Top tips for a frugal Turkey Day
Posted
Nov 14 2008, 06:15 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Thanksgiving is by far our favorite holiday and we're planning a big traditional dinner. The American Farm Bureau Federation has reported that the cost of the standard Thanksgiving meal will go up once again this year, so we've scoured the Web for frugal Turkey Day tips.
Here's what we've found:
Eat at home. This may seem obvious, but Donna at The Frugal Mom Blog says you'll probably spend more if you have your holiday dinner at a restaurant. If you don't want to cook, maybe your town, like ours, has a free community T-giving dinner. (Why not volunteer while you're there?) Or you can consider ordering a dinner to go. Pam Dinsmore at SacMomsClub lists some possibilities.
Buy the right bird, generally one pound per person, but more for leftovers. Several bloggers recommended Butterball's portion calculator. (David at MoneyNing recommends that you roast it ***-side down. We've tried this; it keeps the white meat juicy.)
Look for deals. Some supermarkets offer a free turkey if you spend a certain amount there within a set time. "This not a good deal if you're spending more than your usual budget on groceries in order to meet the free-turkey threshold," advises Fabtastically Frugal. Most stores will have sales on turkey and other holiday foods. Better yet, match coupons with sales.
Cook simple sides from scratch. Make your own chicken stock with a leftover carcass (we're doing that as we write) and freeze it. Save bread ends and stale pieces in your freezer for stuffing. The Frugal Mom Blog has a collection of Thanksgiving recipes, including cranberry sauce from scratch. Donna also recommends AllRecipe's Thanksgiving basics. If you have whole pumpkins, check out Frugal Fu's approach to roasting the seeds. Another good idea: Allow guests to bring their favorite side dishes.
Get good bargains on wine. Fabtastically Frugal recommends boxed wines -- honestly, some good wines come in a box -- or a nice Beaujolais nouveau.
Forget the fancy store-bought decorations. Use pinecones, gourds and flowers to dress up the table, says Toni at Happy to Be at Home. (She's become quite the T-giving expert after her first disastrous attempt.) Or have your kids make decorations. Use the good china, and skip the paper plates.
Start new family traditions (while you're not watching football). Toni suggests that family members write down and then read what they're thankful for. Michelle Jones at Living a Better Life describes how her family makes a Thanksgiving tree. As My Money Blog says, "Today you actually appreciate what you already have, instead of focusing on what you want."
Bonus tip: Toni says that Black Friday is a great day to save money on Christmas dinner staples. Who knew?
Do you have your own frugal Thanksgiving tips? You can share them here or contribute them to the upcoming "Frugal Thanksgiving Mini Series" at Frugal Upstate.
