Want to get a jump on Christmas baking or just want to make sure you have supplies on hand in case groceries are running low on Christmas baking supplies you need? This guide can help!
Many Christmas traditions revolve around baking. Building gingerbread houses, baking Christmas cookies, treats to take to holiday parties and so many others. It’s hard to imagine Christmas without our favorite Christmas treats.
This year has brought us food shortages and limits on many of the items we are used to buying in whatever amount we need at the time. Christmas baking could have some challenges this year with this continued trend.
Now more than even planning ahead can really help reduce that Christmas stress. Building up your Christmas baking supply stash now will mean you don’t have to worry about shortages later.
Even if there don’t end up being shortages being prepared is always useful. It can be mean fewer errands when the stores are busier, more time enjoying the holiday season, and it can even save you some money.
I’ve always been a fan of this method so I’ve developed some tips over the years to make it easier. These tips work any year, not just doing this crazy time.
Stocking Up on Christmas Baking Supplies
Plan Your Recipes
Knowing what you want to bake around the holidays will make it much easier to know what you need to have on hand. I like to plan this out in my Christmas planner. I also have a Christmas recipe book that I can pull recipes from to know what ingredients I need.
Write down the items you need for all the recipes and the amounts. I like to give myself a bit of padding when it comes to the amounts.
Make sure you have a really easy recipe on your list. This can be your go-to recipe for any last-minute baking. For me, this is either peppermint chocolate chip cookies or Christmas funfetti cake mix cookies. Both are simple and have ingredients it’s easy to have on hand.
Decide What You Can Buy Now
Looking at the list of ingredients you made decide what can be bought months ahead of time. This will be shelf-stable items and possibly freezer items.
You can use my printable list of Christmas baking supplies and how long they can be stored to help. If the list doesn’t have an item you are looking for a quick Google search will usually work. You can also ask in the Stress-Free Christmas Facebook group, someone likely can help.
Buying Your Christmas Baking Supplies
The best way to stock up on your supplies is by doing it slowly. This prevents any shelf clearing, worry about item limits, or stressing your budget.
I like to have my list and when shopping see which items are on sale and go with those each month. As I get closer I may start stocking up on things that aren’t on sale to make sure I have them in time.
If there are things I need in larger amounts I like to check out Amazon or iHerb. Thrive Market is another online shop I like to use, especially for some harder to find items.
Storing Your Christmas Baking Supplies
If you have a bit of space in a cabinet where you can keep all the items together that’s really nice. You could also get a container to put them all together on a shelf or somewhere that is a bit harder to get to and less used.
If you need to store the items with your everyday items just make sure you either label them so you remember to save them or have a list somewhere to refer to. This will make sure that if you do need to use one of the items you replace it in time.
Make sure to also refer to the food storage printable shared earlier in this post to help you know the best way to store your supplies.
Dealing With Perishable Items
Shelf-stable things are the easiest to store long-term but what about items like eggs and milk? If you are worried about a shortage in these kids of items they can be kept frozen for an extended period of time. I have a guide to freezing food over on my other blog. This can be extremely useful when stocking up.
When stocking up just remember to keep track of these items and when you need to use them by. Food waste is always terrible for our budgets but right now it can make things even more stressful and that’s the last thing we need.
I recommend making notes in your Christmas planner about the items you have and when you need to use them. If you don’t end up using them for the holidays be sure to use them before they go bad in other cooking and baking. Or donate the items to a local food bank, they are always in need around the holidays.
Christmas Baking Recipes
Not sure what you want to bake? I’ve got you covered with all of these delicious recipes. Just don’t forget to add the recipes to your Christmas recipe book!
Deanna Piercy says
This is a really good idea. I’ve been noticing an increase in outages and limits the past couple of weeks and I suspect this is just the beginning. I’m beginning to stock up on things I think may be in short supply.