Host a (Frugal) Thanksgiving Dinner

 

Hosting Thanksgiving is a wonderful way to gather family and friends together for the holidays. However, being a host may add an aspect of financial stress to the holidays. This article will be discussing ways to decrease the financial cost without affecting the holiday spirit or enjoyment of the guests.

When a guest offers to bring a dish or wine for thanksgiving take them up on the offer. Not only does this allow the guest to feel more involved in the gathering; it will also help the host with both time and money. If at all possible, use proper dishes and cutlery. Disposable plates, napkins and utensils are easier to clean but are less cost efficient than running the dishwasher a few extra times.

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Frugal Festive Food:

Food is the main expense when hosting a thanksgiving. Before throwing the budget out the window try these tips on lowering the food costs. 

Using foods that are "in season" for the majority of the recipes is a good penny saving idea. Thanksgivings’ in season produce includes squash, pumpkin, yams and apples. Grocery stores are starting to run their "holiday food" specials. Some sale prices are a good deal, but others are made to look better than they are. The key is to know the pricing. A good price for a turkey is $0.29 per pound. Some stores will offer a free turkey with a minimum purchase of groceries. For this sale to work in the your advantage stockpile on non-perishable food items that are sure to be eaten. If a good sale comes up, do not be afraid to stock up on turkey. Turkey freezes well. People who have the space have been known to stock up to 12 turkeys in the freezer.

The family then has one turkey a month for the year, which feeds an average family about 5 meals a month. The good turkey deals are out there, just be weary of the gimmicks dressed up as good deals. Other sales to look out for are the ones on roasts and hams that can also be kept in the freezer stockpile for when needed. To stretch the thanksgiving dollar, buy a larger turkey than needed. It is best to freeze the leftover turkey in meal size packages. For fun turkey recipes check out this website:  Leftover Turkey Tips

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Thrifty Turkey Stuffing:

To make a thrifty turkey stuffing, fill a bag with bread bits and beat the bag with a rolling pin until it looks like the bread that stuffing is made out of. Place the beaten bread into a large bowl. Add to the bowl: sautéed onions, celery, and season with sage, parsley, salt, pepper. Moisten with chicken broth or water. When that is nice and complete place the stuffing in the turkey.

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Decorations:

Here are a few frugal tips to decorating for thanksgiving on a budget.

• A hollowed-out baked pumpkin makes a serving bowl for salad. Remove the top of the pumpkin, scoop out the inside and place the top back on the pumpkin. Bake the pumpkin for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. When baked, let the pumpkin cool, and when ready to set the salad on the table, toss the salad into the pumpkin and add serving forks to the pumpkin.
   

• Unshelled nuts can be a wonderful tool while decorating. They can be used in the bottom of a glass container to hold candles upright and used for lighting at the table.
   

• Venture out into the backyard or a local park for pinecones and leaves. Scatter the leaves on the table. For homemade name cards lay the pinecones on their sides and rest a piece of cardboard paper with the guests’ names on it. This will make for a festive and free seating arrangement and table decor.

 

 

 

Frugal Wine:

Here are two wines that are sure to be a huge hit at thanksgiving. These wines can be found for under $13.00 at any liquor store. Wine connoisseurs or not, these wines are sure to make the holiday a treat for all guests.

White Wine:

Riefle Tokay-Pinot Gris White Alsace 2000 (France),  

Red Wine:

Cambria Estate Pinot Noir 2000 (California)

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Frugal Fanatic Tip:

To save on energy costs cook as many items in the microwaves as possible. The microwave uses up to 50% less energy than the oven. When using the oven try to cook as much as possible at one time. This will avoid pre-heating, which will save time and money. Cooking the stuffing outside of the turkey will enable both to bake quicker and once again use less electricity.