Thanksgiving on a Budget

Updated on 28 Oct, 2024

Thanksgiving on a Budget

Key Takeaways

  1. When planning a Thanksgiving event at home, you must start your shopping early, make the most of grocery sales and coupons, compare prices, buy some items in bulk, and consider a Potluck Style Holiday Meal to save money.

  2. Another smart way to save money on Thanksgiving is by using the best grocery store credit cards like Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit CardBlue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

  3. Also, choose affordable and tried-and-tested dishes that cost less to make rather than trending or viral dishes that might turn out to be a disaster and a waste of money!


If you plan to host a Thanksgiving event at your home, it’s quite natural for you to be anxious about preparations, especially due to the rising prices at the grocery stores.

After all, everything from fresh herbs to potatoes and bread to beans costs more than it did even a few months back. 

To help you ease from getting stressed out, we have created a list of some money-saving ideas that help you plan a decent event without breaking the bank. Here they are:

 

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  1. Start Your Shopping Early

    During the holiday season, popular items run out quickly at stores and sometimes aren’t replenished fast enough.

    To dodge that potential problem, you should start your shopping for Thanksgiving cooking or hosting early. 

    Avoid the last-minute rush and possible shortages by starting your shopping as soon as you can.

    It allows you to make your favorite meals at home instead of going to the fall back option to buy Thanksgiving dinner.

    Many large retailers start putting out the key Thanksgiving staples early. So, it would help if you kept your eye on prices offered by different companies to get the best deals.

    If you are not too rigid about the menu, you can even plan the menu according to the ingredients that have the maximum discounts and better deals.

  2. Look for Grocery Sales and Coupons

    Another useful tip that can help you make cheap Thanksgiving meals is to keep an eye on the sale flyers for the local grocery stores near you.

    A few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving usually offer the best sales on staples like pumpkin pie filling, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and many other delicious ingredients.

    It is also smart to choose generic products rather than branded ones, as the former costs up to 25% less than the latter.

    You also need to make the most of the price-matching policies companies offer at this time.

    For instance, Target has a list of competitors on its site, which includes but is not limited to Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Walgreens, and Staples, among others. 

    So, if you get a lower-cost item from one of the stores, Target will refund you the difference. Similarly, Walmart also has a policy that can help you save more.

     

     

  3. Compare Prices from Your Top 3 Grocery Stores

    If you are a planner who has created a list of ingredients you might need for Thanksgiving cooking, you need to spare some time to compare prices.

    The weekly ads of most stores begin on Sundays. So, it’s wise to be prepared to shop on Sunday to maximize your savings.

  4. Buy Some Items in Bulk

    A wiser move to save money during Thanksgiving event hosting is to buy non-perishable items in bulk a few weeks before Thanksgiving. 

    For instance, you can buy marshmallows in bulk and freeze them, or you can go for frozen vegetables that can stay in your freezer for up to a year.

    If you have leftovers, you can use them during other events you plan to host, like Christmas.

     

    Potluck Style Holiday Meal

     

  5. Opt for a Potluck Style Holiday Meal

    In case you think that you can’t afford to host an event like a Thanksgiving dinner yourself, you can ask your guests to contribute too. 

    You can choose a potluck-style holiday meal where your guests will bring in a dish or two.

    When opting for this idea, make sure that you create a menu in advance so that people can sign up for the dish or dishes they bring and there are no repetitions.

    For instance, one person can bring roast turkey, and another can take care of the stuffing. Similarly, a friend can take care of mashed potatoes while you prepare a healthy green bean casserole.

    And yes, don’t forget the Cranberry sauce. Doing so will ensure that there is plenty of variety and no waste!

 

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Add-On Tip

When planning Thanksgiving on a budget, remember that you don’t jump on trending dishes to make your Thanksgiving cooking or events special. Always stick to what you do best and can easily afford.

 

Save More with Smart Credit Card Use

In addition to the aforementioned Thanksgiving tips for saving money, you should also know about the Credit Cards to use to get maximum benefits during Thanksgiving ingredients shopping.

Some credit cards that help you save more on every grocery shopping spree are:

Card Name Best for Welcome Offer Key Benefit Annual Fee

card_name
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

3X on Online Grocery Shopping

bonus_miles

2x-5x points

annual_fees

card_name
American Express® Gold Card

Supermarket shopping

bonus_miles

1x-4x Points

annual_fees

card_name
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Flat-rate rewards

bonus_miles

1-6% cashback

annual_fees

card_name
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Ongoing high cash back with no annual fee

bonus_miles

1-3% cashback

annual_fees

 

Final Words

We hope that the tips mentioned above will help you to host Thanksgiving events on a budget. To know more about which credit cards are perfect for the 2024 Thanksgiving offers, you can download the Uthrive app.

It helps you increase your savings while reducing your expenses and ensuring that you get the best rewards from each credit card swipe this Thanksgiving.