Weekly Grocery Budgeting Tips, Christmas Ham and Canned Good Recalls YTD
- Chelsea Stolte
- Dec 10, 2025
- 5 min read
Enclosed: Monthly Topic | Recipe | Budget Sheets | Gardening | Food Recalls | Coupons | Savings | Meal Plan
Welcome to December! (Covering 12/10-12/31)
This month is dedicated to Santa Claus! Christmas is approaching fast, and the planning window is closing. What will you cook for your family this year? This week’s savings focus on where to find holiday hams and possible BOGO deals to stock your freezer.
Ham Savings
Store | Ham Price | Stipulations | Notes |
Food Lion | 99 cents/lb | max buy 2 | |
Aldi | $1.49/lb | ||
Sam's Club | 2.98/lb | Kirkland brand | |
Save a Lot | 1.69/lb | ||
Martin's | FREE HAM | 400 choice points | must be member |
I know it sounds easier said than done. If you need help budgeting, check out this FREE DIY Daily Planner & Budget Sheet.
All About the Ham
Ham is usually pre-cooked and ready to heat up at your grocery store. What if you wanted to start from scratch? A ham chunk you buy is brined for multiple days in a salt/sugar/curing process. The cut you would use usually has a bone inside of it. Some hams come scored or spiraled which you can do at home, but why not just buy one and skip those steps?
What cut of meat is your normal holiday ham?
Make sure you are buying a pre-cooked ham**
Fresh Ham Roast (hind leg of pig)
Picnic Ham (bottom shoulder)
Pork Butt
Shank end (lower part of leg with bone)
Brown Sugar Glazed Spiraled Ham Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 pre-cooked ham chunk
1 Can of pineapple slices
Brown Sugar
Honey
1/2 Stick Butter
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Score the ham to make fancy diamonds if desired
Cover ham with foil to keep in moisture
Bake at 325 for 15 mins per pound
Make a brown sugar glaze - brown sugar, honey, butter, pineapples
Mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3 tbs honey, 1/2 stick butter (melted), the juice from a can of pineapples
Increase oven to 425°F and baste with the glaze you just made for approx. 30 mins with 3 10 minute intervals.
Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Baste the turkey with its juices every 20 minutes.
Let the Ham rest for approx. 20 minutes, and serve.
Enjoy your ham!
Side Dishes
What are your favorite side dishes? If this is your first-year planning, here are some classics:
Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mac n Cheese
Gravy
Collard Greens
Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar
Corn Bread
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As we transition into fall and winter, it’s time to think about your garden. Here are some seeds to plant (START INDOORS at 55°F at night):
Kale
Spinach
Lettuces
Beans
Snap Peas
Cauliflower (1" tall seedlings)
Cabbage (1" tall seedlings)
Root Veggies (beets/turnips)
PLANT YOUR GARLIC HEADS! I ordered mine from Keene Garlic. Look for a 5% coupon online! It’s not too late if you are in warmer zones.
Get a Zone 5 or 6 Garden Planting Zone Planner for yourself here:
Let’s dive into the sales for this week. This is for my local folks in the tri-state area of Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Maybe some of my fellow Virginia friends will find this helpful too!
Food Recalls: Stay Informed 12.10.2025 Update
It's time to discuss food recalls. Here’s the latest list of recalls. CHECK YOUR CHEESE!
Company | Product | Recall | Notes |
Mondelēz Global LLC | RITZ Peanut Butter / Cheese Crackers | Allergen alert. Some peanut butter crackers may have been mislabeled as cheese | |
Bonnihill Farms | BeefiBowls Beef Recipe frozen dog food | Plastic Contaminents | best by date of 12/25/2025 |
Wegmans | Deluxe Mixed Nuts | salmonella in raw pistachios | |
Ambriola Company | Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese | Listeria | |
Great Lakes Cheese Co. (Ohio) | shredded cheese | metal fragments |
I found an article discussing a year in review and canned good recalls. I always think this is of utmost importance to keep an eye on since the incident of the baby formula we just saw. Botulism is no joke, and safe canning practices should always be followed both at home and in store. Why else is this important? An item on this list could still be sitting on YOUR shelf.
Bonus: A year in review: "Canned Good Recalls".
Tri-Union Seafoods Canned Tuna Recall | possiblity of seal failure, pull tabs / manufacturing issue |
Del Monte Foods, Inc. Good & Gather Green Beans | Foreign Object |
Dinty Moore Beef Stew No presevatives | wood pieces found |
Yellowstone Brown Sugar Molasses Baked Beas Vietti Food Group | soy, undeclared allergen |
Always check the FDA's full list for previous and still active recalls.
Grocery Savings: Maximize Your Budget
In-Season Fruit and Veggies
Base your meal prep around seasonal savings. Look out for cranberries and pomegranates!
This week strawberries are 2/$5 at food lion (was anyone else sick of blueberries?)
Couponing Tips (Updated 12.10.2025)
Save A Lot has a membership program now! Make sure you sign up to continue getting the best deals you can!
Save A Lot: Now Downloadable in a PDF.
Winners:
The ham 1.69/lb (food lion is cheaper righ tnow)
$5.88 Top Round Beef Roast or Steaks
$0.59 per lb chicken leg 1/4's < -great deal! We actually tried some of these 5/5 stars
$1.48 ea celery
4/5 schweppes drink mixes
$2.49 2 lb sugar
Aldi: Now Downloadable in a PDF.
This might be the week to head over to Aldi for some produce if your budget is tight.
Winners:
Ham $1.49/lb
$1.89 raspberries
$.29 sliced mushrooms
$2.19 cherub tomatoes
Sam's Club:
I usually shy away from here because even with my bigger family, I do not need the products they offer. However, I found some relevant savings.
Winners:
The membership for the next year (if you are a new member)
Members Mark Butter is $2.94/ea - Pack of 4 = $11.76
I always shy away from avocados and bananas here; they have ripening issues.
The $5 chickens are well worth the membership... 5x12 = $60 instead of like $7.50 for smaller chickens elsewhere. You pay off your membership and have $5 left over.
$10.98 Campbells chicken noodle soup
Food Lion:
Winners:
Ham $0.99
Spiral ham $1.29/lb
93% ground beef $5.99/lb
$4.99/lb Hormel Bacon
2/$5 Strawberries (finally!!)
Squash $0.79/lb
2/$5 fresh express salad kits
Martin's: New PDF of Weekly Ad
Martin's has a spend $15 on specific products and get a movie night. FANDAGO.
Winners:
20% off Nature's Promise Brand Chicken Breasts
Redeem 400 choice points for a free ham
Buy 2 Get 2 Coke Products
My Shopping List
We are still in "clean out our pantry" mode. This week we are getting the basics, bread, butter and milk. Martin's has some good prices on butter, and they are offering a voucher for a movie night. I think this is fun. If I go to Martin's I might participate.
Organize Your Budget
Don't forget you can purchase your own downloadable grocery budget sheet below:
Happy shopping, my tri-state friends!
~DIY With Chelsea
12.10.2025
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