Thanksgiving is approaching fast--just eight days till the big day. With that in mind, it's time to talk turkey. Do you find it cheaper to make your Thanksgiving meal or to buy it? How much do you budget for Thanksgiving food? Are you willing to spend more to get what you want? What foods do you have to have to make your meal complete? Share your answer, and perhaps a frugal Turkey Day recipe or two.
Frugal Thanksgiving Recipes
My mom has always said it’s one of the cheapest meals you can make for a family. You buy a turkey on sale when you can and the rest can be found fairly cheaply when the time approaches. We think Mom makes the best stuffing there is and alway has plenty of gravy. We do the same routine every year; the sister-in-law makes the pies (she’s frugal also) and we each bring what’s needed (mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans fixed pretty much the same, cranberries, etc. We sure never vary it much but it always tastes great and nobody complains.
I agree with Cindy M. Thanksgiving Dinner is not as expensive for us, as it used to be…primarily because, as a family, we have learned to share the food responsibilities.I provide the meats, stuffing, bread and drinks. That is all…..the rest is brought to the house by the family members…. vegetables, desserts, potato salad, yams, mac and cheese, etc….It makes for an easy prepration day…I even have a chance to take a nap before my company comes now.
I purchase my Thanksgiving dinner so I can have the fried turkey. It is safer this way with a 4 year old around whose mother (nurse) has to work Thanksgiving day. I am disabled so I do things the easy way and make the parts I am able to do. $45.00 for a dinner that feeds 6-9 people and is safe is a blessing.
I invest in a rather expensive turkey. Probably 2.5 times the cost of an On Sale” bird. I do not trust commercially grown meat any more. I buy a locally grown, organically fed, free range Turkey and use every scrap of the bird. I boil the bones to make stock, the Fat gets poured off and refridgerated although there are hardly any left overs I can always put them into a future meal. The left over skin and scraps go th the dog. In the end I make many more meals from this expensive turkey than I could buy at a resturant and I feel as though my money and efforts are going to nourish those who eat the turkey rather than just filling them up.
I buy a lot of things for Thanksgiving on sale before the big day if I am hosting the dinner. And while it’s nice to have all the traditional trappings during the holidays, if I’m short on money I skip a lot of things. Life goes on and we always have plenty of food anyhow. I don’t think it’s as much about the food anyway as it is getting together with family and friends.
We make the meal. Everybody brings a dish, which makes it so much easier. Our family has always used up the last scrap of turkey and use the carcass to make turkey soup. Our local store is running an ad for a free turkey up to 15lbs if you buy $99.00 worth of groceries. So I stock up on items that are always needed such as baking supplies that are also on the weekly ad along with the Thanksgiving specials whcih I also use during the rest of the year and not just at Thanksgiving.
I am with Mary. I always try and buy local organic food. The store I shop at will give you free 10lb bag of potatoes and QT of stock when you purchase a turkey. Although the actual Thanksgiving meal ends up costing a fair amount (more than other meals), it evens out over the week/month because we use all the leftovers in every way–making soup, sandwiches, pot pie, enchiladas…etc…and if you are sick of it all–freezer!
I usually make dinner. To buy the ready made dinner offered by one of the local stores(10-12 lb turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy,cranberry salad and rolls) ready to be heated and served for $29.95.Serves 6. Still needs a vegetable or two and dessert. My daughter did this last yr when she had 5 for dinner and we were stuffed. So not too costly, as cooking does take energy, especially for the amount of time it takes to cook all the dishes for a feast. I am having 14 so would need 2. I can certainly make it from scratch cheaper, with a little more work. I did the cost compare 2 of these dinners for our crew…and needless to say…it’s FAR cheaper for us to cook from sctatch…but for a small family, with a working mom or older or disabled cook…not really too bad.
I had hoped that this topic would compare the costs of going out, buying preprepared or scratch cooking the feast, but alas it’s really a blog type of article. Wishing all a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! and happy day after shopping!!!
I have done it both ways. No one brings anything so I have to make everything myself. We have a small family and I work full time. I can never get any days off around Thanksgiving. Our local Boston Market closed so this year I am cooking. The frozen turkey already fell out of the back of the Jeep onto my foot so it’s not starting well. Homemade is more trouble but always tastes better.
Homemade all the way. We enjoy preparing for Thanksgiving in advance and make everything that goes on the table from scratch. Also part of our tradition is to have something incorporated in the food that was from friends who are not at the meal. For example, my girlfriend gave me apples and I saved them to make the pie and another friend gave me stale bread for stuffing. In return I made their pies for them.