Although Thanksgiving may take its toll on your wallet, it’s possible to get last-minute turkey trimmings for as low as $5 per side.
U.S. Sun’s team shared its favorite recipes, which are quick and easy enough for eight families.
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All aspects of spending are affected by inflation.
Food is not an exception.
The holiday season is bringing shoppers more joy as they see grocery prices rising for their staples than they did a year ago.
- Eggs = 43%
- Butter = 33.6 Percent
- Bread = 14.8 per cent
- Milk = 14.5 Percent
You can save money by using essential items in your home along with special products that give the holiday feel.
Let’s see what’s in the dish:
1. Brussel sprouts at $4.49
Ingredients:
- Brussel sprouts
- Cooking oil or the equivalent
- garlic
- pepper
This Thanksgiving dish adds color to the table.
Prices of brussel sprouts can vary depending upon where they are purchased.
This side dish was made with a bag full of sprouts purchased at Gristedes, a New York City grocery, for $3.99. A clove of garlic cost 50 cents.
I sauteed the vegetables in oil and added pepper to taste.
You can also use chili flakes and parmesan cheese.
This dish can be made for as little as $2.99 at Target or Walmart.
The Aldi price varies depending on the store, and the Trader Joe’s price is $3.99.
A clove of garlic will cost you around 50 cents in all shops.
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2. Sweet potato casserole – $4.32
Ingredients:
- Two large sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- A teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- Two tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- Salt and pepper
Easy to make, this sweet and savory dish was only $5
I went to my Bravo grocery and bought sweet potatoes, mini marshmallows, and other essential ingredients.
Bravo was offering some fantastic deals. I was able purchase potatoes from them for 49 cents a pound.
It was cheaper than Aldi ($0.55 a pound), Walmart ($0.59 a pound), Target ($0.99 a pound), and Trader Joe’s (1.66 a pound).
At $2.09 per ounce, the 10 oz. pack of mini jet-puffed marshmallows was a bit more costly than Aldi ($0.89) and Walmart ($1.48). However, they still cost less than Trader Joe’s ($2.99).
Bravo was a respectable third after Aldi & Walmart in prices, but it is still cheaper than Target & TJ’s.
You can also use basic pantry staples found in many homes for the rest of this dish.
A delicious side dish can be prepared in less than an hour that is filling enough to feed eight persons.
This recipe serves six to eight persons.
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3. Cornbread $3.62
Ingredients:
- Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – Two packs
- Four ounces of sour-cream
- Two eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- Butter
This side dish is super easy and quick to make. I went to Walmart where each Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix package was $0.52.
Jiffy is the most affordable cornbread mix and was what my grandmother made.
Also, I bought an eight-ounce small tub of sourcream. Walmart’s brand was $1.16.
Finaly, I bought a small box of six eggs. It was $1.35 more expensive than my other items.
Because sour cream is more creamy than milk, we used it instead.
I probably had enough money remaining to buy the stick of butter I needed for the last part of this recipe. But I also had some butter in my fridge.
Two 8×8 baking pans were already in my possession, and I had the oil for spraying them.
Here’s how I compared to Aldi and Target.
Aldi had cornbread mixes available for $3.65; sour-cream was $1.89 and eggs in only 12 packs. That makes it $3.39 for a dozen.
Aldi cornbread costs $8.39 with no tax. This is more than I spent at Walmart.
Target had a corn muffin mix box for $0.55. Sour cream cost $1.59 and eggs $2.39 each. They also did not have six packs of eggs.
The cost to make cornbread at Target was $4.53. This is mainly due to the additional eggs that you would need to purchase to make it.
Target was still below $5
Trader Joe’s also doesn’t sell regular cornbread.
However, their cornbread stuffing comes in at $5.99 which is already more than our $5 cap.
So there it is: Walmart’s cornbread recipe costs less than $5.
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4. Crescent Rolls $2.99
Ingredients:
- A single package of Organic Crescent Rolls from Trader Joe
Keep things simple.
You can enjoy the soft, fluffy feel of freshly baked bread in just 15 minutes for $2.99
Rather than buying the $3.49 Pillsbury rolls from Target, you can pop these Trader Joe’s alternatives in just before you sit down for dinner.
If you are like me, breaking open the cylindrical package might be the most difficult part.
You can do the rest of dish prep yourself.
Every slice of the dough comes already cut in exact triangles. All you have to do now is roll them.
Place the cut dough on a parchment sheet, and bake for 14 minutes.
You will feel like your kitchen is filled with the sweet aroma of baking goods.
After the rolls become slightly crispy on the edges and lightly browned, take them out of the oven.
The sweet side dish is perfect to complement savory Thanksgiving recipes.
These are a great deal at $2.99
Walmart’s Great Value Crescent Rolls They are an affordable option at $1.07 per eight but you can’t guarantee that your local shop will stock them.
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5. Apple pie – $3.44
You can make apple pie for as low as $5.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- Three to four large apple
- Ready-made pie crust
You can make basic recipes from ingredients you already have in your home.
Sugar and flour are examples.
Perhaps you already have time-honored spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or other holiday favorites.
It was all about the shopping.
Apples were 99 cents per pound. It’s amazing how many large apples you can get for one pie.
We used pre-made crust to save time, and most importantly money.
We shopped around and settled on Aldi pie crust for $1.99.
The crust was just as delicious and consistent as homemade.
To put it in perspective: Pillsbury’s ready-to bake crust costs $4.59; Trader Joe’s $4.49, and Walmart’s Great value is $2.18.
You can feed 8 people with the full-size pie, or 10 if you choose smaller pieces.
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Turkey-less alternatives
Remember that not everybody wants turkey.
We have compiled some options for meatless diners.
- Quorn: $9.49
- Gardein Turk’y cutlets: $5.99
- Tofurky deli slices: $4.99
Quorn is a meatless, vegetarian roast that’s very similar to “the real deal.”
The Gardein Tur’y cutlets, however, had a higher fat content of 13 grams.
The Tofurky deli slice would be a good option for those who are on the go and don’t want to eat a full meal.
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You may feel ready to go shopping once you’re finished with your Thanksgiving dinner. Below is a listing of Black Friday deals and Black Friday sales.
The U.S. Sun also allows you to search for stocking stuffers below $10 at Amazon and Walmart.