Is it your turn? It’s your turn isn’t it. You’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year. Oh God. The turkey. The side dishes. The wine. The octogenarians. The KIDS. Take a breath, and panic not.
Although we can’t do much about aunt Betty and her rheumatism, we can help you out with THE most horrible thing about Thanksgiving. The bill. Read on to discover five easy tricks to keep costs at bay while delivering a great experience to your guests.
1 – Plan and take stock
Most Thanksgiving shopping happens in a rush. You’re late, there’s no turkey to be found within 200 miles, you need EVERYTHING. And so you just storm the store and buy whatever you can grab.
Not this year. Start planning your dinner now. Make sure you check your fridge and your cupboards for whatever supplies you need, you’ll be surprised to see you actually already have a bunch of cans, frozen stuff and spices that you’ll need on the run up to the day.
Create a list of all the items you actually need to buy, and start getting them while you do your daily grocery shopping.
2 – Stick to the basics
When we look at what tradition dictates, Thanksgiving food is not actually that fancy: turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy. Many TG hosts decide to go for much fancier menus, adding unnecessary side dishes that will inevitably blow up the bill.
Keep it simple. Don’t even thing of going for two different meat courses, and instead of making small amounts of many side dishes, make large batches of a few. People will automatically eat less when presented with fewer options, so you’ll save both on time and on cash.
3 – Delegate Delegate Delegate
‘Can I bring anything?’ ‘Noooo, don’t worry, I have it all figured out’. This conversation won’t happen this year. When a guest asks you if they can contribute, say yes.
Ask them to bring a desert, or better still, some wine or drinks. A huge part of Thanksgiving budget vaporizes at the liquor store, so take any chance your are given to allow your guests to be useful. They’ll be happy to do it, and it will give everyone a sense of having been helpful to the making of a great day.
4 – Shop smart
First of all, don’t wait the last possible moment to start on the TG shopping. Start now, before the price inflation of the last few days before the day begins.
Second, compare prices and go for discounts. If you’re lucky enough to have a choice of grocery stores, check out what’s cheaper where, and buy those ingredients where it’s most cost-effective. Don’t forget to scour sale ads and look for vouchers.
Buying in bulk is also much cheaper than buying small quantities. A 10 pound bag of potatoes will always be cheaper than a 5 pound bag. If you’re hosting a small party, consider sharing the grocery shopping with a friend or a neighbor, your wallets won’t be as light when you come out of the store
5 – Watch the bird
Now onto the piece de resistance. The Turkey. Of course a free-range, rainbow-fed, feather-massaged organic bird would be our first choice, but those don’t come cheap (also, they don’t exist, but you get the gist).
Instead of going for the mainstream pre-flavored birds, go for a plain discount one. You can then either go for a European style roasting, which will keep the meat more moist, or brine the f*cker before you bake it, following the evergreen Alton Brown recipe.
Now that you armed with the wisdom you need to create a cheap yet amazing Thanksgiving dinner, get cooking! Not long to go, tick tock…
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