Thanksgiving on a $100 Budget: A Shopping List, with Tips

Can you throw a bountiful, generous feast for a big crowd on a budget? Absolutely! We shared our menu for Thanksgiving for 10 on a $100 budget, and our super budget sangria. To make this classic Thanksgiving feast a reality in your own kitchen, here’s a full shopping list.

But first — a few words of wisdom from our readers on budget shopping for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays. There are some smart tips in here — did you know that some grocery stores give away free turkeys? Have you ever bought day-old bread for pennies at the bakery? Read on for these and more!

I drew these reader insights from this post by Jessica Fisher on watching the holiday budget. There were so many good tips in the comments! I recommend reading the whole thread, but here are a few of my favorite takeaways.

If you’re going with our $100 menu for 10, here’s a shopping list of all you’ll need.

• Flour – 1/2 cup for gravy
• Salt
• Pepper

• Apples – 2 apples
• Celery stalks – 8 large
• Cranberries – 3 (12-ounce) bags
• Garlic – 2 heads
• Ginger root – 1 stalk
• Onions, yellow – 2 pounds
• Oranges – 3 oranges
• Potatoes, Russet – 3 to 5 pounds
• Sage – 1 (0.75-ounce) packet
• Shallots – 2 shallots
• Sweet potatoes – 3 pounds
• Thyme – 1 (0.75-ounce) packet

• Bay leaves – 3 leaves
• Brown sugar – 1 cup
• Sugar – 3 cups
• Paprika, smoked – 1 teaspoon
• Pumpkin pie spice – 2 tablespoons
• Pumpkin purée – 2 (15-ounce) cans

• Butter, unsalted – 1 pound
• Cream cheese – 8 ounces
• Heavy cream – 4 cups
• Eggs, large – 1 dozen
• Frozen pie crust – 1 box (2 crusts)
• Milk, whole – 1 quart
• Sour cream – 1 cup
• Turkey – 12-14 pounds

• Breadcrumbs – 2 cups (make from bread)
• Broth – 3 (32-ounce) boxes
• Day-old bread – 32 ounces

• Super budget wine – 2 bottles
• Tonic water – 2 liters