How to Fix a Thanksgiving Meal on a Budget

As much as we all enjoy having a huge crowd of guests over on Thanksgiving, it can get rather expensive feeding all those hungry people. For family members that live locally, it's not out of line to ask for a little help in preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Those relatives certainly can bring covered side dishes, desserts, beverages and appetizers.

But about those out of town guests who bring nothing but hearty appetites and stay until the refrigerator is completely empty? Preparing a Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, but does require a little advance planning and perhaps a little more scratch cooking than what you are used to.

Planning a menu

The Pilgrims may have had a table loaded with dozens of entrees and side dishes, but all that food really isn't necessary. At our place, to use as an example, Thanksgiving dinner consists of a large turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, apple sauce, green beans, cranberry jelly, and pumpkin pie. Whatever you choose to serve, the key to reducing costs is by keeping the menu simple and uncomplicated.

Shopping the sales

Once the menu has been planned out, it's time to watch the sales. Many local groceries will offer heavy discounts, called "loss leaders" on certain Thanksgiving food items in hopes of luring customers into the store. Watch for discounts on the food items that you will need for Thanksgiving, and begin stocking up. November is when canned green vegetables, canned applesauce, butter, canned milk, potatoes, and chicken goes on sale.

Why chicken? Most stuffing recipes call for two or three cans of chicken broth which gets pretty pricey. Instead of buying broth, stew a chicken instead and freeze the leftover broth for Thanksgiving stuffing. Use the chicken for casseroles and sandwiches.

Turkeys will also go on sale in November. Most grocery stores usually over some sort of promotion in which a customer buys a certain amount of groceries for a reduced price on the turkey. Wait to buy that turkey until it's time to make that huge grocery trip! Remember, most turkeys are frozen and will need at least three days to thaw before they can be cooked.

Inexpensive Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Thanksgiving is expensive enough without having to purchase an expensive Holiday centerpiece. At our place, our entire family joins in the fun to create homemade centerpieces using items found around the house or the  yard.

Fill a bowl with nature's bounty

Thanksgiving is the time to drag Aunt Bertha's cut glass punch bowl out of the basement and fill it to the brim with dried seed pods, cones, dried cattails, leaves, and dried flowers from the garden. If you don't have any of these things growing in your yard, walk the dog and the kids around the neighborhood and search for these things in local parks and other public areas. I like to use a combination of pine cones, dried leaves, and dried yarrow mixed in with cinnamon sticks.

If your Aunt Bertha didn't leave you a punch bowl set, any glass or pottery container or reed basket can be used to create this easy Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Create a wreath

If you have access to Virginia creeper or grape vines, gather up 20 feet or more and weave a simple centerpiece wreath. To make a wreath, start by coiling several feet of vine into a circle. Once you have a nice circle shape in the right size, begin weaving long strands of vines up, over, and around the circle to hold the twigs in place. Continue weaving in this manner until reaching the desired thickness.

Wreaths of a diameter of 10 inches are perfectly sized for a tabletop centerpiece. I make several and stack them in the center of the table to create an eye catching arrangement. To add a bit of color, jewelry or florists wire can be used to fasten a few fresh cranberries to the twigs.

Decorate with pumpkins

Many of us decorate the porch on Halloween with miniature pumpkins, which can also find a second life as a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Miniature pumpkins and cranberries can be arranged in baskets or pottery bowls, or tucked in dried wreaths. For a slightly different look, arrange a assortment of different sized pumpkins on the center of the table and tuck in some silk grape leaves to create a Thanksgiving centerpiece that's picture perfect.

 

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey?

If you’re hosting a Thanksgiving Day feast, chances are you’re going to have a lot of leftover turkey. Sandwiches are good, but to use up the abundance of leftover Thanksgiving turkey you and your family might have to eat them at every meal for days on end.

Don’t force your family to eat turkey sandwiches for days after Thanksgiving. Try the following ideas for turning leftover Thanksgiving turkey into easy and extraordinarily delicious new meals. You’ll want to roast another gobbler just for the leftovers!

Slow Cooker BBQ Burgers

BBQ sandwiches made with shredded pork or beef are mouthwateringly delicious, and BBQ sandwiches made with poultry are just as tasty. With your favorite BBQ sauce, you can make easy turkey BBQ burgers in your slow cooker.

Shred leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and place it in your slow cooker. Stir in your favorite BBQ sandwich sauce, and heat it according to your slow cooker directions.

Serve this tasty main dish meal on crusty rolls along side crisp and tangy coleslaw or crispy seasoned fries. Your family will love this simple solution for using leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Cream It

Creamed turkey on toast is absolutely delicious, and it’s incredibly easy to make. All you need is a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, leftover turkey, and bread. Simply cut the leftover meat into bite-size pieces, and add it to prepared cream of chicken soup. Serve this tasty main dish meal over toast, and it’s sure to be gobbled up fast.

Alternately you can add a can of drained peas and chopped onions for color and pizzazz. Consider serving it over a heaping helping of leftover mashed potatoes instead of toast. Creamed turkey is delicious any way you serve it, and you’re guaranteed not to have any leftovers.

 

Meaningful Thanksgiving Scriptures

Listing every verse related to giving thanks in the Bible would require a book. Listing every reason that I have to be thankful would require volumes. As Luke said about Jesus' miracles, if I were to name them all, no  book in the world could contain them.

Below are a few selected verses to help focus our hearts and minds with a spirit of Thanksgiving; thanking God for His love, blessings, goodness, protection, and forgiveness.

Oh give thank to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. -Psalms 105:1

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. -Psalms 100:4

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. -Philippians 4:6

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; to declare Thy loving-kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness by night... For Thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by what Thou hast done, I will sing for joy at the work of Thy hands. How great are Thy works, O Lord! -Psalm 92:1, 4-5

Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father... -Ephesians 5:19-20

I'm including a couple of psalms of praise. Giving thanks is but one aspect of praise and worship. I believe that when we praise Him, when we lift Him up, we bless Him. He in turn blesses us.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. -Psalm 103:1-5

Savory Tidbits of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Before you sit down this year to enjoy a delicious mouthwatering Thanksgiving Day feast, why not learn some interesting facts about the traditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

First, did you know that Macy's Department Store was not the first to hold the Thanksgiving Day parade? It was actually Gimble's Department Store located in Philadelphia,

 back in 1920. It was in 1924 that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade first took place. The first parade was actually called The Macy's Christmas Day Parade even though it was held on Thanksgiving Day.

Employees of Macy's Department Store were mostly immigrants from Europe. To honor the new country they were living in, they decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in the style they were familiar with from Europe....a parade. Dressed in costumes, with floats and even a band, the employees marched down 145th street to 34th street. Floats were pulled by horses and many live animals were borrowed from the New York Zoo to be in the parade.

The famous helium balloons, now a trademark of the parade, were added in 1927. Any guesses on what the first helium balloon was? Felix the Cat! Also in attendance were the Dragon, the Elephant, and the Toy Soldier Balloons! These first balloons exploded upon release because the helium expanded at high altitudes (something everyone had forgotten about during the balloons creation). In 1928, Macy came up with an air/helium mixture that is still used today.

Did you know that back then the balloons were released at the end of the parade to float aimlessly above for days? People were told that anyone finding a balloon could return it and claim a prize! After some near misses and potential crashes involving over-eager hopefuls, this practice had to be discontinued in 1933.

Disney joined in the festivities in 1934. The first Mickey Mouse balloon was introduced into the Thanksgiving parade.

Stylish Thanksgiving Candle Votives

These simple Thanksgiving inspired candle votives are an easy project to make alone or with the kids. The candleholders are prefect for the thanksgiving dinner table, the fireplace mantel, or even the coffee table.

You can make these simple Thanksgiving candle votives in les than an hour. You should expect to pay about $10 for about 10 candle votives if you

 use recycle glass food jars.

To Make these Simple Thanksgiving Candle Holders You Will Need:

Baby Food Jars
Tea Candle
Decoupage
Tissue Paper
Paint Brush
Thanksgiving Ribbon

Now the first step is to obviously clean out the baby food jars. Wash them with soap and water and allow them to air dry.

Now, start tearing up your tissue paper. You can use almost any color tissue paper. If you want to stick with colors like orange, green, brown, and cream for Thanksgiving that is perfectly fine. You could also use tissue paper with leave patterns on it. Gold, silver, and other metallic tissue paper will also work. You can also go with a simple white or any color that matches your Thanksgiving china or tablecloth.

Now, make a pile of your tissue paper. The pieces should be no larger than 1 to 2 inches square.

Paint the inside of your dry baby food jar with some decoupage. Start pressing the tissue paper bits into the inside of the glass jar. Add decoupage, as you need it to hold the paper in place.

Once you have the inside of the candy holder complete coated in tissue paper, then add a final coat of decoupage medium.

Allow the inside of the candleholder to complete dry before moving onto the next step.

Tie your Thanksgiving ribbon around the mouth of the jar. I like to use anything from satin ribbon to raffia ribbon. This can be your choice.

Now, drop in your tea candles and you are finished.

These small Thanksgiving candleholders look great on a dinner buffet or even with one placed at every plate on the dinner table.

You can also give these great little Thanksgiving candleholders as a gift for the holidays. Package about ten of them in a cute basket. Go ahead and put a candle in each one. This is a great hostess gift if you are going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Charger Craft Project

Chargers are a large plate that rest under your dinner plate. They add a fun and elegant detail to any table, Thanksgiving included. These Thanksgiving chargers are  made out of simple air drying clay and some elbow grease (provided by the kids). The kids can easily make their chargers in a few hours. They will need to dry and then they can decorate them for Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving charger craft project is great for a group of 2, 3 or more kids. They can each make a few Thanksgiving chargers so that you have enough to set you entire table with.

To Make This Thanksgiving Charger Craft Project You Will Need:

Activ Clay or any other air drying clay
Acrylic or Watercolor Paint
Clear Acrylic Spray Paint
Paint Brushes
Tape Measure or Ruler

Start this craft project by breaking off a hunk of clay. Work the clay into a coil or rope shape. You should make this coil about ¼ inch thick. Start making a spiral with this coil. Start as a tight coil and work your way out. Keep adding coils until you have reach between 13 and 14 inches in diameter. The shape of a charger is traditionally a circle, but don’t limit yourself to just that shape. You can make a square, rectangle or oval charger. Just make sure your plates can rest level on the charger, otherwise when you go to cut your food your plate will wobble.

Tip: Wile you are making the coils occasionally mist them with water from a squirt bottle. This is important to keep your clay wet so that you can smooth it later.

Once you have you coiled your entire charger start smoothing out the surface. Work the pieces of clay together with your fingers, a butter knife, or some wooden clay tools. Occasionally you can dip your fingers in water to help smooth out the clay.

Once you have your charger completely smoothed out you can use tools to cut designs into it. You do not have to do this step; you could leave the charger smooth and paint designs on it. If you choose to though, you can use clay tools, pencils, needle, knives, and almost anything to carve designs. You could even press some leaf rubber stamps or real leafs into the plate. This would create a great fossil look.