How to have a cheap Thanksgiving

Haha, I think my only two readers are Australian and Canadian (and an occasional Korean for good measure) but I thought I'd post this anyway. I'm enjoying this blog which is called $5 Dinners. I haven't tried any of her recipes yet, but am getting ideas . . . .

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-your-plan-ahead-guide.html

Thanksgiving – Your Plan Ahead Guide
by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom on November 4, 2009

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the whole year. I love every part of it…

the colors of the trees outside
the piles of leaves in the street that await the leaf sucker-upper
the rock bottom prices in the grocery stores
the insane number of coupons that are released during November
the fantastic Thanksgiving deals that can be found matching up coupons with sale prices
the many fragrances that fill the house as the oven roasts the turkey and bakes the pies
Ahhh.

It will be a bit different for us this year. With a very small newborn, I couldn’t imagine preparing the whole feast, as I’ve done in years past! So we’ll be feasting with family. And if I can manage to whip up a side dish, I will!

I wanted to share a few reminders on how to reduce the overall cost of your Thanksgiving meal.

1. Plan. Rework the plan. Finalize the plan.

Make a plan. Dig through those recipe cards, browse the magazines. Make your plan. But only pencil it in!

Then rework your plan as time gets closer and you see things on sale, or another recipe you’d like to experiment with.

On Sunday before Thanksgiving, finalize the plan and get to work! By then, you’ll have seen all the products that are on sale, what the lowest prices are and you’ll be able to carve the plan into stone.

2. Prices.

From my experience in years past, the LOWEST prices on all the Thanksgiving favorites…like green beans, sweet potatoes, pecans and walnuts, cranberry sauces, etc…are found during Thanksgiving week. And possibly the week before.

It’s a tricky game to play, but if you have a plan and you see something on your list for 60-75% less than regular retail price the week before Thanksgiving, go ahead and get it. Or wait and hope it’s still on sale for Thanksgiving week. But if you wait, it might not be on sale the next week. Trust your instincts.

3. Coupons. Coupons. Coupons.

Over the next few weeks, there will be an insane number of coupons released both online and in the newspapers. Many of which are for the most popular products used during the Thanksgiving meal.

Clip them. Use them. Match them with the products on sale!

4. Turkey Prices.

Watch those circulars. I already see whole turkeys advertised in my store for $1.49/lb. But I know it will be half that price come Turkey Day!

Shop around. Pay close attention to all the store’s prices in your area.

How big of a turkey should I get? Rule of thumb: 1 lb. per person attending your feast. Depending on how much meat you need/want for leftovers!

And don’t forget…this is a great time to get an extra turkey, perhaps a smaller turkey breast, that you can cook up in the slow cooker and use the meat for multiple meals. Prices won’t be this low until Thanksgiving 2010!

Enjoy your feast! And revel in the fact that you spent as little as you could on your Turkey Day Feast!!!

What other tips do you have to share for saving $$$ on the Thanksgiving meal???

I laugh when I see the pre-made dinners the grocery stores offer, or more expensively, the restaurants. What the under-$50 dinners offer is so easy to make at home, and so cheap, that I shake my head that anyone would bother with them. I'd say if you were arriving in town on Thanksgiving Eve or Day to visit your aged parents, or if you had had lots of illness in your home, it might be a good idea. Otherwise . . . pfffftttt. I can make those kinds of dinners for about $15-18 and not even break a sweat. Anyone can. I do not make fancy Thanksgiving dinners, although I'd like to some time. NO appreciation for "special" meals here, so I seldom bother. Well, dh appreciates something a little special, but he is highly suspicious of anything new so it's hardly worth it.

So far I think our guest list includes my mom (of course, since she is staying here with us :-) ) and a young mom and her little dd. Her dh works for the Border Patrol and will be working. American Thanksgiving guest lists tend to be fluid with additions and subtractions up until we sit down to eat, so let's see who we actually end up with!