It's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas for your annual holiday event. I love turkey and all the fixings, but I've heard from multiple people that aren't a big fan of the big turkey and are looking for other low cost ideas. Since we are always looking for ways to work on keeping our budgets low, these delicious and frugal Thanksgiving dinner ideas may be just what you need to get started.
Delicious And Frugal Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas
Serve cold cuts and desserts. Instead of hosting a giant meal for your entire family and friends, go with this awesome Thanksgiving Dinner Idea. Cold cuts and desserts make it super easy and much more affordable. You can easily clip coupons for deli luncheon meat, cheese, bread, crackers, and even condiments. Set up a tray of meats and cheeses, then a few loafs of bread, some crackers, and veggies like lettuce, tomato, and onions.
Side dishes can be inexpensive things like baked beans, potato salad, pasta salad, or simply chips and dips. Desserts can be simple things like cookies, fudge, or cakes. All can be made from scratch or with mixes you have picked up using coupons. Nobody will care as long as there is something for them to eat.
Instead of paying $50 for just the main entree (turkey or prime rib) and then more on sides and desserts, you can spend $50 on the entire meal with this method. Everyone enjoys eating, visiting, and spending time together, while you don't have to worry about expenses or a big mess to clean up in the kitchen.
Host a soup buffet. Instead of the classic meal, instead, make 3-4 different warm and hearty soups to serve your family. Soup is great for the cooler Fall weather of Thanksgiving, and also often inexpensive to make. There are tons of classic soups that everyone will love, or you can look for fun ways to use traditional menu items like turkey or pumpkin in a recipe for soup. I love the idea of using a few different Crockpots to keep soup warm on your buffet instead of tending to an oven or stove.
Check out our favorite affordable soup options:
- Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup Recipe
- Homemade Cream Of Chicken Soup with Broccoli
- Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
You can whip up a batch of cornbread muffins to go on the side, or serve with your favorite crackers. Everyone will enjoy this warm and hearty meal, and your wallet will be thankful it doesn't break the bank. Inexpensive disposable bowls and disposable spoons make it even more fun since you don't have to worry about spending tons of time in the kitchen washing up afterward.
Host a potluck. Probably one of the best frugal Thanksgiving dinner ideas out there is the good old-fashioned potluck. This works best when hosting friends and family in your local area that are able to cook a dish and bring from home. I love how easy it is to grab just the main entree like the turkey, ham, or roast and let everyone else bring in sides, desserts, and drinks. You can easily assign dishes to your friends and family so everyone takes on part of the financial burden of hosting the meal.
These frugal Thanksgiving dinner ideas are just the beginning of some of our great holiday tips for this busy season. Thinking outside the box and using your best money saving ideas can really help make the holiday season more fun and much more affordable.
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