Got me thinking (though T-Day is not one holiday I host…) - is it really that hard to do it for 10 on $100???
Think about your dinner, your crew. How many do you host and what do you think the cost ends up being? (I know, “priceless” is the right answer for being with family and I totally agree, but…)
Maybe I’ll have to share this with my S who is a junior high math teacher for a math activity for his kids next week!!!
I easily spend $250-$300 for between 4-8 people, sometimes up to 10. In fact I hate to see my receipt ring up when I do the big Thanksgiving shop (though I toggle between Costco, Whole Foods, and Publix for different items).
Thanksgiving is one of the cheaper meals when it comes to entertaining or feeding a large group.
Turkey is cheap protein especially as grocery stores always have it on sale in the week or two prior. Potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes - all inexpensive. Ingredients for pumpkin pie- inexpensive. Pecan pie - not as cheap because nuts are $.
We usually have ham, turkey, and lasagna (my husband’s family is Italian), stuffing, green beans, sweet potato casserole, salad, gluten free and regular pies, kid champagne, regular champagne, red and white wine.
I buy alot of organic stuff but still my number feels high. I may be a little “under” on the people count, too. We have family and friends who stop in and out.
My family usually has a nice cheese plate to nibble on with many high end cheeses, nice crackers, dried fruit, nuts, etc. Building a nice cheese plate does cost $$.
I’m not sure exactly how much it costs but it’s enough that we seriously considered making a reservation at Fogo de Chao at $55 per person. I’m sure the food would have tasted a lot better. But the kids gave me the guilt trip about tradition…
@abasket one of my D’s had to tot up the cost of T day for a long-ago math project. We host 14-20 people. Kosher, sustainably raised turkey. Kosher sausage in the stuffing. Vegan “roast” for the vegetarian. Multiple homemade pies. Various nuts and olives beforehand. Vegan sour cream and cream cheese in the mashed potatoes. Distilled spirits to go with dessert. I can just imagine what D’s teacher thought of her total.
A lot of times, the grocery bill adds up because you are buying ingredients you only use part of. Things like spices and the alcohol for desserts. If you factor in leftovers for other meals, that is a savings there, though.
we just do the turkey for the main course, not the multiple items like ham, turkey, lasagna that @SouthFloridaMom9 does. That’s a lot of food for 4-8 people so there must be plenty of leftovers. Sounds like a great feast!
But if you had only $100 - how would you spend it??? These are choices we list of course - and sometimes family traditions.
Me, I will forego and have just one main dish - big box grocery store turkey - but put some $$$ towards a good appetizer, more than one dessert and LOTS of freshly whipped cream!!!
My husband gets mad (as in gee honey this is ridiculous) at the amount of food I produce when we host Thanksgiving. I tell him I learned from the best - his Italian mother and my Scottish-descended mom who is one of eight children.
What can I say. We cook for the masses.
I do send food with people, but my sons love left-overs too.
ETA: And yes, I do end up buying stuff (mostly spices/flavorings) that I don’t normally use.
Also, let this not be a thread that caters to who can/does spend the most on T-Day. Or the least. Both are ok I suppose. (though it’s hard to hear of a $500 dinner for 10 when your family IS on a budget!!)
If you can manage dinner on $50, I want to hear from you.
I am sure that my Thanksgiving meal is much more than $100 for just four people: turkey, stuffing, Hasselback potatoes (the Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses alone are probably over $10!), green beans with bacon and rosemary, cranberry sauce, The Spinach Dish (contains Parmesan cheese, sour cream, and prosciutto, among other things), pumpkin pie, and a chocolate torte. Still debating over the sweet potatoes.
Yeah, we have leftovers - what about it? What’s better than a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving???
If I had to pick only one thing to eat, though, it would be the spinach dish we have at the holidays. That, and the homemade cranberry sauce with blueberries and Chambord.
It’s pretty easy to do for under $100. One year it was just me and my two kids, so I just went to Costco and bought all the premade stuff like stuffing, mashed potatoes, side veggies. Most of their sides are $7 or so. We went with the $5 chicken because there were just two of us eating chicken. I’m sure it wasn’t more than $30, but of course there is the Costco surcharge, as I can’t walk out of there without having spent $100.
@scout59, I"m awfully curious about that spinach recipe now!!! And yes, I agree if you are going to the trouble I hope to eat off that meal for a couple of days!
@scout59 - Another vote for sharing The Spinach Dish!
If one were trying to feed the family Thanksgiving dinner for less than $100, the grocery stores in my area offer a precooked holiday meal and its less than $100. At $59, I’d have enough $ leftover for a few bottles of wine and the ingredients for my chocolate silk pie and whipped cream.
I may be a little “under” on the people count, too. We have family and friends who stop in and out.
