Frugal Thanksgiving: Food for the Feast

We have much to be thankful for here at Frugal Fort Wayne.  We are healthy, happy and have so many wonderful people in our lives.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Thanksgiving is a dedicated time of year to celebrate the gifts and blessings bestowed upon us.  It is also a time of completely forgoing any sense of moderation when it comes to food and drink.  The bad news becomes our growing waistlines.  The good news is that there are a few ways to save money on all of these tempting treats:

• Follow the same money-saving grocery strategies to adhere to during ordinary time.
• Just because the holiday season is upon us doesn't mean you throw all of your frugal principles out of the shopping cart.  Don't forget about ad matching at Walmart.  Watch for coupons in your newspaper inserts, on FFW or online.  I've already seen sugar, condensed milk, cream of mushroom, fried onion and even turkey coupons.  Watch for the same items to go on sale and pair these sales with coupons.

• Set your menu early to watch for specific items on sale.
• Luckily, we have the lions share of family in town and my momma-in-law and grandma host Thanksgiving dinner at their houses due to the fact that these women are expert chefs and have gathering spaces larger than the dollhouse I live in.  I make the green bean casserole every year for my husband's family dinner and will be bringing Pumpkin Bars.  Therefore, I've already begun to stock up on green beans and cream of mushroom soup.  I told my grandmother three weeks ago I would bring Pumpkin Bars and the yummiest Pizza Cracker Dip you've ever had.  So, I have six packages of cream cheese in my fridge waiting to be transformed into bars and dips.  I purchased all of this food on sale and used coupons.

• Stock up on seasonal items and baking staples.
• Buy extra baking supplies to last the next six months or so.  Watch for deep discounts on butter, chocolate chips, flour, sugar, spices, and the like.  Also, if you enjoy pumpkin muffins year round, buy a few extra cans of pumpkin now.

• Process food yourself to save even further.
• If you have some extra time and want to save a few more pennies, try processing foods yourself that typically come in cans or boxes.  You can easily search the net for tutorials on how to make your own pumpkin puree and buttermilk.  Stock up on sweet potatoes to make your own baby food.  Of course, try making recipes from scratch instead of running to the store to buy a cake in a box.