The United States spends over two billion dollars on Thanksgiving dinner. Millions of Americans will travel over 50 miles for their Thanksgiving feast. The average household spends about $54.18 per meal, however, if you are hosting multiple households (your siblings, a neighbor, etc.) you are spending that money on each household. If you invite four households, you’ll be spending $220 on food. How can you plan Thanksgiving dinner on a budget and still stuff your guests?
Buy a Supermarket Turkey
A turkey can cost 40% of the meal. Buy your turkey early, many stores will sell frozen turkeys early and allow you to grab them cheaply with a coupon. Sometimes, you can get a free turkey as part of a promotion from certain stores. It will take one day for every five pounds the turkey weighs to properly thaw the bird. While it may be tempting to buy an expensive, name-brand turkey, you will find that having excellent turkey is more in the preparation than in the brand.
Make Things From Scratch
Purchasing breadcrumbs, pre-made pies, rolls, and gravy adds up quickly. Instead of buying the convenient, pre-made and packaged side dishes and desserts, make your own. Packaged food can cost up to three times as much as fresh or frozen. Buying potatoes will be tastier and less expensive than buying powdered mashed potatoes. Make stuffing with leftover bread, broth, seasonings, and fresh vegetables rather than buying a stuffing package. Make your own gravy from broth.
Cut Corners
You can dilute broth with water and flour rather than using another can. Substitute butter instead of using shortening in your pie crusts. There are many other substitutions that you can make while cooking to help save you money. Sometimes, it saves you money simply because you don’t invest in a brand new can of something just to use two or three tablespoons.
Make Assignments
If you are in charge of the meal for many families, ask them each to bring a side dish or dessert. It will take a lot of the stress off of you, as it will save you time and money. Make sure to assign specific dishes, or you might end up with too many servings of potatoes and no pies.
Plan Ahead
Start shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner in advance. Watch the newspaper and the coupons you get in the mail for special deals. If you’re buying canned or frozen foods, they will not spoil, so buy them when they go on sale.
Decorate Simply
You don’t need to intricately decorate your home to make the holiday special. You can use normal dishes, napkins and tablecloths instead of special themed centerpieces. You can always create your own centerpieces based on what you can find outdoors: grasses, herbs, and gourds are a few ideas.