Prudent and Practical

How can we save money over Thanksgiving?  That’s a question I found myself asking over and over while purchasing the ingredients for my younger sister’s first (potluck) Thanksgiving. She was affected by the June 2008 flooding (in Eastern Iowa) and is trying hard to get things back in shape. Even with numerous home repairs looming over her head, she wanted to have Thanksgiving at her house this year for a change of pace, and to try to bring back some good memories of her home.

When I arrived home, D greeted me and grabbed the four measly bags of groceries I had. Upon setting the goods on the counter, he anxiously asked, “So, what’s the damage?” “$55.” “Well, that’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.” “Really?”

So, $55 gets us a lunch and a dinner for two. We will have lunch at his aunt and uncle’s home, and dinner at my sister’s home. That averages out to $27.50 for each meal and even further $13.75 per person per meal. We could go to the local buffet and eat cheaper than that, even if we both ordered steaks and drinks!

So, what did I get with that $55? I purchased a package of fresh cranberries (on sale) to make Christmas ornaments, a bottle of champagne as a hostess gift for my sister’s first Thanksgiving. (And yes, dumb, I thought of it only when I got home and saw D’s expression. Why the heck did I need to get the champagne when we’re bringing three dishes already? Honestly, I don’t know, I guess I’m too thoughtful and softhearted. But then again, I know the ($5) bubbly will be appreciated by all.) I also purchased the ingredients for Ms. Jill’s Olive Dip (named after the close family friend who gave us the recipe), D’s Famous Homemade Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Derr Bar’s (chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal bars!), and the most scrumptious knockoff Honey Mustard you’ve ever tried!

• In order to make a large meal economical, instead of making the meal yourself, consider having a potluck meal.

• Save money by purchasing store brand items and items on sale.

• Make a list of what you will be serving and then break that down into specific ingredients. Mark off what you already have and won’t use up by your special meal (spices, canned and jarred goods, oil, flour, and sugars). At least one month before the big event, watch the ads and purchase a few items at a time when they’re in sale during your weekly shopping trip. That way, the monetary blow isn’t as bad because you’ve spread out your costs, you save money by shopping the deals, you save gas by not having to make an extra trip to the store during the busy week before the holiday, you save headaches by not having to deal with all the shitfaced last minute shoppers who are all pissed off because the store ran out of canned pumpkin the night before Thanksgiving (and THAT means you won’t have to spend extra money by going through the line AGAIN to get a bottle of ibuprofin. Phew!

• Check out your local or regional grocery store. If you’re in the Midwest, you might know of Hy-Vee grocery stores. If there isn’t one near you, find the grocery store that has a deli/café/restaurant. Hy-Vee makes “Holiday Dinners.” There are a few different meals you can pick from. For $60 you can get a traditional dinner for 8 – a 10-12 Butterball turkey or 5 pound boneless ham, gravy, rolls, and four sides/pies. WOW! $7.50 per head AND you only have to reheat! We did this the Thanksgiving my sister got married (she actually got married two days after). The meal for eight was purchased and then we cooked up a couple additional sides – we had an easy, quick-to-fix meal, hardly any dishes to do, and also a taste of home cookin’.