Last-minute budget Thanksgiving dinner grocery shopping list for emergency party planning

Uh-oh, someone bailed and now you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner last-minute! Congrats! Are you nervous? Well don't be; here's a surefire emergency Thanksgiving dinner planner with quick, easy grocery shopping list including stores with best prices on holiday foods to feed a party of 10. For best prices, buy supplies on the grocery list from Aldi, Save-a-Lot, Meijer, Dollar Tree or Walmart.

Supplies:

large foil roasting pan with handles
4 disposable baking pans with lids (2-pack at Dollar Tree)
25 square-foot package heavy duty aluminum foil
10 heavy paper plates
10 good disposable cups
napkins
plastic cutlery

Groceries


turkey (choose a large one and freeze leftovers)

green bean casserole: 
6 cans cut green beans
1 large can mushroom soup
1 large bag french fried onions (Walmart)

candied sweet potatoes (you'll use some ingredients for other recipes, noted with an *)
8 large sweet potatoes
2 # bag brown sugar*
2 # stick butter or margarine (2 boxes)*
one large can pineapple or orange juice concentrate

stuffing
1 24 oz loaf of white bread
one large onion
one stalk of celery
one large box or can chicken broth
two sticks of butter, above

cranberries
one bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar

miscellaneous
one can refrigerator biscuits or King's Hawaiian rolls
5 # white round potatoes (cook and add two sticks butter)
two frozen pies (you'll do homemade next year when you have more time!)
one 8 ounce tub whipped topping
one gallon milk
cornstarch or flour for gravy (1/4 cup)
poultry seasoning or sage
garlic powder
salt
pepper
pumpkin pie spice (you can use ginger, allspice, mace, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon if you have them separately, otherwise get a blend)

Beverages
2 bottles medium red wine such as Pinot Noir or Carmenere
1 bottle semi-dry white wine like Chardonnay
12 pack session IPA like Founder's All Day
ice water
several bottles soda



Clean out refrigerator, use up leftovers and thaw turkey. Use the grocery list to go shopping or shop ahead and get best prices on holiday foods. Visit my blog Great Food 4U for recipes and ways to make this Thanksgiving dinner happen. Visit Diynhow24u.blogspot.com for ways to coordinate large gatherings in small spaces. 

DIY crafts: Homemade cat beds, personalized pet beds from recycled materials

Do you love your kitties? Do you love buying cat toys and treats for your pets for holiday gifts? You can make cheap pet beds, specifically cat beds easy with recycled materials. Make DIY crafts of personalized pet beds your animals will love. You'll save a lot of money making homemade cat beds. Half the fun for a cat and cat owner is to find just where kitty will decide to sleep next. The last place he'll probably sleep is the expensive cat beds you bought! DIY crafts: Homemade cat beds, personalized pet beds from recycled materials | Examiner.com

Oscar Mayer Premium Selects Nitrate and Nitrite Free Hot Dogs Better Than Hebrew National

I don't like serving hot dogs to my family--too much junk, too little food value. Alas, said family loves homemade Coney Island.

I was happy to find that Oscar Mayer makes Select Premium uncured hot dogs with no nitrates, nitrites. fillers or preservatives. Cheap too--only about $.75 more per package than junk hot dogs. The all beef Oscar Mayer Select Premium with no nitrates or nitrites were $3 per pound.

This is great news for a family of six who wants to each healthy. It's nothing for me to cook three packages of hot dogs at a time. We are always feeding extra people. Up till now, if I wanted a healthy hot dog to grill, the only option was Al Fresco preservative free chicken sausage at $4-$5 per pound.

Everyone loves Oscar Mayer Selects Premium. One son confused them with some organic free-range hot dogs I used to buy from co-op (much higher priced). They're as good as higher-priced Hebrew National. And those, I found, while being kosher, aren't necessarily nitrate free.

Here's the list of ingredients in Oscar Mayer Select Premium: chicken, turkey, pork, water, corn sugar, salt, celery juice, vinegar, lemon juice, cherry powder and sodium phosphates (less than 2%). So the corn sugar isn't great. They're not lowfat, low sugar or low sodium. So not good for special health diets, just a more natural alternative. And I've read that celery juice is a nitrate--but it's a natural source--better than chemicals.

For more on Oscar Mayer Selects Premium, click here. For more food product reviews, healthy eating, recipes and cooking hints, visit me at www.greatfood4u.blogspot.com.

Quick, Cheap Kid-friendly Leftovers Use-Up, One-Pot Meals

I admit, I'm a cookbook addict. I enjoy perusing them for recipes and cooking styles. I've noticed many cookbooks are limited. And most recipes are needlessly complicated. Busy families need meals that don't require multiple steps or that dirty a sink full of pans. So I've written recipes for nutritious meals that can be made while helping a child with spelling words or nursing a baby. Ingredients are cheap and adaptable to what's on hand and use up leftovers plus have enough for another meal. If you line baking dishes with heavy foil, you can freeze food, remove pre-wrapped in foil and store. Read onSuper Easy, Inexpensive, Kid-friendly Leftover Use-Up, One-Pot Meals

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Father's Day usually finds me with more men to buy for than money in my purse. I love giving gifts to husband, dad, father-in-law, grandfather, step-dad, uncles, brothers, our parish priest and all the special dads in my life. But I also need to feed the kiddies. So my Father's Day shopping focuses on budget. Here are 50 Father's Day Gifts Under $10

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Hosting a graduation open house and don't know where to start? Use this party planning guide to throw the perfect backyard bash for your graduate! Here are recipes plus shopping lists for groceries, supplies, decorations and equipment. Being the perennial penny pincher, I've listed cheaper and DIY alternatives--to save you money and hassle! Read on.  Budget Graduation Party Open House Shopping Guide With Recipes. Oh and be sure to use free printable decorations, cards and invitations to save even more. Check out my blog DIY Party Planner and click "graduation" for printables.

Lowfat, Low Sodium Gluten-Free Thai Recipes, Cheap and Quick

I love Thai food, but I'm trying to lose weight. So I improvise recipes with lowfat tweaks. I substitute foods to cut calories, sodium, gluten, fat and sugar. I swap for high fiber, vegetable and protein alternatives. As a busy work-at-home mom, I don't have time for labor-intensive cooking. Here are three quick, easy Thai recipes with diet alternatives.    Lowfat, Low Sodium Gluten-Free Thai Recipes, Fast and Simple

Grain, Bread Food Swaps to Cut Calories, Lose Weight

I started dieting 18 months ago. In the first year, I didn't lose much. I cut calories but was still hungry. My problem was bread; it's filling but highly caloric. I won't cut grains completely. Instead, my strategy is to "tweak." Here are bread, starch and grain switches to cut calories, get full and eat healthier. Use this shopping list to for cheap, reduced-calorie diet options.  Starch Food Swaps to Cut Calories, Lose Weight 

Addiction Recovery Tips for Shopaholic Parents

Shopping addiction is one of the trickiest habits to break, particularly for parents. Kids need many things, and it's not like we can stop buying. We're constantly confronted by temptation. If you're a spendaholic, here's my recovery plan to break the overspending habit. Money Saving Tips for Shopaholics

Cheap, Homemade Valentine Craft Projects

After 25 years as a public school teacher, homeschool parent, VBS-Sunday school-CCD teacher, project organizer, parent, club leader and do-it-yourselfer, I've cut out more crafts pieces than I care to remember! I've assembled countless crafts for units, themes and holidays over my career. And though it was enjoyable, it took a lot of energy and organization. Here are tips to simplify those crafts, cheap and easy. Note: as you read the linked articles, you'll notice numerous spelling errors. My spellcheck/edit tool wasn't functioning at the time and I've not been able to fix it. I apologize for those mistakes. Read more

Cheap, Educational Stocking Stuffers for Kids

I have to laugh when I see what stores tout as "cheap" stocking stuffers. I don't consider anything over $5 "cheap" especially not for stocking presents which are typically filler gifts. If my child is getting three or four bigger, pricier gifts under the tree, I can't afford to spend big on the stocking, too. Having four kids to shop for, Christmas is crazy-expensive enough without the stockings.  Read more

Scary Halloween Party Foods and Treats--Cheap, Easy

Want to scare some little ghosts and goblins this Halloween? Make these cheap spooky trick-or-treat party goodies. Ghoulishly yummy, monstrously healthy, these treats will satisfy every vampire, witch, bat, zombie, ghost, mummy and creature on your Halloween party guest list. Set out food in bowls, buffet style. Label each treat, just in case ghouls don't recognize them. Before eating, play the blindfold game. Give each guest a paper plate and blindfold them. Give out samples of each item, tell them what it is and let them touch and feel it before eating. Everyone should be good grossed out. Here's the menu (did I mention this was a cheap, easy party?) Read on for spooky Halloween party food tips 

Where to Find Cheap Wedding Dresses Under $100

Planning a budget wedding? Good girl--you're smart. You're doubtless looking for cheap wedding dresses. I'm the bargain-minded bride's go-to gal for bridal gowns under $100. Some online vendors offer free shipping, too. Check these sources for a cheap wedding dress.   Where to Find Cheap Wedding Dresses Under $100 

My Bit Fat Cheap Wedding Reception Under $800--200 Guests

My husband and I paid for our own wedding and reception. We paid everything off in advance, incurred no debt and charged nothing. Our cheap wedding reception cost under $800 for 200 people, including food, cake, decorations, music, flowers, equipment and hall rental. This was 25 years ago, but I could still do it today and so can you. Just follow our frugal lead. My Cheap Wedding Reception Under $800 

Where to Find Free Prom Dresses

 Spring means prom season for most high school students. Girls eagerly look forward to choosing their dress and accessories. But what happens if you can't afford a prom dress? Prom dresses are expensive. Donate My Dress my dress is here to help. Donate My Dress, partners with several stores and organizations that collect donated prom dresses and give them a second life. Organizations like The Princess Project, The Magic Wand Project, Becca's Closest, The Priceless Gown Project and local area missions and stores provide free prom dresses for high school girls in need. Donate My Dress operates a database of stores and venues where girls can donate dresses or select a free one.  Where to Find Free Prom Dresses

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Where to Find Cheap USB Flash Drives for College
Several of our sons' college professors are requiring students in class to bring a portable USB or 'flash' drive to class. I did some price comparison shopping. Here are the best sources and buying options of USB drives.
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