Tips for Saving Money on Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday for many people for one reason: it is the festival of food! Most people love to get together on this wonderful holiday to enjoy a big meal as a family. This is a fine tradition and one that should continue for centuries to come, however, what will happen this year since the budget is tighter than it used to be? There are some easytipson how to trim some "fat" off of the cost of your Thanksgiving meal:
- Sales. This suggestion only makes sense, especially if you are low on cash flow or have a large number of people to feed on Thanksgiving day. Cruise the sales in every grocery store you frequent and stock up on the things you need when you see them on sale. This works really well for canned goods, frozen items and other non-perishables. Buying things when they first go on sale (usually starting close to Halloween), saves you from the last minute dash to get everything you need two days before the holiday.
- Go nameless. What this means is to forgo the name brand labels. You may think you are paying for quality by purchasing name brand items, but in reality there is very little difference between store brands and name brands. When you take the foods out of the packaging, no one knows (or cares) what company the item came from, all they notice is how good the dish you made tastes. You can save quite a bit of money by purchasing all your Thanksgiving meal ingredients in off/store brands.
- Cut down on dishes. It is understandable that you want to offer as much variety as possible on your holiday table, however, it can save you money by cutting down on how many different dishes you cook and serve. This year try serving only things everyone dining at your home can agree on and compromise when necessary to somewhat accommodate everyone's palate. If you are honest with yourself, you will probably realize that you do not need to serve 14 side dishes and 6 desserts. Stick to everyone's absolute favorites and you will save some money.
- Ask guests to pitch in. There is no shame in asking loved ones to either bring a dish or chip in to help cover costs of ingredients. This idea works so well for some families that it has become a new tradition for them. Asking people to bring a dish can make the meal a truly special family event. The same can be said for having everyone donate to the grocery bill, once the food is purchased, the family can get together and prepare the meal as a family.
There is no need to hit the panic button if you figure out that your budget is smaller this year, you can still have a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner and save some money at the same time. All you have to do is figure out what you have to have and where all the great sales are and the rest is up to the magic you create in your kitchen!
