The festivities are about to start this year as families across the world look forward to a mouthwatering traditional fare replete with stuffed Turkey and plum cakes. A bottle of the best red to wash it all down is mandatory too as is the delicious Christmas pudding and a bowl of hot punch. The British authorities have now declared that the cost of a simple celebratory dinner on Christmas has gone up by a whopping 7.5% with each and every item registering an increase in its price.

Do not fret though! There are alternatives galore ! All you have to do is to choose wisely and you can manage to keep your savings intact. The Christmas pudding can be safely replaced by Victoria sponge cake and stuffed turkey breasts can give way to the leaner and healthier steaks of turkey.  The cost of broccoli and snow peas have gone up as well but you can always decorate your Christmas platter with potatoes and carrots, the inexpensive veggies that actually cost less than the year before.

Tino Vidaurri, the store manager,  at the Walmart outlet in Brownsville begs to differ. He feels that you can arrange to have a pretty sumptuous Christmas dinner for $20 that too a traditional one, containing turkey breasts. But is that really possible? Here’s what Vidaurri tells us:-

• A Turkey can be bought for $10 with the stuffing and mashed potatoes priced at 96 cents and $1.25 respectively if you obtain them from a bargain counter.

• Corn at 50 cents and rolls at 4 quarters will leave you enough for some drinks as well.

• A pumpkin pie can work well as an alternative to the Christmas pudding and will only set you back by $3. A couple of drinks for $2 and you’ll have all the items that you require.

So how much does it add up to? Just $18.37 which leaves you with a clear cut savings of $1.63 which you can donate for charity.

So, why worry about inflation? You can celebrate the birth of Christ even on a shoestring budget. All you have to do is to plan wisely and you will feel like a King at the end of the day. Do try it out and don’t forget to share your experiences with us. Merry Christmas!

Image Credit-utterlyscrummy.blogspot.com