Thanksgiving Savings

Today's author: Lindsey

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and before you know it, we will all be stuffing ourselves with delicious turkey and pie while watching the parade and football. Thankfully, I will be at my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner so the major cooking will not be my responsibility (hooray!). One day however, I have no doubt, we will be the ones to host Thanksgiving and perhaps you are hosting this year. Between the cooking and the spending, this day of thanks can be overwhelming. Here are some helpful money and sanity tips for your celebration:

BYOD (Bring your Own Dish)

During the summer I wrote about the ‘community dinners’ we have.  It is a time where friends get together and each person brings a food dish to share, its savings and variety in one! Just because you told the family “Thanksgiving is at our place this year!” doesn’t mean you can’t ask everyone to bring something to share. It’s a great way to add variety, less cooking for just one person and savings for everyone.

Start shopping!

While Thanksgiving is still about two weeks away, start looking for sales and specials on the essentials at the grocery store.  Turkeys, breads, pies; all these items will have sales earlier in the week! You can also see about getting your turkey for free. Many stores offer a free turkey if you spend so much money on groceries every week.  Check out your local store to see if they do this!

Get creative with Thanksgiving decorations.

While all those festive decorations at Pier 1 are amazing, they are also expensive! Look online at Pinterest or other creative sites for easy DIY décor ideas. Try using Halloween items that have gone on sale as well, pumpkins are not just for October 31^st or you can go outside, find some pine cones, throw them in a bowl or vase and you now have a centerpiece!

Cut down on the sides.

While having twenty different options to go along with your turkey is nice, you are A. Not going to eat it all and B. Going to be spending a lot more money. Instead of trying to have every food imaginable, stick to what you know people like, will eat and will want leftovers of. It will help you save money and not waste food.

What are some ways you save money during Thanksgiving?