Thanksgiving on a Budget: Eat More for Less!

“Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday” – No one ever.

I mean, it’s basically an entire day dedicated to the best foods ever: mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, and (best of all) STUFFING. That being said, preparing a Thanksgiving feast can really take a toll on your credit card bill  – feeding a horde of extended family and friends is no small feat! Thanksgiving may be a time to reflect on our blessings, but that shouldn’t include blowing your entire budget on one dinner.

Sums up 99.9% of all Thanksgiving meals.

While I personally don’t have to worry about hosting my own Thanksgiving dinners just yet, I decided to put together a list of tips and tricks that you guys can use to lower the cost of your get-together this year!

My Sagely Advice

1. Buy a Supermarket Turkey:
   In an ideal world, we would all be eating gourmet-grade Heritage turkeys. Though typically smaller than commercial turkeys, they are both leaner and more flavorful. They are also over $10/ pound – ridiculous. Supermarket turkeys can be fine alternatives for only around $2/pound!
2. Go for seasonal ingredients:
   Buy produce in season and you will get much more for your money. This is no time for asparagus and artichokes – brussels sprouts are at their peak in late November &  farmers’ markets should have them in huge quantities for relatively low prices.
3. Canned & Frozen goods:
   Some canned and frozen foods are fine alternatives to fresh. You could make a pie using a fresh cheese pumpkin for $5, but it produces a much more watery filling than one made from a $1.79 can. Frozen vegetables are great too; a 10 ounce bag of Cascadian Farms peas is $2.99, compared to ~$5.99/pound  for fresh snow peas.
4. Make it a  BYOS (Bring Your Own Side) affair:
   As long as you let guests know in advance, they won’t mind bringing something to dinner. You can focus on the bird and assign the starches, vegetables, cranberries and dessert to friends & family.
   

Here’s hoping that my little tips & tricks will save you a few extra dollars this holiday! Leave me a comment and let me know if any of these worked out for you. In the meantime, I will leave you with this:

Happy Thanksgiving!