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By Karen Frame, CEO of Makeena
Holiday baking is a tradition in many American households that not even the pandemic can stop. However, with prices of baking essentials such as yeast and flour rising due to the coronavirus, this year’s grocery baking trip will be a hefty price to pay for delicious Christmas goodies.
But rather than picking and choosing which of your favorite sweets you can afford to make, they’re simple, easy measures that can be taken when grocery shopping to be able to make this Christmas feel a little more normal, and a little less pricey. Grocery savings expert and CEO of Makeena, Karen Frame, has a few tricks up her sleeve to keep Christmas baking costs down.
1. Write out your baking list
Writing down an exact list of what you need will help limit grazing and keep you focused on purchasing only what you need, and not adding extra items you may never use.
2. Check exactly what you need, and what you can borrow
Often times, we end up with 2 bottles of vanilla extract because we didn’t see the one hidden in the back of our pantry. This can become costly as more excess products are purchased. By simply checking the inventory of your pantry, you can save yourself a lot of money.
You can also check with a family member, friend or neighbor to see what ingredients they are willing to share. Why buy a whole bag of flour if you need one extra cup? Borrowing from those you know can remove items from your list and cut costs.
3. Keep your recipes simple
Despite Pinterest dragging all of us into making complicated, but beautiful recipes during any time of the year, they aren’t always necessary. Shifting your focus to classic favorites that everyone loves means you can use more of the ingredients you purchase for other recipes and are less likely to have too much leftover of a treat that no one enjoyed.
4. Buy generic when you’re willing to make the “sacrifice”
Generic products tend to be a good bit cheaper than their name brand counterparts, yet they often times contain the same ingredients. And if there is one particular brand you’re a diehard fan of, purchasing one or two name brand won’t cost you an extra $25, but substituting as much as possible can save you even more.
5. Check for deals and digital coupons
More often than not, stores will have deals for many of the commonly purchased baking items, but this isn’t always reliable. However, there are many new apps that offer consumers digital coupons. Apps like Makeena are offering consumers cash back for purchasing baking supplies such as brownie and cookie mix, organic flour and more.
