Hi all. pic for reference & attention
If you had $50 to make a thanksgiving meal, how would you budget?
I don’t want to splurge this year. It’ll only be 5 of us.
My most desired dishes are dressing and mac & chz.Everything else is negotiable.
Hoping to get some tips and or suggestions! I mainly shop at Kroger & Meijer if that helps!
by Witty_Actuator5438
24 Comments
Realistically to feed 5 people I’m not sure that’s doable. Unless you have a stocked pantry with a ton of the ingredients already. But interested in if others think it’s possible.
I think Aldi advertised a 40$ package and Walmart a $50. Check those out.
Aldi’s has a thanksgiving dinner for 10 for $40
No way you can do this with fresh ingredients.
You can keep your cost down by making as much as you can from scratch and keeping your protein portion small.
How much time are you willing to put into cooking? Does it have to be a whole turkey, and can you get one cheap?
Dollar Tree Dinners has done this before. I think last year and the year before (youtube). Take what resonates. You have a better budget than what she’s worked with, so you could put that towards meat quality.
https://youtu.be/pEQNSCjZC8w?si=hDnlNsIkUVHHK7NW
https://youtu.be/taCb9QY9cYU?si=HQK0Hkn-JjaKpTxZ
Frugal fit mom did a budget Thanksgiving video as well. There’s a ton more creators on youtube doing this.
https://youtu.be/1X41jgflLbM?si=GArulaLvdSyU8izx
Check the price of rotisserie chickens are the grocery store, they’re usually cheaper than uncooked chickens.
There isn’t that much difference between chicken and turkey – I even prefer chicken.
First ask yourself if you are a dark fan. Just buy a turkey breast. It may save you some money and cooking time.
For dressing you can see if your local store has a discounted bakery section. If they do get enough bread for what you want to make and cut and dry it in your oven .
Mac, what ever your go to cheap version is.
Pick a veg that you like.
Green bean casserole is fairly cheap.
Roasted root veg
Brusselsprouts
And if you want a potato i always prefer yukon golds but if they are pricey, go with a russet
Cranberry sauce is always pricey but its my favorite part but 1 can will be plenty
Gravy is 3 ingredients stock or broth butter and flour S+
to taste
Your main cost is going to be the bird and it should be the star of the show. Build it from there outwards.
We are doing Thanksgiving dinner for three. A Sam’s rotisserie chicken $5, frozen corn $1, sweet potatoes from the farmers market $1, stovetop stuffing on sale $1, cranberry Jello salad with cream cheese balls, guessing here, $4, mashed potatoes $1, peanut butter pie, $3. Most of the supplies we already have. Cream cheese is a big block from Sam’s which lowers the cost per ounce. We may have green salad and/or another vegetable depending on what bargains I find at the farmer’s market before then. And there will definitely be leftovers.
Normally I’d say you can skip turkey for 5 people but I’m in a HCOL area and almost every store has turkey sales going on as low as .27/lb right now so it’s cheaper than any meat you’re going to find. Winter greens and winter squashes, sweet and regular potatoes for fresh produce are pretty reasonably priced. And if you already have basics in stock like spices, flour, sugar in the pantry, some milk and butter in the fridge, I think you could do a lot for $50. Your most expensive item might be Mac and cheese dep on how gourmet you wanna go with the cheese(s). Definitely buy block and shred yourself for better quality and cheaper price.
Don’t try to buy things the day before. Collect vegetables, etc, when on sale.
Squash can be work but can be really cheap. Pumpkin or squash soup can extend the meal and also makes good leftovers.
Keep an eye out on sales, generic mac and cheese boxes can go on sale for under $1 at the right stores.
My parents started buying a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey because the four of us just aren’t big turkey eaters. Saves a lot of both money and cooking time, plus you can cook them the way white poultry likes to be cooked.
We do a lot of canned / instant stuff because Mom keeps a supply of those in the pantry, and honestly it’s just less work.
But we also spent Thanksgiving going camping until they sold the camper to dad’s coworker after his house burned down, so the food was never a major sticking point for us.
Ibotta has a free thanksgiving dinner. You could start with that and then fill in where needed. They also have some cash back offers on cheese currently for your mac and cheese want.
It’s a turkey up to $13.65, Edward’s cream pie, Jiffy cornbread mix, mccormick gravy packet, and instant mashed potatoes.
It’s nothing fancy by any means, but it’s free and you can supplement with whatever else you want. Do keep in mind that you need $20 with Ibotta to redeem (all of the above offers come out to $22.99) and your account needs to be 7 days old (you can still buy everything right away, just have to wait the 7 days to withdraw the money out.)
My advice, buy everything you want for thanksgiving dinner and any other offers the pique your interest and then redeem all at once so you definitely have the $20 needed to withdraw.
this is walmart prices.
I went with more ingredients rather than less.
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starter : pumpkin soup (potato + pumpkin puree so less work and I would guess cheaper maybe)
mac and cheese , as requested (cream + milk and cheese I didn’t add the milk to the cart though)
oven roasted veggies : sweet potatoes, potatoes, onion, carrots ,brussel sprouts
roasted chicken (2 of them but really it could be one) but there is turkey for similar price.
oats apple crumble for dessert.
total: $40.42 (you will have leftovers quite a bit)
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13 items
Great Value 100% Pure Canned Pumpkin, 29 oz, Can $3.00, 1
Great Value Instant Whole Grain Quick Rolled Oats, 42 oz Best seller $4.18,
Great Value Colby Jack Finely Shredded Cheese, 16 oz Bag Best seller $3.72,
Great Value Heavy Whipping Cream, 16 oz Carton, Refrigerated $2.78,
Fresh Fuji Apples, 3 lb Bag Current price $2.96,
Fresh Yellow Onions, 3 lb Bag $2.34,
Fresh Whole Carrots, 1 lb Bag Current price $0.97,
Fresh Whole Russet Potatoes , 5 lb Bag$2.47, 49.4¢/lb
Sweet Potatoes Whole Fresh, 3 lb Bag Current price $2.94,
Great Value Brussels Sprouts, 12 oz Bag (Frozen) Current price $2.28, $1.14 ea, (2 packs)
Foster Farms Fresh Young Whole Chicken – Twin Pack, 21g Protein per 4 oz Serving, 10.0 – 12 lb Bag $12.10, avg price, $1.42/lb, Final cost by weight / or Jennie-O Frozen Turkey, 10-16 Pounds, Serves 7 to 11,$11.58 avg price
Great Value Elbows, 16 oz **Best seller** Current price $0.68,
Turkey $12 or less
Store brand stuffing $6
Store brand Velveeta style Mac $3/2 boxes
Glory brand canned greens $6/2 cans
6 pounds sweet potatoes $6
Jiffy corn bread mix $2.5/5 boxes
Butter $3
Eggs $3
Milk $3
Brownie mix $2
Ice cream store brand $2
$49
There’s an extra dollar for oil if needed but oil can be substituted for a stick of melted butter.
Thanksgiving on a budget, probably with leftovers for 5.
A few years ago I was away from family for Thanksgiving, so had my girlfriend over for a fake one.
We had a rotisserie chicken, instant mashed potatoes (though you can easily just mash them yourselves, potatoes are cheap), stovetop stuffing from a box, a can of corn and probably some roasted carrots, and cranberry sauce (not from a can, I actually made those!)
It wasn’t amazing by any stretch, but I thought it was great! Definitely cheap, and way easier on the cleanup!
Totally do-able. Turkey is on sale now at many stores, and if you get a smaller one (9# or so, perfect for 5 people) at $0.77/lb at Aldi’s (if you have one nearby) or $0.59/lb at places like Publix that’s $5-10 for the main protein. I have gotten turkey at $0.27/lb last year.
Or you can use one of the guides/sales from some of the grocery stores.[ I like Aldi’s because of the lower costs](https://www.aldi.us/products/thanksgiving/feast-for-10/k/259), but I don’t know if you have one near you. Here is what they are offering for $40, suitable for 10 people. To copy the ad details, “Price assumes a purchase of ingredients for a meal for 10 people including a 14lb Jennie-O® turkey, rolls, cranberry sauce, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing & pumpkin pie.”
* Whole Turkey
* Chicken Broth
* Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
* Evaporated Milk
* Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
* Miniature Marshmallows
* Cut Green Beans (x2)
* 100% Pure Canned Pumpkin
* Shells & Cheese (x2)
* Brown Gravy Mix (x3)
* Poultry Spices & Herbs (x1)
* French Fried Onions
* Pie Crust
* Chicken or Cornbread Stuffing (x2)
* Whipped Dairy Topping
* Yellow Onions (3 lbs.)
* Baby Peeled Carrots
* Celery
* Cranberries
* Sweet Potatoes (3 lbs.)
* Russet Potatoes (10 lbs.)
You will have to do some cooking, and may have to add in some butter, cream/milk and other pantry staples.
Deviled eggs are a cheap and often popular appetizer/side at our house. I do try to pick up the mayo ahead of time when Kroger has it on sale, and in my area egg prices (which were never as high as the rest of the country for some reason) have dropped to a reasonable price. $6
Stuffing/dressing is always a good buy, and good homemade mac and cheese is doable if you don’t want fancy deli-style cheeses. $11
I’d go with a rotisserie chicken or even two for the main dish or, if you prefer, just a smallish turkey breast. $12
For us, homemade pies are a bit cheaper than storebought or frozen, but it’s not a huge difference. I’d say that depends on your preference and baking ability. $7
Potatoes are always a good buy, so I’d do mashed or baked. I might add a gravy mix if you’re not cooking a whole bird at home. Be sure to pick up some rolls at the store to heat and eat, too. $5
Let’s add some sour cream (for the potatoes) and real butter (for the rolls and potatoes) for $8
I’ll assume you have some basic ingredients like milk, salt, pepper, onion/garlic powders, and paprika.
Total $49.
Honestly, in North Texas this could be done under $50. I guess a lot depends on where you live, though. We have no sales tax on groceries and I live in an area with Kroger, ALDI, and Walmart very close so they compete with each other.
I hope you come up with a delicious meal, whatever you choose!
For the mac and cheese, u can buy stove top boxed mac&cheese. U can use canned evaporated milk for more texture
For dressing, u can make ur own seasoned bread croutons. Use dried broth cubes that u can hydrate urself instead of buying the boxed broth
The Supermercados here is advertising a meal for 4 for $40 (plus tax). Not traditional, but still delicious and you can add your most important sides next to it.
ETA: you can likely stretch the 4 servings to 5.
I would throw in with neighbors, family or friends and pool resources.
Turkey, box stuffing with mixerpoix and turkey stock, mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce. Boom.
Sliced Ham;
Whole baked chicken;
Dressing;
Gravy;
Cranberry Sauce;
Sweet Potato Casserole;
Green Bean Casserole;
Mashed potatoes;
Early Peas;
Rolls;
*Dessert hasn’t been decided yet.
I received everything from the food pantry except for Early Peas and Cranberry sauce.
I need to make black bean brownies or I will have to get the stuff to make pumpkin pies.
Or I might make rice pudding. (Trying to think of desserts so I don’t have to buy anything.)
Highlight your veggies! It may be pretty unpopular, but green bean casserole can be made kind of cheap. A can of French style green beans, a can of cream of Mushroom, and some fried onions. Save some cheese from the Mac and cheese and top it with that as well (if you don’t go boxed Mac route).
Corn and potatoes are also very versatile and can be cheap. Creamed corn would be a good option for Thanksgiving if not grilled. Going with a rotisserie chicken is a cheaper option to turkey or ham.