Thanksgiving is nearly here! After weeks and months of crazy in 2020, many are craving the opportunity to pause and count their blessings while chowing down on holiday favorites. But this holiday season is anything but typical. So I’m bringing my 2020 Last Minute Thanksgiving Shopping tips straight to you.
We’re planning on keeping our celebration small since we have immunocompromised loved ones we want to keep healthy and well. But honestly, many of these tips work every year.
Scan the Ads & Build a List
The key to staying on budget always involves a plan. Especially for a holiday like Thanksgiving you need to have lists, friends. Begin by planning your menu for this year. Next, you need to build a grocery list while in front of your fridge, freezer, cabinets, and pantry. This will keep you from purchasing items you already have on hand. Lastly, be sure you scan your grocery store’s ads. Many “loss leader” items, named so because the retailer actually loses money on the item to entice you into the store, are incredibly well priced for your holiday feast.
Dinner for Wednesday night is a MUST as you build your plan!
Don’t forget to access digital and paper coupons and use an app like Fetch to get rewards for your purchases. Speaking of similar apps, Walmart partnered with ibotta to offer everyone a FREE Thanksgiving meal. Purchase select products from Walmart or Walmart.com, scan your receipt into ibotta with your cell phone cam and BOOM $20 in Thanksgiving goodness cash back
Avoid the Side Trap
When you’re making your meal plan, it’s important to keep in mind that you may be feeding a much smaller crowd this year. That means, even though you’re tempted, avoid that side trap like crazy. You don’t need all of the side dishes known to Thanksgiving. Keep things as limited as possible. You may also want to consider cutting recipes in half this year, too.
Prep Your Storage Containers
This year, also make special allowances for extra leftovers. You may have even more than the usual Thanksgiving feast. So be prepared to store all that deliciousness in the fridge (or better yet the freezer) for days and weeks to come. Always begin by sweeping your own cabinets to organize and wash reusable containers you already own. Purchase foil, wrap, plastic bags, and any other odds and ends you might be missing.
Book Your Pick up ASAP
If you are placing a curbside pick up order for groceries this year (it’s pretty much all I’m doing right now), you need to get busy TODAY. Don’t wait until the last minute. Those precious slots will fill quickly this week. Be patient with the workers filling your order, too. It’s going to be unusually crazy this week. Exercising grace gives you a chance to begin counting your blessings before Thursday.
Consider Restaurant Carry Out
Maybe this is a year to chuck cooking dinner and order in instead. In the past, I’ve done round ups of different options for restaurants offering carry out Thanksgiving meals. However, many of those are intended to serve a lot of people. And if you’re like us, you may only need food enough for 4. Other restaurants are beginning to capitalize on this, too. Keep in mind, most places are requiring you to order by Monday at the latest so get on it ASAP.
Here are some of my favorites this year:
- Smokehouse Catering (local to me)
- Metro Diner
- Stone Creek Dining
- Bob Evans
- Cracker Barrel
Just because it’s a weird year doesn’t mean it has to be an awful year. Let’s be smart about our health and finances this year as we enter a season of gratitude.
Our new book Your Money, Your Marriage is now available! Be sure to check out videos on managing money together on Facebook.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out The Debt Free Devotional
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal, learn about a way to save, or maybe even something for free, I may end up making a small commission. All prices are subject to change.
