Thanksgiving on a Budget

Halloween came and gone, and now Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It is a time when families gather, mom would be in the kitchen cooking the final side dishes, while other are out in the yard playing a quick game of touch football. For some, this may not be an average Thanksgiving due to job loss, and having to watch how we spend our money. There is ways to still have that big Thanksgiving dinner, with out a huge out of pocket expense.

In our house, one person usually takes on the entire Thanksgiving cooking, and it is me. I do not mind the work, and I have the time. One idea for helping out the pocket book is, host a buffet. Ask each family member to cook an item, and bring it over to your house. This will take the burden of the expense off a single person. Watch the ads. Turkeys are going on sale now for .99 cents a pound for off brands, and $1.79 for Butterball. The closer we get to Thanksgiving day, the prices may drop more. If you do not have a large family, and it is just a couple of people, try buying a turkey breast. You can usually buy these at any local butcher shop, you may end up paying about $1.49 lb, but you won't have a huge bird, with too much left over. Also another option is turkey tenderloin. These usually are priced at $1.79 lb. Again, the idea is no huge amounts of left overs for a small group of three.

For side dishes, watch the Sunday paper. There have been numerous coupons in there for name brand bag vegetables for $1.00 off 2. I have seen sales with the same bagged vegetables for 10 for 10, that is if you do not care for store brand frozen vegetables. Shop the bakery outlets close to Thanksgiving day. Here you can purchase boxes of stuffing for as little as 3 for a $1.00. They also carry the heat and serve rolls at a discount price. If you are in the position where you can afford to buy an extra box or two, consider it, and donate one or two of them to the local food bank.

If you have a larger family, and prefer to eat out and can afford to, check out www.restaurants.com. This is a great site to purchase an on line gift card and get extra back in return. Here is an example: Buy a $50 gift card on line for $20, or $10 for $3. They do have a restriction of minimum purchase though, but your eating out and probably are going to meet that limit anyways. This site is mostly local restaurants, and gives you the opportunity to eat out for less. Also, take advantage of the restaurants where kids eat free. The age requirement is usually under ten, but if you have 5 in your group the savings can add up.

For your paper goods, if you have a prescription that needs filling, take advantage of those stores offering gift cards. Rite Aid just had one in the paper for $30 on transferred or new prescription. These gift cards only apply to private insurance or cash paying people. Use this card to buy your napkins, paper towels, candles, or anything else you may need for your holiday dinner. Cut the coupons, and use them gift cards, to help keep the money in your pocket, while you shop for groceries for your Thanksgiving dinner.