FREE Thanksgiving Printables That Will Change Your Life

Nov 22, 2022 | Budgeting Tips, Holidays, Meal Planning Tips

Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful time to gather around the table with the ones that you love. Use these tips to save time and money while you're preparing for it, and enjoy a stress-free experience!

November is a great time of the year. You've been focusing on your gratitude all month long and you're totally stoked about hosting Thanksgiving! But the walls are starting to close in on you because now you're thinking about all of the time it's going to take you to make everything. And the money that you're going to be dishing out for this event. Oh, and now you're really starting to stress out about it all!

*Note: When you click the links in this post, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Hold the phone! There. is. no. need. to be freaking out about any of this. Seriously! We have got your backs, Freebs. You're about to get some of the best time and money-saving tips that will help you to keep your stress levels low for this Thanksgiving dinner. (P.S. You can also use these tips for Christmas dinner… and Easter dinner… and any other time you're hosting a large dinner gathering. Score!) We even have a FREE printable to help you keep everything organized so you won't forget anything!

To start us off, the first thing that you want to do is…


PLAN OUT YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER MENU

Woman writing meal plan in notebook, from Fun Cheap or Free

First and foremost, have a plan! Start planning your Thanksgiving meal at least a week (or more) before the holiday begins.

  • Decide how you want to cook your turkey now so you can make sure you have everything that you need to do so.
  • Create a list of the recipes that you would like to make and print them out or save them on your phone so they're easily accessible on the big day. If they're new recipes, you may want to try making them ahead of time to make sure they taste good and you know how to make them. Nobody wants to feel the pressure of making a new dish for Thanksgiving dinner!
  • Then, get in touch with all of your guests that will be coming to figure out how much food you'll need to have. Write down what each family is going to bring and if it'll need to be put into the oven. If they're asking you what they can bring, suggest food that doesn't need to be put into the oven if you're running low on space or time (such as drinks, deviled eggs, or a dessert).
  • Write down everything that will need oven space at your house on Thanksgiving day, including the temperatures that they need to be baked at. This will help you determine your cooking schedule that we'll get to in just a few!

COME UP WITH A SHOPPING LIST

While you're planning your menu, go ahead and make a shopping list of everything you'll need. Break your list into non-perishables and perishables. You can buy your non-perishables a few weeks in advance to help break up the spending and fit it into your grocery budget. Wait to buy your perishables a few days before. Make sure you store them the right way to keep them fresh!

Another tip is to pre-order your turkey from the store to make sure you aren't scrambling to find one the week of Thanksgiving. Turkeys usually go on sale at the beginning of November, so you could buy one and freeze until it's time to thaw and cook it. However, if you miss the early train, then pre-ordering is the way to go. Nobody wants to be running around like a mad person the week of Thanksgiving trying to find a turkey for dinner!


HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON THANKSGIVING DINNER

Thanksgiving dinner foods on a counter, from Fun Cheap or Free

One of the BIGGEST ways to save money on your Thanksgiving dinner is to be smart at the grocery store. Use these awesome grocery shopping tips that will help you to get the most bang for your buck at the store. While you're at the store, use some of our favorite money-saving apps to earn money back during your shopping! Shopkick is one that's so easy to use, just open your phone as you're walking into the store. Use our Shopkick signup link and get 1250 bonus kicks when you use the code JORDAN and earn your first 25 kicks in 7 days!

If you wanted to save time as well as money, then use Walmart Grocery Pickup (get $10 off your first $50 purchase) or even Instacart for all of your Thanksgiving dinner supplies. Having someone else do your grocery shopping sounds pretty good, right?! It's also really good for preventing impulse buys, so it's really a win-win!


STOCK UP AND SAVE

There are some key grocery items everyone should be stocking up on in November! If you miss the chance to stock up on these items, many of them won't go on sale again for another 365 days. That's a crazy long time to wait for another sale. If your family uses these items on a regular basis, save yourself from having to buy them at full price throughout the year and stock up now! You can even stick some of these products in the freezer so they'll last longer.

Does your family use any of those on a regular basis? It's always a good idea to keep your kitchen well-stocked so you can shelf cook whenever you need to. Come see what our must-have kitchen staples HERE.


PLAN WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE AHEAD OF TIME

Make-ahead Thanksgiving dinner foods on a table, from Fun Cheap or Free

Did you know that there are a TON of Thanksgiving foods you can make or prep ahead of time to save on time and stress?! Make your pies a few weeks in advance and freeze them (minus the pumpkin pies, they don't thaw well, unfortunately). Put your stuffing together a day or two before and stick it in the fridge until you're ready to pull it out and bake it on Turkey Day. If you want more of these awesome tips, then be sure to check out our make-ahead Thanksgiving food post!


CREATE A THAWING SCHEDULE

If you're working with frozen foods, such as turkey or rolls, make sure you give them enough time to thaw all the way before you need them! A good rule of thumb for thawing a frozen turkey is to allow it 24 hours for every five pounds. It could be two or three days that it's thawing in the fridge! Pretty much anything else needs two days to thaw in the fridge, like turkey stock, gravy, pies, rolls, and soup.


CREATE A COOKING SCHEDULE

This is definitely key for maintaining a low-stress level on Thanksgiving! Look at your list of all of the food that needs oven space and figure out what needs to go in when so it's all ready when it's time to eat.

Turkey is easier to carve when it’s warm versus hot, so plan on it being done 30 minutes to an hour before dinner. Schedule sides to bake together at the same temperature. Have that oven filled to the brim, if possible! If there's not enough stovetop space, take advantage of your slow cooker for keeping things warm, such as gravy or mashed potatoes.


USE OUR FREE PRINTABLE THANKSGIVING DINNER PLANNER

You read that right! You know we're all about living a productive life, so why would the holidays be any different?

Print out our free printables and start filling them out as you go through everything you'll need to buy, plan, prep, and do to make your time on the big day better spent. (Remember, you can use these for any holiday or a big family get together where you need to plan out the meal!)

Thanksgiving dinner printables on a counter, from Fun Cheap or Free

SIMPLIFY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER

There are so many things you can do to simplify for the holidays! Here are some of the best tips:

  • Use paper products instead of fine China. If you are less formal, this is an easy way to save you hours of doing dishes. It also gives you more time to visit with your guests and family!
  • Let people help you! Don't try to put the entire meal together on your own. Let others bring food, and let them help you once they arrive.
  • Keep your menu simple. Stick to only those recipes your family loves. Omit any extra recipes that don't seem to be people's favorites.
  • Cook a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. Turkey breasts can be cooked in a slow cooker and are much easier to carve and bake.
  • Remember the real meaning and purpose behind the holiday season. It's not a time to be stressed and run around, unable to enjoy the holiday. Keep your focus on family and relishing the moments you have together.
  • Keep your meal plan simple. Do a lot ahead of time, watch for the best deals, stock up when items are on sale, and you will be set!

What's your favorite thing to make for Thanksgiving dinner? Let us know in the comments! Hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Turkey, green beans, and potatoes in a baking dish, from Fun Cheap or Free

Have you checked out ShelfCooking.com yet? Our brand new site is dedicated to helping you cook delicious, homemade, down-home-cooked meals for your family without spending too much time in the kitchen!

Basically every parent's dream, right? Join our Shelf Cooking Community today!

If you liked how this helped you with your productivity and need more of that in your life, then be sure to check out Productivity Boot Camp! It's an amazing online program that helps you determine the pain points in your life and set up systems. It'll open up more time for you to do the things you want to do!

Sounds like a dream, right?! We know you'll love it so much, we even have a discount code for you! Use the code FCFBLOG for 10% off at checkout, just because!


Looking for more tips?

Happy Turkey Day!

9 Comments

  1. Casey House

    I will deffinately be trying these tips. I especially love the mashed potatoes tip, and I’m gonna start making my rolls this weekend because we always have a large crowd for the holidays so if I make a batch every weekend from now til Thanksgiving I should have enough. Thank you for the great tips…

    If I have extra frozen rolls how long will they last in the freezer?

    Reply
  2. Tayler Raza

    Making extra is so smart cause thanksgiving leftovers are the best

    Reply
  3. Kamryn Carlson

    Thanksgiving seems to always be a tough one especially feeding everyone! So this is great. Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Heather B

    So many great ideas! Thanksgiving can really get expensive if you don’t plan ahead. LOVE deals to meals!!

    Reply
  5. Coo lPoint LTD

    This post has a lot of excellent information! I had to take my time and read it to the last. Thank you for taking the time to share it!

    And also, please can I share this article with my friends?

    Reply
  6. Liz Leyva

    This is going to be so helpful this year!

    Reply
  7. Melissa

    I have used these printables for the last two years and they are amazing and keep me so organized! So thank you to Jordan and the crew at Fun, Cheap or Free for putting them together!

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      Love to hear that!

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *