20 "Poor Woman's" Thanksgiving Habits I'm Not Ashamed of at 67

The most expensive thing on a Thanksgiving table can cost you one phone call, and that's where this list of twenty poor woman's Thanksgiving habits starts. I'm sixty-seven, I live on a fixed income, and I cook Thanksgiving on a budget every November without one ounce of shame about how I do it. We start with getting your name on the church or food pantry turkey list in October, and what to do when the bird is still frozen solid on Wednesday night, because you can put it in the oven frozen and skip buying a second one. From there it's the old way of stretching a holiday dinner: giblet gravy out of the little paper bag, cornbread dressing from the cornbread you saved in the freezer all month, a pound of turkey a person instead of a bird bought for show, and everybody bringing the dish you asked them for. For a small table or a senior living alone, there are turkey wings in the slow cooker, the seasoning jar you already own, a shortening pie crust like grandmother made, the good dishes instead of paper plates, and the can of cranberry sauce I will never apologize for. Then the leftovers: plates that go home in the guests' own foil, a hot turkey plate on Friday, carcass soup on Saturday, and frozen dinners for January. I also explain why I buy two turkeys at the pre-holiday sale price, when a free turkey deal is not free, and the thrifty habits I don't keep, like roasting a turkey overnight in a low oven or leaving food out all afternoon. Saving money on Thanksgiving was never something to hide. It's how our mothers fed everybody who walked in the door. Tell me in the comments the one thing on your Thanksgiving table that doesn't cost a thing. I'm not a financial adviser. This video is general information from my own experience and the official sources above. Rules and amounts change every year and differ from state to state, so confirm anything with the agency before you act on it.