Thanksgiving is a wonderful day to spend with friends and loved ones and eat good food. However, for many people, it is also a day to worry about how much food costs and how long it will take to prepare it. We here at Deal Locker believe that Thanksgiving should not be a time to worry about money, so we offer you some suggestions to save on your Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy time with your friends and family.

1. Buy a larger turkey. OK, I know that doesn’t sound like you’d be saving money… until you find out that butchers at most grocery stores will cut the turkey in half for you. Yes, even if it is frozen. The larger turkeys are usually cheaper per pound, so you can save money by either sharing the turkey (conveniently cut into two halves) with a friend or relative, or saving the other half for Christmas or New Year’s.
2. Make your own pies. Homemade pumpkin pies are much cheaper than store-bought ones, and usually taste a lot better. Even if you don’t want to make the pie crust, you can still make pies - just buy the frozen pie crust. Frozen pie crusts are usually on sale right before Thanksgiving - just don’t wait until the last minute or there might not be any left!
3. Don’t make so many side dishes. Unless you are entertaining large group, many of the side dishes hardly get touched, because everyone is concentrating on the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Then they want to save room for dessert! A few side dishes are nice, but don’t prepare too many.
4. Shop early. The non-perishable food can be bought as early as you want. The rest of the groceries should be bought before the day before Thanksgiving, when everyone is at the store and the sale food is all gone.
5. Get organized! Don’t assume that you’ll remember what you need at the grocery store. Many times, that leads to buying way too much food because you just want to “make sure.” Instead, look at your recipes and make a list of exactly what you need.
6. Get coupons! In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, newspapers will come with tons of Thanksgiving-related coupons. Or you can check your local store for coupons online. Use the ones that you need, but don’t be tricked into buying things you don’t need because you can save on them. You’re not saving money if you don’t need it!
7. Delegate. Guests who aren’t traveling from too far away usually like to bring something to contribute. Ask them to bring something specific, leaving you with one less thing to plan, buy, and cook. This will also cut down on doubles of side dishes and desserts.
8. Don’t worry about decor. Surprisingly, one of the biggest expenses at Thanksgiving is all the money spent on decorations. A few fall leaves and some pine cones can make a great centerpiece, or candles surrounded by leaves. Don’t spend tons of money on Thanksgiving-themed decorations if you are trying to save money. People are much more likely to remember the food and the company than what your table looked like!

Enjoy your savings and your Thanksgiving dinner! Be sure to rest up for Black Friday the next day!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 14th, 2007 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Grocery, Money saving ideas, Shopping Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.