The average cost of Thanksgiving dinner hovers around $50, based on statistics compiled by the American Farm Bureau Federation over the last few years. While this may not seem too costly to the average consumer, it only represents the cost of one evening. When you’re in charge of hosting family for the holiday weekend, the cost of food, drink and activities can add up quickly.
To avoid spending your entire holiday budget in one weekend while hosting a memorable family get-together, follow these tips for holiday hosting on a budget.
[See: 10 Tasty Tips for a Frugal Thanksgiving.]
Stock up on essentials, including bedding and bath items. Take inventory of your daily essentials to ensure that you have adequate stock of toilet paper, face tissue, bath towels, hand towels, washcloths and blankets. You can buy paper products in bulk from Costco or Sam’s Club, or stock up when your grocer puts them on sale. If you don’t own enough towels to accommodate the number of guests you expect, buy extras inexpensively at Wal-Mart or Target, where a highly rated six-piece towel set starts at $17. Finally, extra blankets cost as little as $6 each from Big Lots and will be appreciated by guests.
[See: 20 Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store.]
Provide some amenities. While most guests will bring their own toiletries, it’s a nice gesture to have shampoo, conditioner and body wash on hand. You can buy these items cheaply at Wal-Mart and Target, especially with coupons and promotions. For example, you can currently find a manufacturer’s coupon for $1.50 off any two Suave Professionals Shampoo and Conditioner products, plus Target is offering a free $5 gift card with purchase of any four personal care products from several merchants, including Suave. You can also find these items at the dollar store. Be sure to compare per-unit prices and factor in coupons and other promotions before you assume that $1 per item is the best deal.
Avoid going overboard with decor. Though the holiday season warrants a few festive decorations, going overboard in this department is a waste of your money. Once guests move in, centerpieces and elaborate place settings are often set aside for practical purposes. Plus, your once festive house will quickly appear cluttered when guests’ belongings start filling up your area. Instead, focus your funds on food and other essentials to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable.
Have games ready. Avoid spending too much money on activities and dining out by having plenty of games available to combat periods of ennui. Games are a fun way to enjoy each other’s company and can be as easy and cheap as downloading free or inexpensive apps to your smartphone. For example, “Catch Phrase” and “Heads Up” are both popular, interactive apps that will get your family up and about and laughing. You can also pull out classic board games, card games or dominoes.
Ask guests to contribute. Houseguests are more than willing to contribute (or should be) since you’re offering them lodging and food. When it comes to the holiday dinner, prepare the main course and ask guests to put together side dishes and dessert. Let them know this ahead of their visit, so they can plan accordingly. You can also delegate meal prep work, such as chopping veggies, grating cheese and even setting the table, to guests and kids. Getting everyone involved in preparing the holiday dinner not only reduces your workload, but offers an opportunity for visiting and bonding.
Research free activities. While you don’t want to schedule your guests’ time down to the minute, having a few ideas for activities can prevent everyone from feeling bored and restless, while allowing you to control the costs. Impromptu dinners and activities can send your budget reeling, so conduct some research about free or inexpensive attractions in your area. Since it’s the holiday season, your community likely has several options during the weekend and weeknights. It can be as simple as a post-dinner stroll downtown to enjoy the lights with tea or cocoa you bring from home.
Turn down the heat. Thanksgiving dinner often takes hours to make with several dishes going in and out of the oven. With everyone chipping in to help, it’s likely that more people will be shedding layers than complaining about the cold, so keep your thermostat relatively low on Thanksgiving. This will help offset the cost of all the energy consumed by the oven and other appliances working overtime to prepare your holiday feast.
[See: 10 Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill.]
Make good use of leftovers. To get the most bang for your grocery buck, plan subsequent meals based on what’s leftover from your holiday feast. Turkey, ham, brisket and the like can be reheated as a main course or used in sandwiches or burritos for lunch. Leftover veggies can be heated up and served over rice or leftover potatoes for a filling meal. And when all else fails, look up soup recipes using leftover holiday ingredients.
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