How to Have a Wonderful Yet Frugal Thanksgiving

By Kelly Whalen, on November 18, 2009

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and for some of us, financial concerns are more prominent this year than any other years in the past. However, that’s not what Thanksgiving is all about. Regardless of your financial means, you could have a wonderful and inexpensive Thanksgiving. In this article, I am going to cover various aspect of Thanksgiving celebration and share some ideas with you. Hopefully, you can find a fun and frugal way to enjoy yours.

The Place

Where you celebrate the holiday will determine whether it’s a fairly inexpensive day, or the one that breaks the bank. The biggest cost for most people is travel. To keep the costs low, here are the places you might celebrate from cheapest to most expensive.

• Friend’s house: If you are getting together with friends, offer to share cooking duty. Bring a dish or a bottle of wine.
• Home: Probably the toughest option if you are having lots of company, because you have to get the house clean AND cook. This nice thing is that there is no travel cost and you get to take a nap in your own bed as soon as the Tryptophan kicks in.
• Family member’s house: This can be fun, or fraught with family craziness. Be sure to lend a hand with the dishes, and compliment the cook. If you live far away, the cost of this trip could be the most expensive part of the holidays.
• Catered Meal: Not fond of cooking? Catering a meal, or getting prepared foods for part of the meal may make sense.
• Restaurant: Eating out is the easiest choice, but likely the most expensive.

The Meal

Your choice of menu has a big impact on the budget. Some ideas for saving on your holiday meal:

• Stick with the basics: Turkey, potatoes, cranberries, rolls, and 1 or 2 other sides. By not going overboard with 3 kinds of potatoes, a turkey AND a roast you will save a ton of cash.
• Vegetarian/vegan offerings: If you are a vegetarian or vegan or have one attending your meal, don’t panic. There are several easy ways to incorporate a vegetarian offering into the meal with breaking the bank. An easy and yummy centerpiece is stuffed squash, or you could try this delectable recipe for rosemary/sweet acorn squash.
• Something different: Don’t like the traditional Thanksgiving offerings? Why not try something different.  I asked on twitter about non-traditional Thanksgiving meals and people mentioned dishes such as Mexican food, or potpie in place of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

If you’re hosting:

• Plan the menu: Menu planning is the key to a successful holiday meal. I love these complete menus from Martha Stewart.
• Take it one step at a time: I love this article called Thanksgiving Made Easy on Martha Stewart. It’s step-by-step instructions for what to do and when!

The Decor

If you have china and silver, Thanksgiving may be the only time you use it! Consider paper plates if you have a large crew. If you’re concerned about the environmental impact, you can find recycled paper plates or even biodegradable plates that can go right in your compost bin.

Some of my favorite crafts and decorating are for the Thanksgiving table. Filling vases with acorns, leaves, or dried flowers are always beautiful.  Martha Stewart has a ton of great crafts for the table, including these cute pinecone turkeysas place-card holder. My favorite easy placecard holder is her idea to tie a small piece of twine with a name on it to a pear. You could use any small fruit or even a mini pumpkin.

The Deals

To find the best deals on food check your local grocery flyers. Now is a good time to shop for canned goods, frozen veggies, and vegetables that keep well like potatoes and yams.

Many stores offer a free turkey if you purchase a certain amount of groceries over a few weeks. Usually they require that you sign up for their “bonus” or “club” card. Even Discover Card is offering 5% cashback bonus for grocery stores and restaurants (note: you have to sign up for the 5% cashback program).

Walmart is also offering a $20 deal for everything you need for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s meant to serve 8 and includes:

• One 12-pound Grade A turkey*
• Three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans Green Giant vegetables
• Two 14-ounce cans Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
• Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing
• One 5-pound bag of red potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 22-ounce pumpkin roll cake

To order catering, or find tips, and recipes from Whole Foods Markets check out their holiday website.

Thanks and Giving

Now that you’ve planned your feast, you might consider being thankful for what you have by giving some time to others on Thanksgiving. How can you give your time, money or donations? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Google your city+Thanksgiving+volunteer to find any events that are going on in your local area.
• Talk to you local church, synagogue, or mosque. Many have Thanksgiving events yearly.
• Call your local food bank. They will be able to tell you what kind of help they need.
• Donate food to a local shelter, or food bank
• Check Volunteer Match for opportunities to volunteer in your local area.
• Remember that Thanksgiving is not the only time of year that people need help. If you can find a small amount of time each month to offer, it can be very rewarding.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Share what your plans are in the comments.

Kelly Whalen is a stay at home mom of 4 kids, who is on a mission to pay off all her consumer debt, and keep her home from falling into chaos. You can find her at The Centsible Life. You can also find her on twitter.

Add Your Question or Comment (One Comment)

1. Adam R:

   November 23, 2009 at 7:14 pm

   Thanks for the ideas. I am always looking at ways to save a few bucks. I like the walmart idea with the whole package for $20. Maybe, I’ll give it a try.