How to Save Money Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

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Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I can’t believe that it’s almost here. Hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be quite overwhelming, there are so many things that need to be done to prepare.  You want to make sure everything is perfect and everyone has a good time.

Hosting Thanksgiving can also become quite a financial burden, especially if you have a big circle of family and friends coming over. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) annual informal price survey, the average meal for 10 people will be $49.87 and that’s for food alone. For this reason, I put together some tips that will help you save more money while planning the perfect get together.

How To Save Money Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is a key to saving money every day, and hosting Thanksgiving is no different. So, the first thing you need to do is sit down with a paper and pen and make a list of everything you are going to need.

• What dishes are you going to be preparing
• Ingredients you are going to need to make those dishes
• Home decor to get in the spirit of the holiday
• Beverages you are going to be serving
• Serving dishes and utensils you may be in need of
• Extra seating area for the children
• And anything else you can think of

As you can see, especially if this is your first time hosting Thanksgiving, it can get quite expensive. Here are some tips that might ease the stress and your budget hosting Thanksgiving.

Saving Money On Food

OK, first and most important, saving money on food. Of course, food is the most expensive thing when it comes to Hosting Thanksgiving. You really need to look for ways to save money on food first. Here are some great tips to help you do just that.

Start shopping early

It’s best to have your list of groceries needed as early as you can. This will give you time to shop around and compare prices.

Generally, stores run sales on the items most need to host Thanksgiving throughout the month leading up to the holiday. It may be some select items one week, then other items the next.

So, reviewing the grocery store flyers weekly and stocking up on the items that you can get for the lowest prices will help cut the cost of your food budget.

This will also help to spread out the cost of hosting Thanksgiving over time so it isn’t such a financial burden. Plus, if you wait until the last minute you may not be able to get what you need because the stores are out of the product.

More grocery saving tips

How to Cut Your Grocery Budget In Half

Eating Healthy on a Budget

How to Save Hundreds on Groceries

How to Control Food Waste

Use Coupons

Even if you are not a couponer, you should look for coupons during this holiday season to help save money. Especially because you need to buy more of everything that you normally would.

During the holiday seasons, the weekend papers are full of coupons that will help you save money on just about everything you will need to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

You can also find some great coupons online at sites like Coupons.com and Coupons.com. Apps like Ibotta and SavingStar are another great option to save even more money.

Buy Generic

You should also look for generic labeled products. Many generic items are actually manufactured by the same companies that make the big named products.

So basically, you are getting the same quality food without paying for all the pretty packaging and advertising. This means, nobody will ever notice and you will save a bunch of money.

Make It From Scratch

It can be tempting to buy ready-made side dishes and desserts from your local bakery or deli. There is much that needs to be done within a short period of time. But making these things from scratch is so much cheaper.

To make things a bit easier, you can prepare some of these things ahead of time. Maybe you can prepare certain items ahead of time and freeze them. Casserole dishes are a great choice for doing this. This way you can just take them out of the freezer and pop them in the oven.

Saving Money on Decor

You really don’t need to go all out on decorating for Thanksgiving. Just a few items around the home and a nice table centerpiece are really all you need.

Get your kids involved to help make some crafts to display in your home to save money. You can also make a nice fall floral centerpiece for your table with inexpensive items that you can pick up at stores like the Dollar Tree.

Borrow Before You Buy

There are many more items that you may need to host Thanksgiving, especially if you are a large group of people. You may need more serving utensils or extra seating for the kids.

Before you go out and buy a bunch of stuff that you don’t need throughout the rest of the year, ask family and friends to borrow them. I’m sure that they will be happy to do whatever they can to help out. Especially knowing how much work hosting Thanksgiving can be.

Final words

Don’t stress out and sweat the small things. Thanksgiving is much more than your decor or festive serving bowls. It’s about giving thanks for what you do have and spending quality time with your loved ones.

Please leave a comment if you have any more tips to add to help us all out to save money and have a great Thanksgiving holiday.