5 ways to stick to your budget this Thanksgiving

Hosting Thanksgiving can be a wonderful memory for you and your loved ones, but it’s also quite a bit more expensive than your run-of-the-mill Thursday night dinner. You already know that getting cash back on your groceries with Ibotta is a great place to start, but here are some other ways to celebrate Turkey Day on a budget.

1. Trim your turkey

As the biggest part of your meal, your turkey can be the most expensive piece. (Psst: see below for how to get your turkey and sides for free after 100% cash back!) If you’re having a smaller group or you’re not keen on dark meat, try getting a turkey breast. Or if you only like dark meat then just get the turkey legs. There’s no rule that says you even *have* to eat turkey. If you’d rather do chicken or vegetarian, go for it!

2. Make it a potluck

Gathering family together or hosting Friendsgiving can be fun, but feeding extra mouths can also be more of a drain on your wallet. Instead of taking on the weight of the whole meal, tell everyone you’ll provide the turkey and they can bring their favorite side. It’ll mean less for you to cook, and as a bonus you’ll get to taste different recipes!

3. Trot out the leftovers

Waste not, want not – as the saying goes. Besides, when you spend hours making it, it only feels right that it should feed you for a while. Whether you whip yourself up a “Moist Maker” á la Ross from Friends, or turn them into turkey soup, using up every bit of your Thanksgiving leftovers can help stretch that one dinner into a week of meals. Leftovers are only safe in the fridge for 4 days, so be sure to eat or freeze everything before Monday so you’re not making yourself sick.

4. Go simplistic with decor

Handwritten place cards, garden trimmings from your yard, kid-made turkeys – there’s charm in a home-made holiday. Get creative with your centerpieces and place settings. If you want something extra fancy, thrift stores often have sets of plates or even china that you can scoop up for a fraction of the price to dress up your table.

5. Shop with Ibotta

Of course the best way to save on your Thanksgiving is to shop with Ibotta. We’ve got three big events going on this year to help you save on your holiday feast.

2023 Free Thanksgiving

Your Thanksgiving dinner is on the house! Download the Ibotta app and get 100% cash back on turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and more Thanksgiving staples – Plus, earn on more essentials wherever you shop.