Order Now for Christmas Dinner!: Supermarket Savvy

2 Comments | Written on December 5, 2011 at 9:00 am, by Rachel Achmad

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat! You may not know exactly what you’ll be serving for Christmas dinner, but if you have an inkling that this year you actually want to tackle roasting that (local, organic) goose, you need to place your order now!

If your ambitions are more modest, don’t worry — no doubt you’ll still be able to find a medium-sized turkey or ham even a few days before the big day itself. But if you’re in the mood for something fancier this year (or you’ll be hosting a large gathering and need a super-sized bird), it’s good to plan far in advance.

Stores don’t keep big inventories of premium meats because, well, they’re expensive! Some stores don’t even stock them at all and only offer them via special orders — placed weeks in advance. One of my friends just learned this the hard way. For years she’s hosted her large extended family for dinner, always offering up a standard frozen Butterball. This year, she decided get on the locavore trend, but when she called our market almost two weeks before Thanksgiving to inquire about local, fresh birds, they unapologetically told her she was much too late to order one.

Unfortunately, other than pre-ordering, there aren’t a lot of savvy tips for bagging high-end meats. Checking with small butcher shops and local meat purveyors can be worth your time; some of them may have unadvertised specials. In general, though, most of us end up spending a little more on our holiday meal. That’s ok — Christmas only comes once a year. But again, inquire at your store about ordering deadlines. Since you’re splurging, you should get exactly what you want.

And just because you’re spending more on the main dish, it doesn’t mean you can’t save on sides and desserts. As I posted recently, many holiday staples are on sale in December — and have coupons, too!