Most people go all-out for Thanksgiving. They want the biggest turkey, the best artisan bread for their stuffing, the most popular pumpkin pie in the city.
But all these things can be tough on your wallet, and when holiday shopping rolls around, you might wish you’d spent less on the turkey dinner. Here are some ways to trim the fat on your Thanksgiving budget.
Among the cheapest stores to buy food fixings are Walmart, Target, WinCo and Costco. Not surprisingly, they’re some of the largest retail chains in the United States.
When you’re shopping, remember that item sales vary from week to week. Start your shopping early so you can get deals on all your items as they appear.
Keep the fruits and veggies seasonal to save on the price hikes from out-of-season produce.
Write your menu ahead of time and bring a shopping list to protect from impulse buys.
Brrr–think about buying a frrrozen turkey to save money. No one will know, except your wallet.
Although it’s tempting not to do any dishes on Thanksgiving night, paper plates and cups are expensive. Bite the sponge and wash those dishes.
Ask people to bring some of the menu items, so one person isn’t stuck with the whole bill. (Then one person won’t be stuck with washing all the dishes, either.)
Diners in 2010 spent 25% more on Thanksgiving than they did in 2009. The biggest culprit? It’s actually celery, costing 29% more last year.
If you’re going out of town, plan your trip dates early. Prices go up as the departure date nears.
Avoid exorbitant bag-checking fees by traveling only with carry-ons where ever possible.
It’s also valuable to know the most expensive airports to fly out of: San Francisco is the worst, for example, so one might consider driving to Oakland instead.
Getting back into the kitchen: 66% of Thanksgiving face-stuffers will stuff their faces with home-cooked goods this year.
All the turkeys raised in 2010 together weighed 7.11 billion pounds.
A total of 2.4 billion pounds of sweet potatoes were produced in 2010.
Even with all the jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin pies, only 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin were grown in the United States last year.
2.1 billion bushels of wheat will be harvested this year for your dinner rolls, pies and bread.
Food isn’t only on the table. It’s also in many place names in the United States.
There are 4 cities and 11 townships in the United States with “Turkey” in their name.
Other Thanksgiving-themed names are Plymouth (37 places and townships), Pilgrim, and Mayflower.
Remember to gobble your turkey, not your savings, this Thanksgiving.
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