How to Save Money Around Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very wholesome time of year where you get to celebrate family and friends. However; your wallet might not be celebrating after your annual Thanksgiving trip to the grocery store or after traveling during the holidays. Here are some helpful tips and tricks so you can save a little more as we enter into the holiday season.

Thanksgiving Dinner:

• Only buy for the amount of people that are coming: Get an accurate head count of everyone that is coming for Dinner so you can properly adjust your shopping list to fit your specific needs. Leftovers are an essential part of Thanksgiving, but don’t buy so much food that you’ll be eating leftover for weeks afterwards. Both your fridge and your wallet will thank you later!
• Potluck: Most people will be more than happy to contribute to Dinner. Don’t be afraid to ask people to bring cocktails, side dishes, and desserts. There is no need to put all the pressure on yourself and everyone will enjoy contributing to the holiday spirit.
• Buy in Advance: Most grocery stores will have much cheaper prices a week or two before Thanksgiving. Everything you buy in advance will be able to be stored either in the pantry or the freezer for this amount of time.
• Fresh Doesn’t necessarily Mean Better: Cooks agree that there is nothing wrong with buying a frozen turkey compared to a fresh one. If you want to save a considerable amount on the center piece of the table, buying a frozen turkey can be 3 times less expensive than a fresh turkey. Nobody has to know and they probably won’t even notice, but your wallet will!
• Buy Generic Brands: You don’t always have to buy brand name food, off brand can be just as good and up to 25% cheaper.

Traveling For Thanksgiving:

• Choose Cheap Days: the most common days people fly around Thanksgiving is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after, meaning the airlines jack up the prices on these days. The cheapest days to fly are actually the Monday before Thanksgiving and the Friday/Tuesday after. You can save over $100 per flight by choosing an off day. While just staying at home would definitely be the cheapest option, being able to be present and share the holidays in person with your family and friends is much more enjoyable for everyone than a FaceTime call.
• Don’t Check Luggage: Thanksgiving is usually pretty short so you can save your self money on bagging fees if you just bring a carry-on. This will also save you the hassle of dealing with baggage claim and you don’t have to worry about the airline losing your luggage.