Frugal Thanksgiving tips
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where it’s a little hard to figure out how to cut back on expenses.
The traditional menu is not all that expensive to begin with. The bigger headaches for dinner hosts involve logistics (Who’s cooking what? Who’s sitting where? How do I time the bird in comparison to the side dishes? Who’s doing the dishes?).
And there is little that can be done about travel expenses except hope that you can schedule an off-peak day to avoid the congestion. College kids sometimes get a bye and can bail out to a roommate’s or cousin’s home instead of traveling all the way back home (I went to a college roommate’s home one year); but family loyalties usually just have to be worked around.
But there are tips that the frugal living experts can share on how to deal with Thankgiving costs. Most of them involve planning ahead with menus and grocery purchases, rather than leaving the details to the last minute.
- BeingFrugal’s Frugal Thanksgiving tips.
- SavingAdvice’s Frugal Thanksgiving savings.
- The Frugal Foodie’s 10 steps to a frugal Thanksgiving.
- Creative Homemaking’s A frugal but elegant Thanksgiving buffet.
This week or next will be a good time to make a list of what foods you are expected to provide, or will be asking others to provide, for Thanksgiving. When the holiday feast sales start, and in my area the weekly grocery sales change over on Sunday or Monday, you want to be ready with your shopping list.
Just before or after Halloween is also a good time to look for any remaining fall / harvest decor or merchandise that may be on clearance while the stores move in the Christmas merchandise. I bought a fall wreath today for $5 that was originally selling for $20.
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From Monroe on a Budget.