Kat’s Money Corner: Host Thanksgiving while keeping your wallet stuffed

Throwing a successful Thanksgiving get-together at your home can be stressful enough without the added pressure of a tight budget. If you throw caution to the wind, you’ll end up exhausted with your food budget busted. So if you’re the host this year, approach the feast with a plan in hand.

Tip 1: You don’t have to buy a giant turkey. If you’re not committed to a week’s worth of leftovers, you can get by with a bird that weighs one pound per guest. If you want those weekend sandwiches, go with 1 ½ pounds per person. And don’t feel guilty about getting your turkey from the supermarket.

Tip 2: Making from scratch is usually tastier and cheaper. Not only is gravy from a can or packet subpar, it’s expensive. Figure out what dishes carry the day with your family and focus on making them right. If your relatives aren’t big on bread, don’t feel bad about using crescent rolls from the freezer. But if cherry pie is always the star, make a real one – no canned filling allowed!

Tip 3: Buy on sale and freeze. Last year, we made bacon-covered smokies in a brown sugar glaze. The little sausages and bacon can both be frozen, so we can buy well in advance at the best price. This also means no running to the grocery store at the last minute to figure out what to make.

Tip 3: You don’t need 17 side dishes. Setting a reasonable menu is the first step to budget success. Ask yourself – do we need five different starchy sides? Concentrate on the crowd-pleasing family standbys. I can’t imagine a holiday without my Aunt Marilee’s mac and cheese. She has perfected the dish year after year and can throw it together without even thinking about it. Which leads to the ultimate money-saving Thanksgiving strategy …

Tip 4: Make it a potluck. If you don’t have too many people coming from out of town, why should you do all the work? Make the turkey and a substantial side, then have each branch of the family bring vegetables, bread and desserts. Encourage older kids and teens to get in on the action – almost no one can mess up a pumpkin pie.

A few other strategies I’ve learned over the years: Buy fruit and break it down yourself instead of buying a precut platter. Then you can choose everyone’s favorites instead of staring at a pile of honeydew.

Don’t be afraid to try something new, either. A few years ago we made an appetizer that was a block of cream cheese with different barbecue sauces poured over top, served with thin crackers. It’s a twist on cheese and crackers but a new yummy variation.

We have potluck holidays in my family, with everyone bringing the dishes they cherish. When you share duties and gather together for the memory making, nobody will be keeping score of who spent what.

Kat's Money Corner is posted on Dollars & Sense every Tuesday. Kat Hnatyshyn, when not blogging or caring for her little ones, is a manager with CommunityAmerica Credit Union. For more financial chatter, click http://twitter.com/savinmavens or visit http://communityamerica.com.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Kat’s Money Corner: Host Thanksgiving while keeping your wallet stuffed."