by Dee Cain

Created on: November 15, 2010

There are  many options to save money for the Thanksgiving holiday. Whether you plan a big meal involving family and friends or simply a meal at a local restaurant, there are options that will save the impact on your holiday spending. It is a matter of deciding ahead of time which option fits your needs.

Many local restaurants offer the entire Thanksgiving meal for a fraction of the cost of buying everything you need to prepare it yourself. If you don't mind dining with strangers this may be the option for you, People have chosen this method of dining on Thanksgiving due to the rising cost of food and the schedules of family members who may not have the time to prepare a traditional home cooked meal. Some choose this arrangement because their loved ones are far away, thus they cannot make it home for the holidays.Still others may just dine out to fore-go the stress of planning, making and serving a traditional meal.

As the cost of preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal has increased substantially, consumers have given more thought to using coupons and discounts offered by the retailers. Many retailers offer free turkeys or turkeys for just pennies a pound when you purchase $50 or more in their  establishment. It really doesn't take much to spend that much in one shopping trip.  By clipping coupons and watching the weekend newspaper advertisements a person can stretch their money while affording that holiday turkey. Some retailers are offering the full Thanksgiving meal already prepared. The consumer simply has to warm the dinner before serving. This would cut the cost of ingredients for the meal or the sudden rush to the store for forgotten spices.

Fore-go buying the entire turkey and go with simply the breast of turkey. If in past years you notice there being a substantial amount of turkey leftover, consider just buying the breast. If you are the creative soul who can turn leftover turkey into several other dishes this would not be an option for you. Using leftovers helps stretch the budget but if after a meal or two the turkey ends up being throw out, buying less is probably preferable.

Have a potluck dinner. Invite family and friends to share the cost of the meal by having them bring a dish. Besides saving money the buffet style dinner removes the stress from having to worry about one person or family doing all the preparation of the meal. Almost everyone has a special dish they like to make to share with others. For those on limited budgets perhaps they could bring rolls or bake a boxed cake for dessert.

Check the drawers for gift cards that may not have been used the previous year or that still may have money on them. You just may find there is still enough left on the cards to offset the money you would spend on your holiday feast or table settings. It never hurts to check out the gift cards from the previous year. Many people don't use the cards or don't deplete the amount on the cards during the year. If the cards come from a retailer that offers food stuff or party supplies, there may be the chance of cutting the cost of your Thanksgiving holiday.

Be flexible on your menu. If the price of producing a dish is not within your buget, choose another dish. Use what you already have on hand. Stock up on non perishable items as they come on sale and use coupons to cut the cost even further.

The main thing is to be thanful for what we have and to not get caught up in the hype of spending beyond our means. There are many options to save money on your Thanksgiving holiday. It is only the choice of which option works best for you.

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