Have you ever offered to host something, because you thought the whole tradition of it would be awesome, and then, after you had committed, realized that it was going to require you to take an advance on your retirement in order to afford it? Thanksgiving can totally be one of those times. Over the years, though, I have learned quite a few ways to put on a generous spread and still keep the budget in mind.
If you are hosting this year, here are a couple of ideas to keep money in your pocket and food on the table:
- Right off the bat, the easiest way to have a nice spread is to go potluck, or at the very least, take people up on it when they offer to bring something. It totally eases your load in the kitchen too.
- It’s never too early to stock up on non-perishables. If you notice that chicken broth is on sale {and be still your beating heart, there is a coupon too!} in September, swipe it up and store it for the big day.
- Make up for upfront costs with creative uses of left-overs. Make turkey pot pies with leftovers that you can freeze for later, when you aren’t sick to death of the sight of turkey. Supplementing later meals will help to balance out your budget.
- Know common ingredient substitutions. No need to buy buttermilk if you can make it with the ingredients you already have at home. It could save you a lot of time and money to just use what you already have.
- Keep the meal simple. Yes, it would be awesome to make every single recipe you pinned on your appetizer board on Pinterest, but that gets time consuming and costly. Be realistic about how much food you actually need.
- Use what you already have for your centerpiece. Cut some boughs off of your tree, sprinkle in a couple of candles, put fall leaves in mason jars, etc. and you have an instant centerpiece that cost nothing.
- If you serve alcohol, keep it simple. Provide beer and wine. Anything more gets super expensive.
- If you only use sage and thyme {or whatever the spice may be} once a year, consider buying it in the bulk section of your store. I know the word “bulk” implies that you have to buy a ton, but that’s the beauty, you can literally just get the tablespoon worth you need. It will save you big bucks–and valuable kitchen storage space.
- Hit Farmer’s Markets. You can usually find a much better deal on produce around this time of year if you have access to a farmer’s market.
- Cut out the convenience foods altogether. For example, a jar of gravy costs waaay more than homemade gravy, which literally cost pennies and extra time.
Do you have any money saving tips for hosting the Big Feast?
~Mavis
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