Posted in Simple and Frugal Living

Bring on the Turkey!

With Thanksgiving approaching quickly it is time to assess your turkey needs. There are a few helpful tips that can keep your Thanksgiving meal budget in line and help you trim the food budget after the meal without making your family tired of looking at turkey to the point they hope that you are going to serve mac and cheese only next year for Thanksgiving!

• Plan ahead. Turkey can make a great meal! BUT your family will be tired of turkey leftovers so that by Christmas you have already gained 10 pounds if you are serving leftovers several times a week! However, when you learn some turkey tips on how to stretch a turkey you can offer it throughout the entire winter without your family being bored! Also, in your planning turkey can be VERY cheap, but you have to know the best price and prepare to have freezer space to store a few turkeys for the entire season. This couldn’t be simpler!
• Learn alternate ways of preparing leftovers and strip your turkey on Thanksgiving or the day afterwards. I typically do this the day afterwards. With my plan in hand I can get that leftover meat ready to for the freezer for meals later in the winter. Cooked turkey can be shredded or ground in your food processor to replace ground meat for a wide variety of recipes. Doing this can not only stretch the use of the turkey, but also a cleverly frugal mom can disguise the ground turkey so that her family doesn’t feel as though they are eating turkey.
• Make plenty of soup stock with the carcass of your turkey. Most people use the carcass once and then throw it away. However, I have found that I can move the turkey carcass to three different Dutch ovens (one after the other is a great way to get it done at one time) and have an abundance of delicious stock! Do this each time you make one of those turkeys in your freezer and you will have stock on hand for the entire winter! Simple and frugal.

These are my thoughts.

Leslie Valeska

~Contributing Writer~

Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.  With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!