Thanksgiving On A Shoestring!
Streamlining Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving On a Shoestring – Lower the cost of your Thanksgiving by following a few sensible tips. With the cost of everything increasing, it’s probably safe to say that we’ll probably see an increase in the cost of our Thanksgiving meals. In order to keep costs down and still enjoy your Thanksgiving meal without feeling deprived, I’ve compiled a list of tips and ideas to help you have a sumptuous meal on a shoestring. Best of all, no one will ever suspect you didn’t spend an arm and a turkey leg on Thanksgiving.
First things first. Decide on your menu then shop your pantry. Anything that you don’t have to purchase means more money left in your pocket.
Keep it simple. Complicated casserole dishes significantly increase the cost of any meal. Years ago as a new bride, I would have everyone over to my house and then slave away on a turkey and 8 gourmet side dishes worthy of Wolfgang Puck himself! Thank goodness I eventually smelled the seasoning salt and came to my senses. I now only make basic dishes for Thanksgiving and leave the costly items off the menu. It makes life so much easier and simple.
Reduce the number of side dishes. One of the ways I save my sanity and money is to streamline the side dishes. Three side dishes, turkey , gravy and a roll easily fill up a plate. So don’t go overboard with the side dishes. If you have more side dishes than can fit onto your plate, then chances are they all won’t get sampled! Less is more when it comes to side dishes.
Ditch the boxed stuff and go with homemade. Not only will you save money, but let’s face it, mashed potatoes made from freshly peeled potatoes are much tastier than those made from dehydrated potato flakes. You can easily find sales on items like potatoes. In fact, Harveys has a sale on some sort of potato every other week for around $.39/lb. No excuses. Go with fresh! Also, leave the canned and jarred gravy on the store shelf. You can throw a little flour, water or chicken stock (I freeze my own stock to cut costs) seasoned salt and pepper into your turkey’s pan drippings to create your own gravy for far less money. According to my children and husband, it tastes better too!
Shop now. Don’t wait until the day before Thanksgiving to begin gathering up the ingredients you’ll need to complete your meal. Stores have begun to have sales on almost all of the items that will grace our tables come Thanksgiving Day. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, go ahead and grab those items you’ll need as they are put on sale. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, your list will be completed for pennies on the dollar.
Use coupons and shop promotional sales. We are already seeing a barrage of coupons on holiday baking items, as well as turkeys. Grab coupons from the Sunday paper and from the ECQ coupon database in order to make sure you are getting the greatest amount of savings on your products.
Buy staples in bulk. Those of you who have ever been behind me at the checkout have probably noticed that I don’t shop like a normal person. You’ll never see me with a week’s worth of groceries in my buggy. You’ll notice that my shopping cart will be loaded down with maybe 6-8 different items, but in mass quantities. That’s because I am a “stockpiler”. I typically buy only those items that we need when they are on sale and I have a coupon to toss onto them. When you see a cheap deal on staple items, stockpile them! You can use them beyond Thanksgiving and you’ll save money in the long run.
Fresh verses frozen turkey. Some people swear by a fresh turkey. I am not one of them. In fact, they both taste the same to my hillbilly taste buds! They aren’t sophisticated enough to detect the difference. If it doesn’t matter to you, then grab a frozen turkey. They are about half the price of a fresh turkey. Plus, companies like Butterball offer coupons and rebates on their birds to lower your final cost!
Go with boxed wine. For those who enjoy wine with your Thanksgiving meal, buy a decent quality boxed wine. You will generally be able to get the equivalent of 4 bottles from one box, which will amount to about $5.00 per bottle, which is cheap!
Have a potluck Thanksgiving. In my family, we usually wind up at my parents or mother-in-laws’ home for Thanksgiving dinner. I am so blessed that my family and my husband’s family get along really well, so we never have to split up our time for the holidays…even at Christmas. We all gather together and enjoy each other’s company, as well as, a great meal. What makes it so nice is that we each bring one or two items to pass around the table. No one is asked to bring a specific dish. It’s kept very general. Rather than ask someone to bring a broccoli casserole, they are instead asked to bring a vegetable dish of their choice. It makes it much easier on everyone and we have a nice assortment of food items to devour.
Keep decorations natural. You don’t have to spend a dime on table decorations this year. Head on out to your backyard instead. About an hour before company arrives, I go outside and collect small pine tree limbs and pine cones. I then layer them in the center of my table with an assortment of candles. Then boom… a lovely and inexpensive tablescape is created for just the cost of a box of dollar store candles!
While these tips can save you money & time, remember, Thanksgiving is all about celebrating with friends and family and being grateful for the blessings we’ve received. Focus on those who are important to you and don’t sweat the small stuff. Planning and shopping ahead will enable you to relax, save money and have fun you’re your loved ones this Thanksgiving.
Looking for coupons to use on Thanksgiving? Head on over HERE to look at printable coupons. Also, check out the Everyday Coupon Queen’s coupon database for even more coupons!
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