Thanksgiving- Spend Like the Pilgrims while You Dine Like the Kings!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays…it includes the two things that matter the most to me…Family and Good Food! Thanksgiving Dinner…Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed potatoes, Cranberry sauce, Green beans, Gravy, Crescent rolls, Pecan candied yam……decorations, the centerpiece, drinks…..and so much more. Thanksgiving can be quite expensive and a bit overwhelming if you’re on a budget. So here’s a few ways you can have a Penny-Wise Thanksgiving and spend like the Pilgrims while you Dine like the Kings!

Get Organized: Being organized, planning everything ahead of time is the best way to budget anything, that way you know exactly what you need in advance. When you know what you need you can always buy things well before and distribute the cost over a longer period so you don’t feel the pinch all at once. Write down the menu and make a shopping list from the recipes. 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, so you can shop as far ahead of time as you can seizing these opportunities to save. Opt, for example for a regular frozen turkey as fresh turkeys often are more expensive. Turkey can be safely stored in the freezer at 0 degrees F so you can purchase a turkey when it goes on sale. 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. Make special efforts to clip coupons or to take advantage of the holiday specials that certain stores run (ex. Spend $35 a week for 6 weeks and get $20 of groceries for free). All these ideas are certainly great ways to cope with holiday budget constraints.

Know your Portions: Depending on what your family's traditional main dish is, whether turkey, ham, or duck, make sure that you buy the right size. It’s tempting to have big, beautiful bird…but it’s more sensible to buy only as much as you need keeping in mind the number of people coming. Buy at least one pound of turkey for each person you are serving. The smallest turkeys usually weigh about 12 pounds, so if you are serving four people you should have plenty of leftovers. If you are worried that the turkey will seem small when you get it on the large serving platter you can add garnishes to the outside to make it look fuller surrounding it with a roasted vegetable medley.

Plan your Side Dishes: Instead of going all out with the Side-dishes and having them just because its tradition…see which side dishes are popular with your family and guests and limit it to a few really good ones and skip the rest. For example, one dressing, sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes, a green vegetable like string beans or Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and perhaps a salad.

Try a Potluck: Why not ask your guests to prepare a side dish or bring some beverages or a dessert? This really works well as the burden of the expenses as well as the cooking doesn’t fall only on one person and you’ll be surprised as how happy your guests feel being a part of the dinner. Try to match up people with what they do best….like my sister makes the best Salads…and even though my brother can’t cook for nuts he’s getting the crescent rolls while his friend is bringing the apple cider. This not only helps you with your budget but also allows you to pay more attention to your duties of the Turkey, the setting the table and playing host.

Beverages: Instead of expensive wines….a good old non-alcoholic punch is all you need, it may be a little extra work but really helps with the budget. If you’re not a fan of punch try flavored iced teas, lemonade or apple-cider.

Decorations: Keep it simple and make your own decorations. I personally love a rustic fall feel during thanksgiving. So just walk outside and gather some colorful leaves, acorns, twigs, pinecones and branches. Using a branch and a glue-gun you can create your own center piece. And who said Pumpkins were only for Halloween…they make excellent thanksgiving decoration. Candles are also a great way of decorating and exude warmth and welcome. Tea candles work well when displayed in glasses and are also a little more budget friendly. Or just pull out those Christmas tree lights and drape them over a bookcase, around the room or if you have a big bowl or vase just dump them in. Keep hold of the decorations and candles to use for Christmas or even next Thanksgiving!

Store your Leftovers Carefully: For the turkey take the time to remove the meat and wrap it carefully in saran wrap or air-tight containers, it will remain nice and moist and tempting for the next meals. For the immediate next dinner, place the turkey in a plastic container, put a piece of waxed paper and then put some wet paper towels atop that, keeps it nice and moist for sandwiches the next night. This allows you to extend your Thanksgiving budget for a few days longer and since Christmas is just around the corner you’ll need it.

Whatever you choose to do on thanksgiving, make sure you focus on what’s truly important- the fact that you have your family and so very much to be thankful for Remember that you don’t have to spend a great deal to give thanks and enjoy time with your family…..the pilgrims did it…and so can we!