• Plan ahead Start making lists of what you will need and check for prices and sales on non-perishable and frozen items like canned sweetpotatoes, cranberry sauce, flour, oil, sugar and pie crust mixes or frozen pie shells as well as paper goods like napkins and paper towels.

• DIY If you have the time or hands to help, plan on making food yourself instead of purchasing pre-made foods and desserts.

• Group effort If you are having guests over, ask it they can each bring a dish or drinks to help complete the meal. Bread or rolls, side dishes, desserts, beverages… this will help reduce your total cost. 

• Don’t go overboard Some of us tend to go overboard with food and end up with leftovers that never get eaten and become food waste. Focus on streamlining your meal and feature delicious dishes with quality over quantity. 

• Plan for leftovers Keeping food safe after serving by refrigerating and freezing it will mean you can get more meals instead of throwing uneaten food out. Be sure and pick up freezer bags and check to make sure you have enough storage containers. 

  Related Items

  

  Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

  Partner content: Sensationalism and Seed Oils

  These days there’s a lot of negativity about “seed oils”. According to some of the social…

  

  Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

  Partner content: When Following Food Advice May Not Be the Best Idea

  Often we see articles in magazines, posts on social media, reels or videos that feature a…

  

  Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

  Partner content: Easy-to-swallow foods

  Question: I have some difficulty with chewing and swallowing. What are some soft foods…

  

  Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

  Partner content: Dinner — Something for Everyone?

  Whether it’s a family gathering or a co-worker get together, what kind of meal can you…

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian

twitter.com/InglesDietitian

facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian

800-334-4936