Canadians are opting for cheaper ways to celebrate the holidays this year. Here’s how

As the holidays bring family and friends together and the festivities cue Canadians to reach into their pockets, some are opting for cheaper ways to celebrate the holidays this year amid the cost-of-living crisis.

They’re getting creative with gifts, simplifying their holiday meals and looking for deals where they can.

Calgary resident Kim Scott said this holiday season, she’s decided to keep things simple by roasting seasonal vegetables, making a big batch of potatoes and having one pie to cut down on costs.

“I will not add a salad or buns or appetizers as it’s a waste of money and food,” she wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca. The emailed responses have not all been independently verified.

A recent Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab report revealed that buying holiday foods this year will be an “expensive proposition.” Canadians making a meal of traditional turkey with vegetable side dishes and dessert for four to six people can expect to pay $104.85 on average, the lab’s data shows.

For traditional foods typical at Christmas, turkey has gone up five per cent, potatoes up 6.6 per cent and carrots up 12.8 per cent, according to the report. The report said vegetables would be more expensive, with a predicted higher-end cost of onions at $3.79, celery at $4.49, parsnips at $6.49 and Brussels sprouts at $6.60.

However, researchers point out that while these big meals have a high upfront cost, they could result in leftovers a few days later, lowering the overall per-person cost to about $9.48 each for the meal.

Scott, like many other Canadians, is planning to look for deals and embrace the holiday leftovers.

“I wait for the turkey to go on sale,” she said. “After the dinner, I will pack up a meal or two for my son to take home, freeze the rest and make a huge pot of turkey soup for the week.”

Retail shopping trends are also changing due to rising costs this holiday season. 

“The majority of people are saying, ‘I’ve got to find a way to do Christmas cheaper than I did last year,'” retail analyst Bruce Winder told CTV News Toronto.

“You’ll see more shoppers waiting for sales. People are scrounging through the internet looking for nickels and dimes to save.”

Shoppers are opting for used, refurbished, and homemade items to gift this year, referred to as “Thriftmas,” according to Winder. They are also buying for fewer people, he said.

Erin Scott said a group of her friends opted for a Thriftmas Secret Santa this year, limiting gift items to be purchased from thrift stores, with a $25 spending limit.

Scott said her family is also opting for Secret Santa, so only one gift is purchased rather than buying for everyone.

“We find that at Christmas, everyone just ends up with extra ‘stuff’ we don’t really need. Secret Santa also helps keep costs down,” she said.

Meanwhile, others say they’re going to stick to their usual Christmas plans this year.

Gary Mackenzie, of Vancouver Island, said Christmas is just another day of the year for him and his wife and that the two are always on the hunt for good deals.

“Being a smart shopper, our daily meals cost between $10.00 and $15.00 for the two of us,” Mackenzie told CTVNews.ca. “More people need to be smarter shoppers like us, and just buy regular food. Fancy is not needed.”

However, even though their meal plans for the holidays are staying more or less the same as in years past, Mackenzie noted the cost of food being different this year. “Two years ago our daily meals cost between $8.00 and $12.00.”

Deen Teague told CTVNews.ca his family is still going to celebrate the holidays despite the economic climate in Canada.

“I would not give up our extended family Christmas … all 15 of us. It’s a celebration we all need right now,” Teague said.

With files from CTVNews.ca’s Natasha O’Neill and CTV News Toronto’s Consumer Alert Videojournalist Pat Foran