If you’ve ever planned a Thanksgiving feast, you know that the cost of everything can add up quickly! Here are some practical ideas for saving money on your holiday feast:
• Ham or turkey, not both. Choose one meat or main dish and plan the rest of your meal around it. This not only saves the cost of the additional meat, but also the cost of special side dishes that go with it.
• Balance “expensive” and “cheap” dishes. Mashed potatoes are less expensive to make than a creamy vegetable casserole; a pumpkin pie is generally cheaper to make than a cheesecake. Limit the number of dishes requiring expensive ingredients. Choose your family’s favorites and serve less expensive dishes to complement them.
• Trim down extras. Do you really need three different vegetable casseroles and four desserts? Try to cut out at least one extra that no one will miss from each food category. Steamed broccoli will cost less than a casserole with five extra ingredients.
• Serve inexpensive beverages. Alcohol, sodas, punch and fruit juices can be expensive additions to your Thanksgiving shopping list. Water, coffee, iced tea and lemonade are inexpensive alternatives.
• Take advantage of sales. In the weeks before Thanksgiving, grocery stores run fantastic specials on traditional holiday foods. They hope that while you’re visiting their stores to get the specials, you’ll also buy lots of other things. Be a savvy shopper. Take advantage of each week’s specials without falling into the extra spending trap.
• Stock up on seasonal bargains for future meals. Special holiday foods are seldom offered at a better price any other time of year. If your food budget allows, buy extras now which can be served for family meals in the future.
Canned pumpkin is full of Vitamin A and can enhance muffins and breads all year long. Fresh cranberries can go directly into the freezer for use in future salads and sauces. Turkey is a delicious, low-calorie meat which can provide inexpensive family meals to come.
• Look for substitutions. Many holiday recipes call for expensive ingredients you may not normally keep on hand. Before you invest in special ingredients you’ll use for only one recipe, check the substitution guide in your favorite cookbook or at www.foodsubs.com to see if there’s anything you can substitute. Just type “buttermilk” in the search bar and the options for making your own buttermilk will be shared.
• Choose the right bird. Extension experts recommend purchasing about ½ to 1 pound of turkey for each person at the table. The higher estimate will allow for leftovers. If you don’t want to pay for or deal with leftovers, choose a bird within the lower weight range
Berny Unruh is the Family and Community Wellness Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. She can be reached at 785-628-9430 or at bunruh@ksu.edu.
