Even if saving money is a priority for you, it’s still possible to have a budget Thanksgiving dinner this upcoming holiday season.
I get it – the main focus should be on showing gratitude for all that you have and cooking dinner for loved ones definitely is an awesome way to show how grateful you are each year.
However, it’s easy to go overboard and put yourself in a financial predicament you don’t want to be in. After all, who wants to bring in the New Year broke?
If you want to save money this holiday season, you’re in the right place. You can have an inexpensive Thanksgiving dinner and I’m going to show you how with this frugal Thanksgiving menu and a few other tips that will help you save on your feast.
4 Best Tips to Affording a Budget Thanksgiving Dinner
But first, let me give you some quick tips that will help you with your budget Thanksgiving dinner endeavors…
- Use Ibotta – One of my favorite ways to save money on my budget Thanksgiving menu is by using Ibotta. No coupon clipping necessary. If you’ve never heard of Ibotta, it’s a money-saving app that pays you cash rebates for purchasing certain items at the grocery store. Plus, you can earn some pretty generous bonuses for using the app. (I earned $10 in bonuses during September!). If you’ve never signed up for Ibotta, join here and you’ll receive a FREE $10.00 welcome bonus for redeeming your first rebate this holiday.
- Decide on a budget – Create your holiday budget. If you’re hosting dinner yourself and want to prepare something extravagant, you’ll need to know where every dollar is going!
- Get a headcount – This will help you figure out the amount of money you need to allocate for the food budget portion of your holiday budget. If you’re hosting 20 people, you may have to spend more than you would if you were only feeding five people.
- Check out How to Save on Your Holiday Meals This Year for more tips to save on your holiday meals.
The Best Way to Host a Budget Thanksgiving Dinner
One of the easiest ways to have a frugal Thanksgiving dinner is by hosting a potluck dinner at your house. You can ask everyone to bring a side and you provide the main course. Or you everyone chips in.
Our long-standing family tradition for Thanksgiving dinner is to have each guest bring something. If you can’t cook, you’re bringing paper products. If you bake the best pie, you’ll handle that. Everyone has a responsibility and contributes in some way and chips in for main course items such as turkey, ham, etc.
However, if hosting a potluck Thanksgiving dinner isn’t in the cards for you, no worries. Keep reading for budget Thanksgiving dinner ideas that won’t carry you into the holiday season broke.
Budget Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas That Won’t Break The Bank
Drinks
Try this delicious Thanksgiving punch or keep it simple with some plain ole sweet tea.
Main Course
if you must have turkey, go with this Easy and Moist Roast Turkey. If you’re open to doing things a little differently, try this juicy baked chicken or this lentil loaf with brown gravy (we had this last year and it was delish!)
Sides
Stick with the least amount of sides as possible to keep in line with a budget Thanksgiving dinner. These four basic Thanksgiving sides are usually discounted heavily during the holiday season…
Rosemary Thyme Mashed Potatoes
If it’s in the budget, you can never go wrong with adding some mac and cheese to the menu.
Dessert
Baking goods are on sale this time of year so you can definitely pull off one or all of these dessert ideas and still call yourself having an inexpensive thanksgiving dinner.
Check out some other cheap Thanksgiving dinner ideas here!
Host an Inexpensive Thanksgiving Dinner With Others
With the basics taken care of, if someone asks, “What can I bring?” Here are some additional items that will compliment your inexpensive Thanksgiving dinner:
- Dinner rolls
- Cranberry sauce
- Mixed Salad
- Extra pie
- Drinks
- Paper products
As you can see, when you simplify, not only can you save a lot of money but you can also have a well-rounded Thanksgiving dinner on a budget. This budget Thanksgiving menu will save you a lot of headache and time this holiday, so don’t be afraid to cut out the fuss and keep your menu simple.