Every woman knows how easy it is to spend huge sums of money while cooking dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Usually when you go to the supermarket before that day you buy lots of food. We can’t imagine Thanksgiving Day without such dishes as roast turkey, cakes, pies and casseroles. And, of course, decoration is so much important. All together they will make your expenses really enormous. I would like to help you and share some easy ways how not to be short of money after Thanksgiving Day.
1. Buy everything beforehand
The most useful tip for you will be to plan your Thanksgiving menu beforehand. In such case you will have the opportunity to buy all foods which you need for your dishes earlier. Never leave it to the last day. Besides you can use discount offers in different supermarkets. It will prevent you from huge expenses.
2. Try yourself as a volunteer
Volunteering can help you to acquire an unusual experience. It’s a good chance to try that on Thanksgiving. Every year a lot of volunteers help other people who really need that. When you see how poor and miserable can be people you will understand that your life is wonderful. At the same time you will avoid cooking, buying and cleaning at home. If you don’t want to leave your family or friends on this special day it’s a great idea to go volunteering with them.
3. BYOD (Bring Your Own Dish) celebration is a good idea
Nowadays it became very popular to ask guests to bring some kind of food or drink with them when they come to your home for celebration. Surely it can’t be a substantial meal, but some dessert, appetizer or a bottle of wine will be appropriate. I think it’s really a good decision because it will make easier for you to organize your celebration. You will save some money and will not have so much work to do. What is more important, you will not stay all day long cooking at your kitchen. To my mind it’s unpleasant when one person should cook a lot of dishes for a great number of people. But such way of celebration can really help you.
4. Make decorations yourself
Try to avoid the purchase of Thanksgiving decorations in the supermarket. Make decorations from natural materials yourself. It will be unforgettable! There is a great variety of natural material which you can use in autumn. If you go out to your garden you will see plenty of colorful leaves, branches of the trees, different fruits and vegetables. For those who don’t have rich imagination about making decorations there are lots of ideas in the Internet. Making decorations on Thanksgiving with your hands will save your money sufficiently.
5. Experiment with your menu
A few years ago I became a vegetarian. Since that time it has been more difficult to make my menu on Thanksgiving. If you have same problem you can try to mix things up. Don’t be afraid to add something new to your menu, to experiment and make changes. Usually for Thanksgiving dinner women cook roast turkeys, cranberry sauce and stuffing and it’s a wonderful idea to cook some ethnic meals on this day. By doing this you will vary your menu greatly. For example, I made it a rule to have Indian, Mexican, Korean and other meals on my table. Besides you won’t spend much money if choose the vegetarian menu for celebration. Because vegetables, beans, rice are not so much expensive as meat. Such preference also is good for your health. Always keep in mind your guests’ likes. Don’t cook the dishes which you used to. Cook dishes which your guests like and eat most of all.
6. Buy wine in boxes
I usually prefer wine in boxes. The advantages of such wine are the following: you will protect the environment and prevent yourself from great expenses. Buying boxed wine is much cheaper than bottled wine. In fact, a box of wine is equivalent to 4 bottles. For example, the wine which I often buy costs $9 per box and that amounts to $2.25 per bottle.
7. Choose the simple way
When you host Thanksgiving celebration at your home you try to do everything perfect, especially when it comes about your dinner. To achieve the desirable result and impress your guests you usually buy sophisticated and very expensive ingredients for meals. Afterwards, you realize that you run out of money completely. That’s why I want to advise you some other pleasant and simple ways of celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Use vegetables from your garden to cook various stews, bake different pies and cakes. You know the most important thing is a good company. So enjoy communication with your friends and family!
Some other useful recommendations:
- When you decide to bake a pie on this holiday better choice will be to make a pie crust yourself. It’s not so much expensive as to buy. You can even make it one month beforehand and freeze. You need just find a good recipe.
- Another useful tip is to bake your pies in the oven at the same time. That will prevent you from numerous energy expenses.
- If you want to eat tasty Thanksgiving meals a few months later you can cook some extra batches and freeze them.
Don’t forget that Thanksgiving Day is a family holiday, which we usually enjoy with our relatives and friends. On this day we should be thankful for everything we have in our life. Don’t tire yourself trying to make everything perfect. What you need is just relax and enjoy this holiday. Remember that by planning your celebration beforehand you will avoid numerous expenses. Do you have any other tips? Share them please!