If you haven’t seen the price of chocolate chips yet on your grocery store shelf, you are in for serious sticker shock.

That means if your kitchen is on a budget, then you want to do the math on how many cookies and candies you are responsible for before you sign up to provide treats for that bake sale, cookie walk, gift exchange, classroom party or cookie swap on top of whatever your own family expects to be served during the holiday season.

It is entirely possible that you’ll need, or want, to swap out at least some of the treats you normally make this time of year for less expensive alternatives.

What can you do?

• Make the pie crusts from scratch. Yes, I do mean using wax paper and rolling pin and baking a pie crust in a glass or tin pie pan. You’ll be spending enough money on that pumpkin, pudding, canned milk, pecans or canned fruit. Do not spend money unnecessarily on frozen or refrigerated dough. It is not hard to make a pie crust, it only takes some practice. And it is incredibly cheap to make.
• Avoid the expensive frozen and refrigerated cookie dough products. If you are really into the slice and bake picture dough, then get some when the price is good. But there are better alternatives for the drop cookie varieties. I stock up on Betty Crocker cookie mixes when I can get them on coupon + sale and also make cookies from scratch throughout the year. It is not difficult to prepare cookie dough from a mix or from a recipe. The only complication is you sometimes need a couple of hours lead time to let freshly made cookie dough sit in the refrigerator before baking.
• Clip those Sunday grocery coupons and make sure you have them handy when you shop for ingredients. Coupons for holiday baking products are already in circulation. For example, I have coupons in my box for McCormick spices, Nestle chocolate chips, Splenda, Karo syrup, Argo corn starch, Mazola oil and Betty Crocker frosting tubs.
• Pay close attention to those grocery and drug store fliers and the promotion dates. The stores do vary their specials such as two for one deals, super double coupons, 10 for $10 and such. The grocery sale that best fits your shopping list may be in effect for a week – but sometimes it is available for only one or two days! And if you look at ALL your neighborhood stores’ fliers during the week, you might find a product you want is advertised cheaper at a store you don’t normally shop at.
• Go through your cookbooks and recipe boxes to max out on ingredients you can get cheaply or already have in your pantry. A shortbread cookie is basically butter, sugar and flour – no pricey chocolate chips required. Cake mixes, which you can stock up on during sales, are adaptable to many dressed-up recipes. Colored sprinkles and food coloring can create all kinds of decorating magic.
• Plan your baking spree so that you can “use resources wisely” as the Girl Scouts would say. Mix one cookie dough base, and then add different toppings or mix-ins to create “different” cookies. (You’ll find some of those plans in popular women’s magazines this time of year.) You can also use leftover frosting from one baking project on another baking project such as iced cookies or drizzle on a coffee cake.
• Trade or borrow cookie cutters from a friend or relative, rather than purchasing new cookie cutters this season. You might also be interested in seeing what specialty cake pans she would be willing to loan out from her kitchen (example: I have some star shaped cupcake pans).
• Share expensive, but rarely used, pantry ingredients such as baking chocolate squares, specialty spices and flavoring extract with another holiday cook.