$50 Thanksgiving, Can it Be Done?

With the holidays approaching and the economy in a downward spiral, many Americans are feeling the pinch. How do you reconcile tightening your wallet, while also being responsible for hosting a Thanksgiving meal? I will show you how to host a fabulous Thanksgiving for 10 people for $50 using this classic menu.

Turkey: $12

We are vegetarians so this is moot, but most people enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving! You can find Butterball turkey on sale around this time for $.99 a pound and a good rule of thumb is to allow one pound per person, plus a tad extra. You can make gravy from the drippings.

Mashed Potatoes: $2

This was the sale price this week at my grocery store for a 5 pound bag which should be more than enough for guests. Typically people have butter/milk on hand so I didn't factor this price in, but I added it below in case you need the items.

Green Bean Casserole: $5

This is for 4 cans of green beans - the sale I utilized was a can for $.60, plus two cans of cream of mushroom soup at $.79 each and french fried onions at $1.59 each on sale with a coupon for $.75 cents off.

Stuffing: $3

Stove Top was buy one get one free OR you can get a few loaves of day old discount bread, let if dry out and make your dressing from that. It will make a lot more and tastes just as good, if not more "homemade".

Fresh Vegetables: $5.25

Whatever is on sale. Typically, steamed carrots are seasonal or you can get a salad as well. For instance, our store had buy one get one free bagged salad for 2.99 plus I had a coupon for $,75 off which makes the salad $2.24 for two. Carrots were 2/$3 and were already peeled and prepped for me!

So, now we have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, fresh vegetables, salad, and a sweet potato casserole totaling $27.25. Most people have butter, salt, spices on hand for the mashed potatoes for example, so I did not add that -- however, if you need that, it should only tack on around $5 total for butter, and a quart of milk for the mashed potatoes.

We have around $20 left, what shall we buy?

Desserts: $11

This is easy, most people will offer to bring something or even bring something without you even requesting -- however, if you want to make some yourself, apple pie is ridiculously easy to make. You can make your own crust or there are sales for $.99 frozen crust. Brown sugar is on sale this time of year, as are apples -- at around $2.99 a bag. You could easily make 2 apple pies for around $6. Vanilla ice cream can be bought for around $2. Similarly, a pumpkin pie, provided you have a couple of eggs on hand (which most of us do), will cost around $3 to make for a can of pumpkin and a can of evaporated milk.

So, we have nine dollars left. You can get a couple of cheap but pretty tasty bottles of wine at Aldi for $2.99 each and get some soft drinks with the rest. Or, you can go alcohol free and get some soft drinks, serve coffee and tea (which most people have on hand anyway) and prepare a few pre-meal snacks like spiced nuts (you can make these yourself) or celery and cream cheese for example.

You end up at right around $50 give or take a few dollars for a tasty, homemade, traditional Thanksgiving feast for 10 people. Remember to shop the sales that are going on at nearly every grocery store this time of year and couple them with coupons from your Sunday paper or that can be printed from your computer in most cases. Don't be afraid to speak up if someone offers to bring something. Most people are thrilled to not have to do the work of a Thanksgiving dinner that it is no problem to bring a dessert or a soft drink!

Remember prices will vary depending on location but it is possible to have a great Thanksgiving meal without breaking the bank!