Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!  I hope your day is filled with laughter and love!

5 Things You Can Do Today to Make Your Life Easier on Thanksgiving

 

Whether you are hosting or traveling for Thanksgiving, there are things you can do ahead of time to make your life a lot easier on Thursday! 

If you're traveling:

1. Figure out what everyone is wearing and launder and press anything that needs it
2. Call the host to find out what you can bring - make a plan to make or purchase that item
3. Tomorrow morning, take note of your morning routine and write down anything you'll need to pack (don't forget items like cotton balls for make up remover, etc)
4. Pack any toys/car games to occupy children during travel
5. If you're doing Black Friday shopping, make sure you have everything you need together (coupons, hat, gloves, etc)

If you're hosting:

1. Figure out what everyone is wearing and launder and press anything that needs it
2. Take out your table cloth and napkins and press them, then hang them on a hanger
3. Thoroughly clean any room that can be kept off limits until Thursday (ex: your bedroom, a dining room you don't eat regularly in)
4. Take out all of your serving pieces and label which foods are going in which dish
5. Make a list of everything that needs to be done Thursday morning (timing of foods, last minute vacuuming, etc)

These short lists probably only just start to touch on everything that can be done a few days ahead of time.  Thursday morning you'll be so happy that you have less on your plate! 

Thanksgiving Price List

 

If you are hosting Thanksgiving you're probably going to be doing your shopping this weekend.  Here is a run down of the pricing of some common Thanksgiving foods in their ads so you can decide which store near you has the best prices:

 

Aldi

(Quick funny story about Aldi... the first time I went there I knew it was all cash, but that's all I knew about it.  So I walk inside to look for a cart, they are no where to be found.  I go back out to the parking lot to see if there is a cart corral full of carts... nope.  Then I see a whole gathering of carts.  Triumphant, I walk over to grab a cart... but I can't get it away from the pack.  It was dark, so I didn't see that you had to put a quarter in the cart to get it loose.  So I stand there fighting with the cart for probably a whole minute, until I see someone return a cart and take their quarter out.  Then it all came together for me...  I seriously must have given the other shoppers a good show!)

• Stuffing mix = $0.89
• Pumpkin pie mix (30 oz) = $2.89
• Dozen eggs = $1.55
• Gallon milk = $2.99
• Spices = $0.99 - $1.69
• Pecan or walnut halves (6 oz) = $3.99
• Chocolate chips (12 oz) = $1.29
• Baking soda = $0.49
• Confectioners or brown sugar (2 lbs) = $1.39
• Marshmallows (mini or regular) = $0.89
• Evaporated milk = $0.65
• Sweetend condensed milk = $1.19
• Disposable turkey pan = $0.99
• Cooking spray (6oz) = $1.39
• Canola oil (48oz) = $2.69
• Sugar (4lbs) = $2.18
• Flour (5lbs) = $1.58
• Cranberry sauce = $0.89
• Canned corn = $0.49
• Canned green beans = $0.49
• French fried onions (6 oz) = $1.99
• Canned peas = $0.99
• Canned sweet potatoes = $1.29
• White Potatoes (10lbs) = $1.99
• Cresent rolls = $0.99
• Butter (1lb) = $1.99
• Jumbo biscuits = $1.29
• Cranberries = $0.99
• Celery = $0.69
• Sweet potatoes (3lbs) = $0.99
• Butterball turkey = $1.19/lb
• Carrots (2lbs) = $1.29
• Baby carrots (1lb) = $1.49
• Broccoli (14oz) = $1.69
• Red onions (2lbs) = $1.89
• Garlic (6oz) = $0.79
• Red potatoes (5lbs) = $2.49
• 12 Brown and serve rolls = $0.99
• Chicken broth (2lbs) = $0.99
• Gravy packet = $0.35

 

Target

• Butterball turkey = $0.99/lb
• Market Pantry Russet Potatoes = $1.49/5 lb bag
• Cool Whip topping = $0.99
• Marshmallows = $0.99
• Stove Top Stuffing Mix = $1
• 12 ct Market Pantry Rolls = $1.79
• 12 oz bag Ocean Spray cranberries = $1.99
• 15 oz Libby’s pumpkin pie filling = $1.50
• Carnation evaporated milk 12 oz = $0.99
• 1lb land o lakes butter = $3
• 5lb gold medal flour = $2.29
• 4lb market pantry sugar = $2.39
• Wesson canola oil 48oz = $2.99
• 1lb baby carrots = $1.50
• Archer Farms take and bake baguette = $2.79
• President Brie = $3.49 (8oz)
• Del Monte assorted canned veggies = $0.65
• French’s French fried onions = $2.99 (6 oz)
• 32 oz Swanson chicken broth = $1.99
• Birdseye steam fresh veggies = $1
• Heinz home style gravy jar 12 oz = $1

 

And for my local readers:

Big Y

• Birds Eye corn = buy 1 get 2 free (about $0.74 each)
• Baby carrots = buy 1 get 2 free (about $0.67 each)
• Russet potatoes 5lb bags = buy 1 get 2 free (about $1.34 per bag)
• Yams or sweet potatoes = $0.49/lb
• Campbell's gravy = buy 1 get 2 free (about $0.57 each)
• Ocean spray cranberries = $2.50
• Broccoli = $1.49/lb
• Butterball turkey = $1.69/lb
• Cool whip = $1.50
• Land O' Lakes butter = $3
• Pillsbury crescent rolls = $2
• Pillsbury all ready pie crusts = $2
• Big Y margarine = $1.15
• Ocean spray cranberry sauce = $1.25
• Big Y french fried onions = $2.50
• Swanson chicken broth = 4/$3
• Stove top stuffing = $0.99
• Campbell's cream of mushroom soup = $1
• Gold medal flour = $2.29
• Domino sugar = $2.50

Note - these are the prices in my stores/ads, they can defnitely vary region by region.  But this should give you a comparison point while you're shopping.

Entertaining for Less: Start Taking Inventory

Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner?  If so, I encourage you to take 15 minutes this week to go through your cabinets to see what you already have on hand. 

Thanksgiving is pretty standard fare for most families, so creating a menu should be pretty easy.  There are obviously some items that you'll be serving that need to be purchased close to the big day, but there are items that you can purchase ahead of time.  Or, if you have them already - cross them off your list!

It's a waste of money to re-buy an item that you already have, so make sure you go through every cabinet in which you store food and compare it's contents to your menu list.  Mark which items you already have so you know not to buy  them again.

Once that step is done, I would encourage you to take that list with you for the next three weeks as you go grocery shopping.  The items being served at Thanksgiving will be going on sale from now until Thanksgiving, so you can start picking up some items ahead of time.  The cheaper you're able to get your ingredients for your meal, the better. 

Couponing blogs will start to highlight the deals on Thanksgiving fare soon, so if you have time, I would encourage you to regularly check at least two couponing blogs to see where the best deals are. 

I would recommend:

• I Heart the Mart (all about Walmart - usually great prices)
• Money Saving Mom (this link will bring you to her super-database of probably every grocery store out there)

If you're really organized, you can also plan out what desserts you'll be making and the ingredients in those desserts.  Again, figure out what you already have on hand and what you still need to purchase.

Taking a few minutes now to plan this out will help keep you sane as Thanksgiving gets closer and will hopefully save you some money by not re-buying something you already have and getting great sale prices!