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Do you find yourself at the grocery store a day or two before Thanksgiving scrambling to buy what you need and frustrated when they are out of stock on popular items? Then you spend the following days cooking like a mad (wo)man and before you know it, Thanksgiving is over and you didn't even get to enjoy it. I've spent the last few years hosting Thanksgiving and its always exhausted me to no end because I wasn't prepared. But this year all of that changes. I WILL prepare and enjoy Thanksgiving and I hope you will too using my ultimate guide to planning Thanksgiving. In this post I'll show you how to plan everything from decor to food and even give you helpful tips that I've learned through trial & error.
BUDGET & GUESTS:
- Decide on the setting you'll want & set a budget accordingly. Do you want an ultra fancy meal or are you taking the traditional route?
- Do a rough plan of your menu. Again, ultra fancy or laidback? Modern or traditional?
- Make a guest list and take note of any food allergies and drink preferences.
- Figure out if you have enough room for everyone to eat. If not, look into renting tables & chairs or borrowing some from family and/or friends.
DECOR:
- Decide on the decor you'll want, if you haven't decorated already. A wreath on the door, mantle decorations, and a nice table centerpiece are good choices that truly make it feel like fall.
- To save money, check out yard sales, online "yard sales", thrift stores, etc. for gently used decor.
- If you're planning to buy decor from places like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc. watch the ads for coupons. Hobby Lobby, for example, has a 40% off one item coupon in EVERY ad and they usually put holiday decor on sale every so often where you can save 30-40% on everything.
- Get creative! Pinterest is LOADED with tons of DIY projects, most are cheap to do and some even involve repurposing things that would otherwise be junk.
FOOD/SUPPLIES:
- A good rule of thumb for side dishes is 1 per person for up to 5 people and 1 for each additional 2 people after that. It may seem like a lot but that is going on the average recipe size (4 servings). If you double a recipe for say mashed potatoes, count that as 2 side dishes.
- When creating your menu, consider items you can cook in the oven at the same time, in advance, etc. Also, consider dishes that taste good at room temperature. The less stuff you have to heat up, the better. Plus you don't want to be worrying about your cold dessert melting before its time to eat.
- Finalize your menu & gather up all the recipes you'll need. Print or write them down and keep them together.
- Make your grocery list and don't forget things like condiments/dressings, seasonings, foil pans, and any other disposable things you may need.
- Look through your cookware, utensils, and serveware to make sure you have enough of everything.
- Don't forget things like a meat thermometer, carving knife, etc. It would be bad to realize you don't have the essentials at the last minute.
- I recommend making a list of the cookware/serveware you have and assigning a dish to each piece. That will prevent a bad surprise on Thanksgiving of being short a pan, casserole dish, etc.
- Start shopping as early as possible! Things like brown sugar, canned cranberry sauce, etc. can be bought early in advance and those popular items are likely to be out of stock if you wait til the last minute. Trust me, I know from experience.
- If the thought of cooking everything is too overwhelming or you aren't able to, consider a potluck style Thanksgiving or at least a partial potluck where you cook the ham, turkey, etc. and everyone else brings a side dish or dessert. Most people have no issue with this and I find many don't like to show up to an event without bringing something anyways.
- Check your local grocery store ads before shopping. Many stores put popular items on sale early on. You can usually find an on-sale turkey at times and just freeze it until its time to use.
- If you're planning to order a turkey, do it ASAP. Its not unusual for them to sell out in early November.
I hope you find these tips helpful in making your Thanksgiving easier this year. Check back on Tuesday for part 2 of my Ultimate Guide to Planning Thanksgiving where I'll give you a thorough timeline starting a week before a Thanksgiving to guide you through hosting Turkey Day the easy way! Totally didn't try to rhyme there but its kind of catchy, right?
~Taylor
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