The expert gave tips on how to save money when preparing a festive table

Preparing for New Year's Eve celebrations often leads to stress and irrational budget allocation. In order to avoid unnecessary expenses and maintain a festive mood, it is important to take a competent approach to the organization of the feast. Olga Matveeva, financial consultant of the "Package" service from X5, told Izvestia about how to do it.

"Start preparing for the holiday by purchasing durable goods in advance -- canned goods such as green peas, pickles, drinks, sauces and cereals can be purchased several weeks before the holiday. This will allow you to take your time preparing your New Year's Eve table and save your nerves on the day of the celebration. In addition, on New Year's Eve, many stores offer discounts when buying bulk quantities. If you have friends or relatives who, like you, are carefully preparing for the feast, join forces and make a bulk purchase together. This way will benefit both parties and reduce costs many times over," she explained.

Planning, according to the expert, is the key to creating a thoughtful and harmonious New Year's Eve feast. You should make a menu in advance, taking into account the number of guests and your budget.

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"Calculating portions will avoid overpaying for unnecessary products. For example, if you prepare salads, calculate the approximate grams for each guest. It is optimal to lay 150-200 g of salad per person, depending on the saturation of the table with other dishes. You can also make a grocery list so that you do not make impulse purchases in the store itself. These methods will allow you not only to save money on ingredients, but also to make the most of all the products you buy", - said Olga Matveeva.

In addition, sometimes it seems that the prepared dishes for the New Year's table are not enough, and people try to fill every available space with plates and salad bowls. However, a festive table overloaded with a multitude of dishes looks spectacular, but often becomes the cause of excessive waste and waste.

"Special attention should be paid to salads with mayonnaise and other perishable dishes. They lose freshness quickly and are not meant to be stored for long periods of time. It's better to focus on a few thoughtful items: two or three salads, a variety of appetizers and one or two hot dishes. In addition, some holiday dishes, such as cold meats, pies or gourmet desserts, are associated with the tradition and comfort of a home-cooked feast. However, their preparation requires a significant time and financial investment. It is often more profitable and convenient to buy such dishes ready-made," Matveeva summarized.

Earlier, on November 24, Natalia Kharchenko, candidate of medical sciences, gastroenterologist at the European Medical Center (EMC), told Izvestia about how to avoid harmful recipes and make New Year's dishes more useful. According to her, olivier, mimosa and herring under fur coat salads prepared according to the classic recipe contain too much fat and salt, while meat and cheese cuts are "rich" in preservatives, dyes and flavor enhancers.