Christmas can be an expensive time of the year for Kiwi families. We’ve put together our favourite cheap Christmas recipes so you can enjoy a budget-friendly Christmas dinner with your whanau.
We all know that Christmas can be an expensive time of year. Between gifts, festivities and putting on a great Christmas dinner, it can seem like your money is flying out the door! The festive season may be the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas dinner can be one of the most costly meals of the year.
Expectations are always high to produce yummy Christmas recipes and show-stopping main meals tend to be expensive.
Don't stress! We've put together a comprehensive list of cheap Christmas dinner ideas so you can create tasty holiday food without breaking the bank.
Here are our five top tips to create a budget-friendly Christmas dinner.
Looking for more Christmas inspiration? Check out the New World Christmas hub and our Christmas menu ideas.
This is perhaps the most important tip for ensuring the holidays don't leave you feeling broke. If money is tight, make sure you know how much you can afford to spend on Christmas food.
Remember, it's just one meal and you don't need to spend a fortune to have a beautiful lunch or dinner.
Start with a firm budget of what you can afford to spend on the holiday and work backwards. Budgeting is all about compromise.
Related: Everyday Low Price recipes
Related: Top tips for Christmas planning.
When planning Christmas dinner on a budget, consider just doing one delicious crowd-pleaser for the main course with a bunch of inexpensive side dishes and salads.
There's no reason why you need to cook a glazed ham, a roast chicken and a leg of lamb!
Sure, it might impress your friends and family, but it might also break the bank.
Choose just one show-stopping cut of meat, then add filling sides.
A roast turkey might sound expensive - but fortunately, if you buy it from the freezer section, you can get a stunning Christmas centrepiece for an absolute bargain.
Turkey roast is a decidedly festive dish and one of the most popular meals in the world on Christmas day. If you're serving a smaller group at your holiday dinner, you could also consider switching to a roast chicken.This is an even more cost-effective option!
Otherwise, you can keep the turkey leftovers for meals later in the week. By stuffing your chicken or turkey and making tasty homemade gravy, you'll also be making the meal go even further - it'll save you even more money.
