How to Serve Thanksgiving Dinner with all the Trimmings for 8 to 10 People for $30 with LEFTOVERS!

I listed this out to encourage those who have less money to work with this year to go ahead and provide a holiday family meal to the best of their ability anyway.

How to Serve Thanksgiving Dinner with all the Trimmings for 8 to 10 People for $30 with LEFTOVERS!

(The dinner would serve 10-12 people if at least 3 of the people were children)

The items on the menu are in bold type.

Savory Roast Turkey

(1 12-lb hen turkey @$0.89/lb roasted with an apple and an onion inside the bird) = $10.68

Delicious Toasted Stuffing with fresh onion and celery pieces

(Prepare stuffing outside the bird and toast in the oven: Stove top stuffing x 2 @ $1.00 ea + 1 bag dry Pepperidge farm stuffing @ $3 + 1 med onion @ $0.30 + 6 stalks of celery @ $0.35 + 1-14 oz can of chicken broth @ $0.60 + butter , 1/8 lb @ $2.29/lb; $0.29) = $6.54

Dinner rolls smothered in butter and topped with blackberry preserves

(2 Pillsbury crescent rolls @$1.50 ea) with butter (¼ lb @$2.29/lb; $0.57) and blackberry preserves (10 oz store brand @$2.49 ea) = $6.06

Yummy Turkey gravy

(Skim fat off Turkey drippings and add to Campbell’s Turkey Gravy 2-10.5 oz cans @$1.00 ea) = $2.00

Homemade Mashed potatoes

(8 lb of Russet potatoes @ $2.99 per 8 lb bag; $2.29) + a dash or two of milk and/or sour cream and butter (1/8 lb @ $2.29/lb; $0.29) = $1.78

Green peas with carrots and butter

(2- 1 lb bags of frozen peas @ $0.95/lb) + butter (1/8 lb @ $2.29/lb; $0.29) = $1.12

Candied yams with marshmallows

(1-40 oz can of yams in heavy syrup @$2.50 ea; place yams in reduced spiced syrup from can, dot with dark brown sugar (1/4 lb @ $1.19/lb; 0.$30) and butter (1/8 lb @ $2.29/lb; $0.29), top with mini marshmallows and bake until marshmallows are brown (1/2 of a 10.5 oz package @ $1.19/pkg; $0.59) = $3.68

Cranberry sauce with whole berries or jellied well chilled

(1-14 oz can @ $0.99 ea) = $0.99

Apple Passion Mango fruit punch

(2-64 oz bottles of Old Orchard brand juice @$2.25 ea; many varieties) = $4.50

Pumpkin pie topped generously with real whipped cream

(37 oz Sara Lee brand pumpkin pie @ $2.99 ea topped with Reddi-wip brand @$1.79 ea) = $4.78

NOTE: Using coupons to purchase nearly every food and drink item above and while these items are on sale is what reduces the price of this dinner from $50 to $30. All prices quoted above are “sale” prices (the cost of the foods when they are on special).

The prices above do not reflect the additional savings from using coupons.

Happy Thanksgiving a little early!

Last Edited by Biochemky on 11/15/2011 06:21 AM