Avoid Busting Your Thanksgiving Budget

As Americans head into the Thanksgiving holiday, only one thing is weighing heavier on their minds than turkey: money.

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So, how can a family provide a robust Thanksgiving dinner experience without busting the budget?

First and most important, don't do anything without a plan. Plot out a menu, a decorating plan and a shopping list before ever going to the store, reports KPHO-TV in Phoenix.

Flashy ad promotions and the festive spirit of the stores could push you over the edge into an impulse buy while you're there. A plan and a budget can greatly decrease the odds of overspending.

Also, don't go shopping while you're stressed out our hungry. This can result in unnecessary purchases.

Next, try to find out how much your guests are going to eat. For example, if you have 15 guests coming but eight of them are small children assume that their portions are going to be smaller. Plus, they won't realize if you have one less item on the menu than you did last year.

However, if you do overshoot, don't waste! When portioned properly, you can get several lunches out of turkey and stuffing.

Decorations are nice and can definitely add the right mood to your party. However, resist the temptation to go overboard. Ask yourself, are the napkins with dancing turkeys on them really necessary this year?

Thriftyfun.com also has several non-traditional ideas for saving money over the holiday that may or may not work for some people.

Consider a potluck. Most hosts would be appalled by the thought of asking their guests to bring food to Thanksgiving dinner. However, the economic mood in the country may be dour enough where people understand the price of dinner and not frown upon the potluck idea as they once may have.

Go out for dinner: Many popular buffets around the country are open on Thanksgiving Day. While it's not as formal, it spreads the cost around to everyone, plus, no dishes!

Volunteer: Just about every soup kitchen in the country will be looking for help serving food over the holidays. Why not show the younger members of your family the true meaning of the holidays by spending the day in service? Plus, the kitchen will usually give you dinner for free.