Thanksgiving is a part of my most favorite time of the year! I love the cozyness of this time of year! The time spent with family, the good food, the general merriment of it all. But don't let the costs associated with preparing a Thanksgiving meal scare you. There are many great ways to save money at Thanksgiving while still pulling off a fabulous meal and time spent with family!
...Cook and Bake from Scratch! It's a common known fact that making things from scratch is by far cheaper than buying them premade from the store, and the same rule applies to Thanksgiving! It may take a little extra time on your part, but homebaking and homecooking istead of buying premade will save you a substantial amount of money!
...If you are hosting family for Thanksgiving, don't feel like you have to make it all! Ask each attendee to bring an item for the meal. My extended family always celebrates Thanksgiving together, and one family brings the turkey, another the stuffing, another the potatoes and cranberries, etc. If everyone pitches in then just one person won't feel the crunch.
...If you decorate for Thanksgiving, Money Saving Mom put together several cute decorations with paper last year. Head on over here to check out her adorable Thanksgiving decorations!
...Bigger is better! When picking out the turkey, consider getting a bigger one than what you really need. This will cost more money out of pocket up front, but in the end you will save money since you will be able to repurpose the leftover turkey into other meals after the holiday. You can make turkey and dressing for sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey casserole, or just freeze it for future use.
...Use your crockpot! Crockpots use far less energy per hour than the oven. Stephanie over at Year of Slowcooking put together several recipes for your meal. Check it out here!
To see more great money saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom!
Friday, November 20, 2009
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2 comments:
Something I've done in the past is ask people to bring a dish with a different twist. Like instead of sweet potatoes with marshmallows that we have year after year, I made a sweet potato souffle. Then ask everyone to bring along a few copies of the recipe. If there is something someone loves, they can have the recipe! We have a few constants now that were put into rotation that year - now they are favorites! I like this b/c it makes it seem like more than just "bring a dish" but rather "bring something that you love or something you make exceptionally well and brag a little!" It makes people feel good.
Suzy that's a great idea for those who are looking for something different! Thanks for a great idea!
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