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Holiday Feast With Walmart (Gift Card Giveaway!)

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I love cooking for the holidays. I have all of my traditional dishes that I have to cook every year (or it wouldn’t be the holidays!). My meal includes ham, a family-favorite potato dish, jello, rolls, beans, salad, and pies. Feeding my own family of 7 is pricey enough, but adding friends and family for the holidays can get pricier for sure.

The current economy impacts overall holiday plans for the majority of moms, emphasizing the importance of deals like these when it comes to ensuring that Americans everywhere have the opportunity to enjoy holiday meals with their families. And with many of us planning to entertain more than 7 people for the holidays, Walmart’s fresh and affordable holiday meals help eliminate some of the stress that comes from hosting a large get-together. And to give your recipes a new spin, Aarón Sánchez of Food Network fame shares cooking tips and unique, delicious recipes he created with Walmart’s basket of holiday and New Year’s ingredients.

Christmas dinner from Walmart

Walmart’s $30 Christmas feast for eight starts with family-favorite ingredients, including:

  • • One 10-pound spiral cut half-ham
  • • Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
  • • One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
  • • One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
  • • One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie

New Year's Party food from Walmart

Chef Aarón Sánchez has tips for turning a New Year’s party into an extra-special affair to remember. Using standard party ingredients, such as cocktail shrimp, a veggie platter, and crescent rolls, Chef Aarón created a party-ready fiesta spread for 10 for as low as $40. It includes:

  • • Shrimp Tray
  • • Vegetable Tray
  • • Hillshire Farms Little Smokies
  • • Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
  • • Land O’Lakes Egg Nog
  • • Red Velvet cake

Now for the good news: I have two $30 Walmart giftcards to give away to two of my readers! Here are the details on how you can win one:

  • • For your first entry, tell me your best money-saving tip for the holidays (this entry is mandatory)

  • • For an additional entry, tweet about this contest and leave me the link to your tweet (two tweets allowed per day)

  • • Subscribe to Better in Bulk (if you have subscribed in the past, please check to see that you are currently subscribed. I have lost the majority of my RSS readers in the switch to WordPress)

  • • Blog about this giveaway (example: tell your readers some of your frugal holiday tips, and then suggest that they come here to enter giftcard giveaway)

  • • Add Better in Bulk to your blogroll

  • • Stumble this post

Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will end on Sunday, December 27, 2009 at midnight. Winners will be notified via email and announced on Monday, December 28. Contest open to residents of the US only. Good luck!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.

© 2009 – 2010, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.

About Lolli

Lolli has written 3740 post in this blog.

I became a mom in 1996, and in 2005 I had my fifth. Yes, 5 kids. In 2007, this blog was born (my 6th baby that will never grow up) and I've been sharing recipes, photography tricks, parenting tips, and everything in between. (Formerly Better in Bulk)

Comments

  3. My best money saving tip is to get on your grocers website and download their coupons which can be used on top of the manufactures coupons. Saves lots of $$$!

  4. To save money at holiday time, I just send cards to those that send me one. As soon as theirs comes in the mail, I sit down and write one out to them. Even if theirs arrives late, I still send them one…also late.

  7. My best money saving tip is begin shopping the day after Christmas for Christmas next year. If you have any storage room at all put it to us by shopping while everything is on clearance/sale. Retailers are dying to get rid of their leftover stock before inventory time the first of the year and you can get some awesome deals on big ticket items.
    .-= Linda Stewart´s last blog ..What’s A Santa To Do? =-.

  11. My advise is ancient but always works. I always clip coupons, whether I need the product right now or not and then I check the weekly sales for grocery stores and use the coupons when thwy are also on sale. Combining the 2 savings can easily save about 40% off of the regular price.

  14. My best money saving tip is to buy dried goods (rice, beans, noodles, sugar, flour, etc) in bulk! Instead of paying for fancy packaging, you only have to pay for the actual product. Just remember to wash and resuse those plastic bags too!

    stephnickie@gmail.com

  23. I love to take advantage of the deals of Cyber Monday, I saved a bunch of money doing that this year and I beat the crowds on Black Friday, thanks!

  25. My best money saving tip for the holidays is to pick up Christmas meal items as you find them on sale as long as they will stay fresh long enough and use coupons as well if you have them.

  29. Thanks for the giveaway… Our best money-saving tip for the holidays (especially this year) is for all our guests to bring their own beverages to holiday gatherings.

  36. With family and more kids in the house the movies are a good place for the kids to go for a little while. Let them go to the matinee and save on ticket prices

  40. Walmart is my favorite place to shop and the food is usually cheaper there, too. I check the sales flyers before I go shopping and use as many coupons as I can. Their $30.00 holiday meal, looks really good. Thanks for having the contest!

  45. My tips is this: Learn your lessons from years past. If you make a ton of mashed potatoes every year and nobody eats them (or eats very little), don’t make so much next year.

  50. One way to save money on gifts is to make a list. Decide how much you are going to spend and stick to it! Look online for the best prices and coupons, etc.

  51. COUPONS!!!

    They are a must- I go to the self-checkout lines of Kroger and get the good ones people don’t want that shoot out!

  56. My tip is that I buy non-perishable items on sale and only with coupons, even months earlier in advance. It really saves us a lot of money on grocery bills.

  57. MY best money saving tip is USE COUPONS. For those that are embarrassed to use them, get over it, its your money you are wasting if you do not use what is readily available.

  60. My BEST tip is always shop during the off season for things you know you will use the next year. Keep track of when they have special sales (like an EXTRA 50% off Clearance) and make sure you only buy what you NEED/or will NEED. I bought a majority of our Christmas gifts this way, and SAVED HUGE this year!

    Thanks to Walmart and Better In Bulk! Jes
    greimanj@comcast.net

  67. Walmart has terrific produce sales right after the weekend, every weekend.
    I go late Monday or Tuesday and always get great healthy buys.

  82. I always comparison shop and look for coupons, especially for bigger ticket items. Sometimes you can find better deals online. Sometimes local stores will price match or at least come close to earn your business, if you offer them the chance. Of course, if you’re shopping online, you have to start shopping a little bit earlier. I normally pick up some “it’ll keep” gift items for next year on the day after Christmas, but I was laid low with a bug this year.
    .-= Auriette´s last blog ..My Entry For the Kia Sorento Ultimate Road Trip Sweepstakes =-.

  94. My best money saving tip is to not go crazy buying 18 different pies! Chances are like only 5 will get eaten!
    .-= Sheila Hickmon´s last blog ..Winners…Finally! =-.

  95. My best money-saving tip for the holidays is this: when grocery shopping, make your list based on the sales ads, and stick to your list when you shop.

  101. Don’t throw anything away without first determining if anyone else could use it, if you could sell it, or find another use for it. Thanks!

  104. Make a list before you go shopping. Stick to the list, no impulse buys. I find that sticking to the list saves me money if I don’t stray, as I am apt to do. If it’s not on the list, I do not need it and do not need to spend the money on it
    iheartsweeping@aol.com

  110. One of my best tips for saving money would be to buy in bulk lol! Seriously, that’s what I do whether it be costco or walmart :D

  113. My money saving tip is to use different things to get the best deal possible- use coupons, shop around online/in stores, and price match.

  117. My money saving tip is to shop around online and in stores. And don’t forget that Walmart will match any advertised price, so take those ads with you and head to Walmart first. Finally, if you plan to “spend” a certain amount on each person’s gifts, calculate the amount using the full price of the items, not the discounted, sale, or coupon-deducted price. A $30 book is still a $30 book, even if you got it for $25 or less.

  119. My holiday tip is to plan ahead, use coupons, and price adjust when the opportunity presents itself! It is amazing how much money you can save just by watching for items in the papers, comparing ads and using coupons! thanks for the giveaway!

  120. My best holiday money saving tip is to stock up on gifts a year early. All the Christmas gift sets go on sale at most stores for 50-75% off the day after the holidays are over. If you buy early you can get your loved ones twice as much (or spend half as much!!)

  122. ensure recipes can be frozen so you can cook at your leisure the month before christmas and just thaw everything (this way you can also snatch up your necessary ingrediants when they are on sale!)

  127. For our Christmas dinner, we have each person bring a side dish or dessert. Whoever is hosting the party will prepare the main course. This way everyone saves money, and it’s a lot less work for the host. Thanks!

  134. I always let my mom do the shopping, she saves me money! We also make a list before she goes, and sick to it! Also instead of 4 or 5 desserts, we stick to one or 2 we know everyone likes.

  136. I plan ahead, make a list, buy items on sale and use coupons. I also plan for meals made of leftovers – I might need to buy a few extra items to make it more exciting but this way all the leftovers get eaten up and nothing is wasted.

  147. My best tip for holiday money saving is…. HOMEMADE…. Yep… Homemade gifts are the way to go… Of course not all of them have to be but you would be surprised how the favorite gifts are those made by hand

  159. My best money saving tip for the holidays (or any time of the year) is to combine coupons with the sales and stock up on things that you regularly use.
    Thanks for the chance to win!

  178. My best money saving tip is to comparison shop. Too many people assume that the prices are lowest at store X just because when store Y might have the same thing on sale for half price. Also, buy things off season when possible… start stocking up for next xmas right now at 50 and 75% off sales.

  182. My best money-saving tip is to try and wait until the day or two after Christmas to buy gifts for friends and family members you won’t see on the big day — that way, you can take advantage of the amazing sales without the recipients catching on. I’ve also found that if I do wait to buy a few gifts, I’m more likely to use any cash or gift cards I receive on the 25th to purchase them rather than dip into my own funds!

  185. I save money by shopping the sales and using my coupons. I do this all year too. I rarely pay full price for anything at the supermarket. It really does make a big difference. Most times, I cut my grocery bill almost in half.

  197. My best money saving tip for the holidays is to scour the Internet for the best deals and utilize them. Many stores have online only sales that are incredible deals, including right after the holidays!

  199. My tip is get a copy of the $4 prescription list and carry it with you when you go to doctor. You will be surprised how much you can save.

  201. My best tip is to have a potluck for your holiday meal and have everyone bring something. That way the cost is shared among all and no one is stuck buying and preparing all the food.

  203. I do all of my shopping at Walmart. If I see a better price at another local store I take their sales ad in to Walmart and they price match. Thank you!

  208. My tip is to do a Christmas exchange after the holidays for gifts you don’t want as it might be exactly what someone else wants!

  211. My favorite money saving tip for the holidays is to make all parties that you host into a potluck. You will save tons of money on food. macd82 at gmail dot com

  214. I buy a lot of things way in advance of the holiday season. Sales in the New Year and during the Spring is a great way to save money on presents that increase in cost when there is higher demand during November and December. Don’t believe the Black Friday and before Christmas sales! The best sales are earlier in the year when no one is paying attention!

  216. My best money saving tip is that I don’t buy anything for Christmas unless it’s on sale. I watch the sales ads every week to see if there is anything that I can buy for Christmas presents that is on sale. I also buy throughout the year while things are on sale.

  217. MY best money saving tip is to plan ahead & start early..rushing aroudn at the last minute almost garauntees you’ll spend more than you planned.
    Thanks for the giveaway

  236. monney saving tip
    make a list and stick to it
    check the ads
    cook extra to freeze for later use
    add more veggies and less meat to stretch the meal

  242. One way I saved money this holiday was to really shop around online for what I wanted to buy. I found some sites that had free shipping for the holiday period. That helped a lot!

  243. I forgot to put in my first comment above that I shop coupons and sales together…and store up on things that go on deep discounts this time of year.
    You didn’t say if I could Facebook this to my friends….I did anyway. Will it count? Don’t have a blog yet.

  259. In order to lessen the stress and cost of cooking Christmas dinner for a lot of family members have each family bring one side dish and one dessert. Not only does it offer a lot of variety but it also allows each family to contribute their favorites.
    Thank you so much for the chance to win.

    jweezie43[at]aol[dot]com

  260. My advice is focus on the food, not the decorations. Ask others to bring those; they’re much more likely to bring good decorations than good food!

  264. My best money saving tip for the holidays is to shop the sales. Stock up when prices are low, and plan for holiday meals weeks in advance.

  269. My money saving tip for the holidays – is to start early and take advantage of coupons like Kohs’s $10.00 off a $20.00 purchase. If you start early and pay attention to clearance items you can get a lot for your $20.00, then use the coupon and only pay $10.00

  271. My best money-saving tip for the holidays (and indeed, any day) is to make a list before I go shopping and try to adhere to it. There are always little impulse items waiting to trip you up (notice how they put a lot of them right by the register where you have to stare at them while waiting in line?). I’m not so strict as to say you can’t give in to the occasional impulse item, especially during the holidays; but if half the stuff in your cart is impulse items, you may be in for a rude awakening when the cashier totals your purchases up. Be like Santa: make a list, check it twice, and stick to it!

  273. Shop the dollar stores for gift wrap. Many of them have beautiful wrapping paper, gift bags, and ribbons and bows for a fraction of the price you would pay elsewhere.

  276. My money saving tip for the holidays is to invite geusts to bring their favorie sidedish or dessert to dinner. Just make sure they let you know what they are bringing ahead of time so you don’t get to much of the same thing
    jennielee226(at)gmail(dot)com

  278. If you are hosting a dinner over the holidays, then get your guests to bring side dishes, appetizers, and desserts. It makes them feel more included and saves you money.

  281. I just purchased a dozen deep red roses at the grocery store for $15. I’ll make an arrangement using pine and holly clippings from the yard that would have cost more than $100 at the florist.

  283. Buy gifts throughout the year when you see something you know one of your giftees will like – then you don’t have to spend a lot at the holidays!

  284. My best tip is to know what you are going to serve and be sure to have all ingredients/supplies on hand! And make/bake ahead as much as you possibly can.

  285. We stock shop. So, every week we stock up on only those items with extreme price cuts that we also combine with doubled coupons. More times than not, the items come out for free or next to nothing.

  287. Shop the sales – No body cares if you spent full price for that home or if you got a deal. There are so many good deals out there right now – take advantage of them!

  291. For my holiday shopping, I made a list of things I need (to prevent impulsive buying), used coupons and took advantage of products that had rebates. I also checked and compared prices online before buying in the department stores and bought them when they were on sale. For Christmas gifts, instead of buying gift sets, I made my own gift sets and creatively designed them.

  293. I have stocked up on the groceries as they were on sale for months before I needed them. Before Thanksgiving the turkys and hams were on Sale. I also bought a hen to make my dressing and dumplings. Chicken broth and cream of chicken are staples for my pantry. I stocked double. Never wait till the week of a big dinner to buy for it. I have about 50 for Christmas. You plan and WRITE everything down and recheck it over for weeks before so you don’t miss anything.

  296. My best saving tip is if you have the storage buy Christmas after Christmas! We live in a college town where hardly any young kids are so our walmart blows out thier toys right after Christmas for $1 on almost everything it is the greatest!

  298. my best money saving tip is to combine coupons with sales of holiday items (gifts, holiday related foods) and stock up for the rest of the year.

  305. Best money saving tip for this time of the year is family members should draw names, rather than buying for all family members that are not in your immediate family (mom, dad, kids).
    Then for the immediate family no more than three presents for each, because Jesus was only given three gifts by the wise men for his birth.

  306. My best money saving tip is to hit the sales after Christmas and stock up on wrapping paper and cards and everything else needed for next year.

  307. Expected a crowd or hosting an important business function? Never mind the “Rubber chicken dinner” everyone despises: Serve Brunch instead. Several Quiches, Breakfast sausages, One or two waffle Irons,Mix, and plenty of toasted bagels with flavored cream cheeses, fruit, coffee, and danishes for dessert: all this will cost much less, taste great and will impress your guests.

  312. my best money savings tip this holiday is to shop around and do your research online. I live near a major shopping district so I frequent their websites and ads to get the best savings and deals and since I am so close I do not waste a lot of gas and even have walked to decrease my carbon footprint.

  317. My biggest money saving tip is to stock up year round, and look for meal ideas that utilize what you have in the pantry. Like I know that my husband likes green bean casserole at the holidays, and so I look for coupons related to meals that I know we’ll be eating. And always having items like flour, sugar, butter, etc., on hand is very helpful. Thank you so much for this giveaway.

  320. I was very busy with my garden this summer and got a ton of fruit from the garden. I baked, dehydrated, canned, preserved and put up as much as I could. Now, for Christmas, very special people are getting fabulous home made jars of blackberry jam, spiced apple slices, dried raisins, and some extra special people are even getting blackberry liquour! Lots of time, but not lots of money. And I know that the people who are getting these gifts appreciate the home made, organic, pesticide free, delicious goodies.

  324. My best money saving tip for the holidays is too not until the last minute or you may end up paying way more than you had planned. I try and use coupons, sales, promo codes and any other offer I can find on everything I purchase.

  325. My money saving tip is to research research and do a little researching ..I signed up for deal alerts and on line deal sharing forums and found out about a couple of awesome deals this year. Got my daughter an awesome laptop (that I keep sneaking and using when she’s at school) for half the price of retail. Saved me 200!!

  326. Don’t wait until the last minute to buy the non perishable items for your holiday meal. Be on the lookout for sales and coupons for those items in the weeks and months beforehand, and buy them when they are a good deal.

  329. My advice is to look in the circulars and use coupons for whatever you can. It’s important to not be afraid to try new dishes for the holidays because you have coupons for certain items.

  334. I buy solid color wrapping paper so I can use it year around. I use stamps to personlize the paper to the holiday such as Santas for Christmas, candles and cakes for birthdays, etc.

  337. My best money saving tip is to make homemade gifts. They can be inexpensive to make and are always apprecitaed. I made cookie recipe jars this year for 6 people and saved a lot of money!

  339. My best money saving tip for the holidays really is to start in the spring and I can find deals as I go. Yes, there is the chance that the person buys what you had in mind, but I have only had that issue once. This way I’m not panicking and can take my time finding the perfect bargains.

    Also, I twittered about this – https://twitter.com/tommygirl

  345. Combine coupons with store sale to max the saving, many stores have special in store sale and promo during holidays that not listed on circulars, like buy $xx get ham/turkey…etc.

  346. I reuse gift boxes and gift bags. Why throw them away when you pack in your Xmas storage boxes and save for the following year to reuse again and again

  353. My money-saving tip is to do your food shopping at the very last minute because the stores want to bring you in, so they put the holiday essentials on sale, hoping you’ll pay full price for your usual weekly shopping essentials.

  360. Walmart is a life saver especially this time of year. My money saving tip is to shop early for the holidays so there is no last minute spending and always get the sales flyers emailed to you so you can comparison shop. This will ensure you are getting the lowest price.

  362. My best money saving tip is to buy a little bit here and there, throughout the year, when you see items on clearance or sale. This way, come the Holidays, you’re not hit with a big bill all at once.
    Thanks so much.

  373. My best money saving tip for the holidays is not to wait until the last minute to buy all the ingredients you need. Start watching the sales in the months leading up to the holidays and buy a few extra things a week.

  381. Best money saving tip…I stock up through out the year. When they have awesome deals in July, I buy! :) I also save up for Christmas through the year so I don’t go into debt for a few gifts.
    .-= Safire´s last blog ..Snow Sunday =-.

  382. I buy more than one paper a week to get the coupons and then use the coupons when the item are on sale and stock up. I love saving money.

  383. Best money savings tip is use those Department Store savings passes- 10,or 20 or even 30% off really can amount to much money saved

  387. My best money saving holiday tip is to not go overboard. Buy what you need and a few things that you want, but keep it simple.
    oheeyore at hotmail dot com

  393. My best money-saving tip is to pull names for gifts. Our family will pull names and get just one person a present instead of getting gifts for everyone in the family. Much more economical in this recession.

  394. Just found your site, love it! We are big on saving money around here! My favorite thing is to make presents. I love crocheting so I have made scarves, hats, and mittens for younger children in the family. And doesn’t everyone love some fudge, or even home baked cookies!

  401. Coupons! I never used to fool with coupons because I thought they really weren’t worth the trouble. Fifteen cents or twenty-five cents off a two dollar product just didn’t seem like much of a bargain to me. But I’ve been keeping an eye on coupons online and now I find them for fifty cents, a dollar off, sometimes free! It’s a great way to save money!

  404. I love Walmart too ;)

    My biggest money saving tip is to pass down toys to younger siblings. Last year Emmy recieved all of Matt’s old wooden train pieces, this year she is getting all of his old Rescue Hero toys. This way I can shower her in toys and I really only bought 3 things for her.
    .-= Tracy´s last blog ..Getting to Know You =-.

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