In this time of economic hardship and recession, a lavish Thanksgiving for your family might seem like a lost cause. But, careful planning ahead of time and other tricks of the frugal trade can ease your stress and keep the jingle in your pocketbook!
1. Go through your tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes and make a menu plan for the big day. This can be done in a plain notebook or a spreadsheet on your computer. Google documents is a good source to keep recipes and menu plans together. Once you have your recipes and menu, make a grocery list of things you need and items you already have on hand.
2. Now that you have your Thanksgiving grocery list, pore through your store's weekly circular, or visit sites such as www.groceryguide.com and www.mygrocerydeals.com that list many of the stores you might shop at. It helps to compare the sales at each store that you routinely shop at.
3. Go through your coupons and find the ones that correlate with your Thanksgiving shopping list items. You can save a lot by using your coupons in tandem with store sales. For example, if you have a 50 cent off two coupon for Carnation evaporated milk (for pumpkin pies or other desserts) and a local grocery store has this brand on sale for just 49 cents per can, you would only pay $0.48 for the two cans of Carnation milk! That's a savings of $1.50 between the coupon and the store's sale. That's just one example of how planning ahead can save you money on your Thanksgiving grocery list.
4. Plan on buying items early, when they are on sale, to take advantage of the lower prices. Many stores run sales on baking and other holiday items after Halloween. Pick up these sale items during your regular grocery runs and stockpile them in a designated area of your pantry just for your Thanksgiving meal. This keeps you from using the item beforehand in other recipes.
5. Your turkey will probably be the bulk of your Thanksgiving food budget. One of the best ways to save on the turkey cost is to buy a frozen turkey way before the holiday season, when your favorite grocery store runs a sale on them. For example, if your local grocery store runs a good sale on frozen turkeys in October, buy one and set it in the freezer to save for your big Turkey Day dinner.
6. Another high price item probably on your list is wine, or other alcoholic drinks for the big day. If you are having company over for Thanksgiving, consider this: buy a box of wine. They come in every type of wine, from chardonnay to merlot, and save you a ton of money. Spend just $17 on a box of wine instead of paying up to $20 for one bottle of wine. Another idea is to buy the mini bottles (like ones from Sutter Home) in white and red to give your guests a choice.
Once you have all of your Thanksgiving food items bought and put away, it's time to focus on the Thanksgiving tablescape. This can get very expensive, especially if you have a large table with lots of room for fancy candles and knick-knacks. Use this philosophy: Go simple and elegant. Choose a color or duo of colors that complement your dinnerware. For example, if you have dishes that are creamy white with a scalloped rim, use burgundy and gold as accent colors for your table. Or, if you have special Thanksgiving dinnerware, choose one solid color of candles and accessories for your tablescape. Another good idea is to just put long tapers of different sizes down the length of your table with crystal candleholders. Just using an assortment of candles can create that holiday atmosphere you want.
Go to the Dollar Store and buy your candles there if you don't have a stockpile of them. They also usually have other decorations you can use to create your own personalized tablescape. If you want to spend a little more money, try going to Walmart and look in their craft section to make your own floral centerpiece. The possibilites are endless, just use your imagination.
Hopefully this article has helped and encouraged you to plan your own Thanksgiving ahead to save time and money. If you get started now, by the big day you'll have everything you need to wow your guests and your family withe the perfect frugal, elegant Thanksgiving.
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