, spreading out the cost of these items over a few months can make the final bill a little more manageable!
Find Multiple Uses for Expensive Ingredients
You don’t want to only use expensive ingredients on one baked good and have the rest go to waste. So either reconsider making a recipe with an expensive ingredient or try and find multiple recipes that work. Also, research to find if that ingredient can be frozen and stored for a later recipe.
Use the bulk store to your advantage
Bulk stores like Costco and Sam’s Club can be huge assets if used right. Many boxed or pre-baked products have high prices and aren’t worth your time, but if you stick to the bulked goods and keep an eye out for sales, you can get some fantastic deals. One of my favorite items I always get there for my holiday baking are nuts. They are usually much cheaper than the grocery store and can definitely be stored in the freezer for use throughout the whole year.
Use what you already have
It can be tempting to try out a whole bunch of different recipes for the holidays. And though there’s certainly nothing wrong with adding some new items to your collection, picking several creations that will need a variety of different tools and ingredients will be tough on your bank account. To save a little money, look for recipes that make use of the devices and ingredients you already have.
Bake from scratch
Rather than starting with an expensive mix or refrigerated cookie dough, find recipes to bake from scratch. They really don’t take much extra time, cost less to create and can be a fun family activity. Plus, then you know all the ingredients that are in your treats and can alter them to fit your particular tastes.
Host a Cookie/Holiday Goody Exchange
This is one of my favorite holiday traditions and can really be one of the best ways to save time and money in the kitchen. Rather than buy ingredients for 20 different kinds of cookies or holiday goodies, consider starting a holiday exchange with a group of friends. You can make just one particular recipe that you bake in bulk and really capitalize on whatever sale items you can score. But by the end of the exchange party, you’ll go home with a nice assortment of cookies for the holidays without all the effort! 🙂
Tags: Recipes
