Have you started your Thanksgiving shopping yet? Experts advise doing it early because supply chain issues could make finding what you need more challenging and more expensive this year. Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s trends expert, suggests these tips for saving on your Thanksgiving meal.
- Trade out the turkey- A whole turkey can be one of the most expensive items on your Thanksgiving shopping list, so Romaniuk recommends cutting costs by serving turkey breasts, wings or legs instead. You could also skip the turkey altogether and go with a more affordable protein, like chicken, or really shake things up and try a vegetarian option, like herb-roasted cauliflower.
- Start shopping early- To make sure you find everything on your list, this expert says they “strongly recommend” starting earlier than usual this year. According to Instacart Insights, the days leading up to Thanksgiving are some of the busiest grocery store shopping days of the year and that’s also when popular Thanksgiving items are much more in demand and prices often increase, too.
- Look for deals- Check out what items are on sale at your favorite supermarket and plan your meal around some of those ingredients. And don’t forget coupons - both paper and digital.
- Shop your pantry staples- If your pantry is already full of soups, beans, canned veggies and broth, now’s the time to use them to help cut down on your Thanksgiving grocery bill.
- Buy what’s in season- When produce is in season, it’s often available at a lower price and abundantly available. Right now, fall veggies like cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, potatoes and winter squash are more affordable and they would make ideal additions to your Turkey Day menu.
- Buy frozen produce- Frozen fruits and vegetables are less expensive and work really well in dishes like soups, stews, stratas and even some desserts.
Source:ABC News