Thanksgiving can be quite expensive. You have to buy the turkey, ingredients for various recipes, decorations, a centerpiece, drinks, and so much more. It can be overwhelming if you’re on a budget. So how do you handle it? How do you stretch your budget enough to take care of Thanksgiving? Well, it’s easy. There are several ways you can have a wonderful Thanksgiving on a budget.
1. Grab a free turkey.
No, I don’t mean shove a turkey under your shirt and rush for the grocery store door. You could get frostbite that way. Seriously, several stores have promotions going on, during Thanksgiving, where you can get a free turkey just by doing what you do every week, grocery shopping. Many stores will have a set limit that you have to spend each week, for so many weeks. Check all the stores in your area because some stores will require you to spend more money than others.
2. Look for buy one, get one free sales.
Let’s face it, the ingredients you need to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner can really eat a hole in your budget. The good thing is, there are usually buy one get one free sales to save your budget, during Thanksgiving. A good tip, if your store allows it, is to only buy one item (unless you need two) and if you’re a coupon clipper, use those coupons. Sometimes you can get free items this way.
3. Buy a whole turkey rather than a turkey breast.
At Thanksgiving, it really makes sense to buy a whole turkey if you’re on a budget. The price of turkeys falls to around $0.39 a pound during Thanksgiving. It’s actually cheaper to buy the whole turkey and throw the rest of the turkey away than it is to buy a turkey breast.
4. Use your own dishes rather than using paper or foam dishes.
This is an easy way to stay on budget. It may mean more cleanup afterwards, but do you really need to spend $3-4 on paper or foam plates? Using your own dishes will mean having a bigger budget for desserts or other side dishes.
5. Provide drinks that can be made by the gallon.
Instead of serving pop or wine this Thanksgiving, do something a little more budget friendly; serve tea, coffee, Kool-Aid for the kids, lemonade, etc. This will really help your budget. Also remember to have cold water in the fridge for those who prefer plain water to drink.
6. Buy Stove Top rather than making homemade dressing.
Homemade dressing can be really delicious, but it can be hard on the budget. This Thanksgiving serve Stove Top instead. Stove Top can usually be found for $0.99 or less during the Thanksgiving holiday. This is really easy on your budget.
7. Make your own rolls.
Buying rolls at the store is crazy, when you can make homemade rolls for literally pennies. Making homemade rolls can be really easy if you have the right recipe. Check the internet for easy roll recipes; some don’t even require being kneading.
8. Skip the centerpiece.
How many of your family members actually pay attention to the centerpiece anyway? Plus a centerpiece often limits conversation. People do not want to talk over a bunch of flowers coming out of turkey’s butt. Seriously, this is a waste of your budget.
9. Make your own decorations.
Thanksgiving decorations have become really popular. Instead spending part of your budget on decoration from the store, buy supplies to make your own. This can be really fun for the kids. Have them make an outline of their hand on construction paper and then cut it out. Turn their thumb into the turkey’s head and then the fingers into the turkey’s tail. Give them crayons to decorate their turkey.
10. Forget about catering.
If you are on a budget, do not even think about having your Thanksgiving dinner catered. This is a waste of your budget, plus these foods are rushed and never as good as homemade.
I hope these tips help you to have a wonderful Thanksgiving on a budget. It can be done and you’ll still have lots of yummy food to eat. Happy Thanksgiving!