All you hostesses (and hosts), here's the challenge: spend no more than $5 out of pocket for your Easter dinner. How can anyone do that? Ransack your pantry and use stuff that's already on hand, use gift cards, coupons, do a potluck, whatever keeps your $$ in your pocket!
How do I plan on doing that? Here's the skinny (on keeping my wallet fat). Know your menu, know the number of guests, know where the coupons/sales are.
Here's my planned menu for Easter, to feed my family of 3, my sister's family of 4, and any inlaws that want to stop by (which can easily number 15-30).
14 lb. ham - bought for free with giftcard (Meijer)
Mashed potatoes & Gravy (2 - 5 lb. sacks potatoes at Target $.49 each) & gravy mix I have on hand
Spanish Rice - Love this stuff with anything
Green Bean casserole ($.75 Q's for Del Monte veggies used at Dominicks with their current promo = FREE and cream of mushroom soup at Target $.27 each)
Salad - Must wait until the week of Easter - what's on sale determines what kind of salad I'll be making
Cheese & Crackers - use FREE cheese from Kraft deal 2 weeks ago and $.60 a box crackers from same deal
Deviled eggs - Egg's have been on sale left & right, last time I bought 18 count large for $.97 at Dominicks.
Bread/rolls: Artisan bread at Target $.99 -$1 printable Q = FREE (I'll freeze 2-3 of these to use for Easter) & tortillas
Dessert: Apple Crisp (I have all ingredients on hand)
Dessert: Cinnamon Roll Brownies - I have all ingredients on hand.
For all those Target printables, go here.
If I can score a deal on baked beans or pork 'n' beans, I'll try in some baked bean casserole. If there's no sale, I'll use refried beans instead - I have those already on hand - organic and FREE, too!
I'm so excited for my sister & family to come for the holiday, I still can't believe she's making the drive from Minnesota! I have been hounding a bit more vigorously this past month in the hopes she'd make the drive and come shopping with me. She wants to learn more about hounding, so I am praying for some good sales so I can show her the ropes. I wonder if she'll need a trailer to take back all the goodies? She did last time! Good thing I'm stocked on FREE boxes...
How do I plan on doing that? Here's the skinny (on keeping my wallet fat). Know your menu, know the number of guests, know where the coupons/sales are.
Here's my planned menu for Easter, to feed my family of 3, my sister's family of 4, and any inlaws that want to stop by (which can easily number 15-30).
14 lb. ham - bought for free with giftcard (Meijer)
Mashed potatoes & Gravy (2 - 5 lb. sacks potatoes at Target $.49 each) & gravy mix I have on hand
Spanish Rice - Love this stuff with anything
Green Bean casserole ($.75 Q's for Del Monte veggies used at Dominicks with their current promo = FREE and cream of mushroom soup at Target $.27 each)
Salad - Must wait until the week of Easter - what's on sale determines what kind of salad I'll be making
Cheese & Crackers - use FREE cheese from Kraft deal 2 weeks ago and $.60 a box crackers from same deal
Deviled eggs - Egg's have been on sale left & right, last time I bought 18 count large for $.97 at Dominicks.
Bread/rolls: Artisan bread at Target $.99 -$1 printable Q = FREE (I'll freeze 2-3 of these to use for Easter) & tortillas
Dessert: Apple Crisp (I have all ingredients on hand)
Dessert: Cinnamon Roll Brownies - I have all ingredients on hand.
For all those Target printables, go here.
If I can score a deal on baked beans or pork 'n' beans, I'll try in some baked bean casserole. If there's no sale, I'll use refried beans instead - I have those already on hand - organic and FREE, too!
I'm so excited for my sister & family to come for the holiday, I still can't believe she's making the drive from Minnesota! I have been hounding a bit more vigorously this past month in the hopes she'd make the drive and come shopping with me. She wants to learn more about hounding, so I am praying for some good sales so I can show her the ropes. I wonder if she'll need a trailer to take back all the goodies? She did last time! Good thing I'm stocked on FREE boxes...
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I am pretty sure I can meet this challenge, but sort of in a cheaty sorta way. I will be spending Easter Saturday with my son, and will be driving home on Saturday night into Sunday morning, so in reality I will not even be eating a true Easter dinner. Maybe some sandwiches packed for the trip.
That still counts! I hope you have fun with your son during your Easter trip!
I might have to try that challenge! I am not sure if I am having a dinner at my house or at in-laws but etheir way I am doing it CHEAP! lol
I am pretty sure that I can meet this because I already have our loin lamb chops in the freezer.
I'm going to do this about as "cheaty" as you can- I'm having my wisdom teeth out on Good Friday, so Easter may still well be soup and ice cream for me!
Wow, I'm pretty impressed by your saving skills! We dont have the "coupons" here in australia, but I do try to buy things that are on sale. Recently I've been trying to get rid of any food I have in my pantry, its sort of working, but somehow some items keep getting replaced.
Handmade - my favorite kind of meal is FREE!
Annathy - Soup sounds good right now, really good actually!
Precious - sounds like me, I'm raiding the pantry and freezer for this meal. I'll "splurge" on bread and salad.
Maria - Thanks so much for stopping by! I love the pictures of all that ice cream - to die for! I'm doing this Easter Challenge to help push some stuff out of my freezer and pantry, it's a nice way to clean it up a bit.