The holiday season is here and with it comes the food.
Lots and lots of food.
Turkey and cranberry sauce to baked ham and mashed potatoes to beef tenderloin and sweet potato casserole.
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With all those dietary delights and nightmares, comes many a decision.
How are you going to pay for all this food?
And, better yet, where can you pick your culinary battles, so to speak?
Where does it make sense to be budget conscious?
Where should you spend more and live a little?
Thats where we want to help.
Can You Survive 10 Days of Budgeting?
Save vs. Splurge: 11 Questions to Help Plan Your Thanksgiving Dinner
1.
Is Anyone Actually Going to Eat the Cranberry Sauce?
Is there a more polarizing Thanksgiving food than cranberry sauce?
You hate it or you love it.
Some prefer it homemade.
Others just cant get enough of the canned jiggly sauce.
Its their most popular product by far.
So, assuming you want it on your dinner table, what to do with this controversial food?
A 14-ounce can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce costs $1.98 atWalmartand contains six servings or more.
(Does anyone even eat a full serving?)
One bag of fresh cranberries alone costs just as much as one can with six servings.
If not, canned does the trick.
How Many Casseroles Is Too Many Casseroles?
Some Thanksgiving dinners look like a turkey invaded a casserole party.
Maybe you love your green bean casserole, and thats perfectly fine.
Were certainly not hating on casseroles.
Theres nothing wrong with a traditional casserole, much like thischeesy corn casseroleand thishealthy green bean casserole.
These are easy enough to make and will save you time and money with low cost ingredients.
Is There a Faster, More Foolproof Way to Cook a Turkey?
Theres nothing wrong with a basic, baked turkey recipe.
Some people have mastered the baked bird, and why change up what works?
What are some other options?
If you really want to save on time, let the experts cook a turkey for you.
Weve got plenty of ideas on where to go buy a whole, cooked turkey and the entireprepared dinner.
You might even save money since youre not flirting with ruining the most expensive dish.
Both Aldi and Walmart haverolled back prices on Thanksgiving staples.
Walmart, for example, is selling turkeys at 88 cents a pound.
Last year, the average price per pound of a whole turkey was $1.49.
You could score afree or cheap turkeyfrom a grocery store though.
Get your fancy on with chef Tyler Florencesbacon-wrapped turkeystuffed with sage and cornbread.
If youre willing to follow safety protocols (let your frozen turkey completely thaw!
Do You Want Leftovers?
If You Do, What Are You Going to Do With Them?
Sometimes the leftovers are even better than the dinner.
The question is what to do with them?
That might look like cutting back on sides or making one less dessert.
Our friends atBon Appetitsay you should plan on serving 1 to 1.5 pounds of turkey per person.
This is where it gets fun.
Or maybe aturkey chili?
And dont forget about the mashed potatoes and stuffing!
You could go big with thesemashed potato pancakeson Friday morning.
Or thesefried stuffing bitesthat go with a cranberry sauce pesto?
Whos Helping Me Cook and Whos on Cleanup Duty?
At some Thanksgiving dinners, everyone gets assigned a job.
If youre not cooking, youre on cleanup duty or youre setting the table and pouring water and wine.
At other dinners, a large migration happens the moment the last bite is taken.
How you save or splurge depends on which one of the above resembles your gathering.
This is an issue of time, more so than money.
Ask your guests to bring parts of the meal.
Buy a pre-cooked turkey or dessert and focus on making a few of your favorite side dishes.
Make dishes from scratch.
Spring for a centerpiece or spread of appetizers.
Get decadent with thesecreamy mashed potatoespaired with homemadecheddar scallion biscuits.
And step up your turkey game with thiswhole birdbrined in apple cider and ginger.
Is Your Paycheck Not Going As Far As It Used To?
We get it.Everythingis more expensive than it used to be, but your paycheck hasnt kept up.
When money is tight,these resourceswill help nearly everyone.
Do We Actually Like a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner or Should We Consider Something New?
you’re able to kick the turkey to the curb and still stay on budget.
Thisparty-sized frozen Stouffers lasagnafrom Walmart feeds 16 for less than $17.
Thisslow cooker pot roastfeeds eight and uses 3 pounds of inexpensive chuck roast.
Pork tenderloin is also typically inexpensive, and thisbaked garlic pork tenderloin recipelooks quite tasty.
Want to really take your alternative Thanksgiving meal to the next level?
Thisroasted rack of lambwith a brown sugar-rum glaze will do the job.
Now, thats bougie.
Or how about a warm and comfortinghomemade lasagna bolognese?
What punch in of Drinks Do You Want to Serve?
Dont let the drinks be an afterthought.
To really save, skip the alcohol.
you could keep it simple with a basic, inexpensive tea.
(Dont forget the sugar if youre in the south).
Start off the dinner with a cocktail (half?)
hour that features acranberry margaritaor amaple old fashioned.
How Do You Plan on Spending Your Time?
In other words, are you spending your time the way you want to on Thanksgiving?
Again, this may be a question of time and not just money.
Both can be equal stressors when it comes to getting ready for the big meal.
Here are some things to think about.
Not everything needs to be made the day of the meal.
What can you make ahead of time?
Fruit-filled pies can be made and frozen, then baked when ready.Dinner rollsandmashed potatoescan also be frozen and reheated.
If youre comfortable making something ahead of time, do it.
As always, thePioneer Womanhas plenty of ideas on what potluck ideas work.
9. Who Do You Really Want to Eat Dinner With?
Its not a trick question.
That even includes your wackball relative who is intent on dominating the conversation and talking politics every year.
Keep your gathering small, like really small.
Just you and your people.
But your mom will be so upset if you dont invite certain people.
OK, so you cant avoid moms guilt trip, then splurge and invite the whole crew.
But go for a compromise.
How about a Black Friday family game night?
Or alight appetizer come-and-go partythe Saturday after?
The key here is to make the environment light, fun and flexible.
How Should You Manage Different Diets?
Were not talking about your 21-year-old nephew who only eats chicken fingers and tater tots.
So how do you keep everyone happy and emergency-room free after the big dinner?
This way, theyre just choosing some of the menu but not all of it.
She suggests a cornbread stuffing for gluten-free guests or keeping the vegetables strictly vegetables.
(No ham hock in the green beans, southern friends).
Garten says not to do something specific for one person, and we generally agree.
Carla Hallsbuttermilk biscuitswould fit that bill.
Thispecan pieuses coconut oil and tapioca flour and looks incredible and perfect for our gluten-free friends and dairy-free vegans.
For gluten-free guests, something like this paleogreen bean casserolewith crispy onions would definitely be a hit.
Of course, youve got to have a few dessert options.
Theres no shame in buying pre-made dessert.
If thats you, then have at it!
Just remember, its OK to keep it simple here, too.
You dont have to make your own pie crust, or maybe you want to.
If so,Ina Gartens deep dish apple piewith store-bought vanilla ice cream will wow your guests.
you could also keep the portion size small while splurging with thesebite-size pumpkin cheesecakesfrom The Pioneer Woman.
Keep these questions in mind this year, and we think youll have a Thanksgiving to remember!
Need a Hand With Bills?
Listen, we know its tough out there.
But theres no shame in asking for help.
These companiesmake it easy to help yourself and your bank account.
Robert Bruce is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder.
