Family Dollar, one of the fastest-growing discount retail chains in the United States, is encouraging families to celebrate food, festivity, and frugality this season with the first-ever Dollar Dinner for the Holidays Contest, launched this month.
With the help of cook and celebrity chef, Melissa d'Arabian, Family Dollar is asking consumers to submit and share their favorite dishes within the following categories: appetizer, entrée, side dish, and dessert.
Families can easily log onto www.familydollar.com to enter their thrifty recipes by selecting ingredients that can be found at local Family Dollar locations along with a cost range to show off their savings, for a chance to win various entertaining prizes.
A holiday spokesperson for the Company d'Arabian will help select the Best Entrée grand prize winner, who will be awarded a private entertaining consultation with d'Arabian herself, along with a $500 Family Dollar gift card to put towards his or her next entertaining event.
Secondary winners for Best Appetizer, Side Dish, and Dessert will receive a $50 Family Dollar gift card to help with party necessities and essential food ingredients in the New Year.
Each entrant will receive exclusive coupons and the opportunity for additional savings.
The contest also offers a forum for consumers to exchange recipes, share holiday meal tips, and find affordable meal solutions at their local Family Dollar.
"Family Dollar provides our customers all of the solutions for a special, yet affordable holiday, and the Dollar Dinners For The Holidays contest was our way to encourage family and friends to share their value-friendly holiday gatherings this season," says Don Hamblen, Family Dollar senior vice president for customer marketing.
The grand prize winner, to be announced in early 2012, will benefit by ringing in the New Year with some tips on how to entertain on a budget without jeopardizing quality from recognized cook and celebrity chef d'Arabian.
A favorite tip of d'Arabian on saving while entertaining is to be a bargain hunter during your shopping trips, and even to look for deals on those items that aren't typically expensive.
"Holiday entertaining can be very costly, especially if you're hosting a large group at your home,” d’Arabian says. “Stock up on basic ingredients and essentials like spices for flavoring, containers for storing leftovers, and other value-priced items at Family Dollar and put your savings to better use."
For more tips from d'Arabian and information on Family Dollar's Dollar Dinners for the Holidays Contest please visit www.familydollar.com or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/familydollar or Twitter at @myfamilydollar.
