5 ways to stick to your budget this Thanksgiving

Hosting Thanksgiving can be a wonderful memory for you and your loved ones, but it’s also quite a bit more expensive than your run-of-the-mill Thursday night dinner. You already know that getting cash back on your groceries with Ibotta is a great place to start, but here are some other ways to celebrate Turkey Day on a budget. 

1. Trim your turkey

As the biggest part of your meal, your turkey can be the most expensive piece. (Psst: see below for how to get your turkey and sides for free after 100% cash back!) If you’re having a smaller group or you’re not keen on dark meat, try getting a turkey breast. Or if you only like dark meat then just get the turkey legs. There’s no rule that says you even *have* to eat turkey. If you’d rather do chicken or vegetarian, go for it!

2. Make it a potluck

Gathering family together or hosting Friendsgiving can be fun, but feeding extra mouths can also be more of a drain on your wallet. Instead of taking on the weight of the whole meal, tell everyone you’ll provide the turkey and they can bring their favorite side. It’ll mean less for you to cook, and as a bonus you’ll get to taste different recipes!

3. Trot out the leftovers

Waste not, want not – as the saying goes. Besides, when you spend hours making it, it only feels right that it should feed you for a while. Whether you whip yourself up a “Moist Maker” á la Ross from Friends, or turn them into turkey soup, using up every bit of your Thanksgiving leftovers can help stretch that one dinner into a week of meals. Leftovers are only safe in the fridge for 4 days, so be sure to eat or freeze everything before Monday so you’re not making yourself sick. 

4. Go simplistic with decor

Handwritten place cards, garden trimmings from your yard, kid-made turkeys – there’s charm in a home-made holiday. Get creative with your centerpieces and place settings. If you want something extra fancy, thrift stores often have sets of plates or even china that you can scoop up for a fraction of the price to dress up your table. 

5. Shop with Ibotta

Of course the best way to save on your Thanksgiving is to shop with Ibotta. We’ve got three big events going on this year to help you save on your holiday feast. 

Ibotta Free Thanksgiving graphic

Free Thanksgiving 

Your Thanksgiving dinner is on the house! Download the Ibotta app and get 100% cash back on turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and more Thanksgiving staples – Plus, earn on more essentials wherever you shop.

How it works:

  1. Download the Ibotta app and sign up for an account. 
  2. Add your Thanksgiving dinner offers. Before you head to the store, pick your 100% cash back Thanksgiving offers and add them to Your list by tapping (+). 
  3. Shop at your favorite grocery retailer. Grab your items and submit your receipt in the app.
  4. Enjoy your free Thanksgiving. You’ll get cash back on qualifying offers within 24 hours of submitting your receipt. It’s as easy as pie!

Thanksgiving Essentials

Got all of your free Thanksgiving items? Get cash back beyond the Thanksgiving table for your perfect holiday celebration. Check out deals on these great items:

  • Stove Top Stuffing Mix 
  • Heinz HomeStyle Gravy
  • Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese
  • Velveeta Shells & Cheese
  • Classico Pasta Sauce
  • Maxwell House Coffee
  • Finish® Ultimate Detergent

Free Thanksgiving for Life

Want more free Thanksgiving? You could be one of 25 winners of Free Thanksgiving for Life

There are two ways to enter:  

Complete the Ibotta Thanksgiving social challenge (1 entry)

  • Create a pantry restock video, filling up your cabinets with the 100% cash back Thanksgiving items, plus any of your other favorite grocery staples. 
  • Include a screenshot of your Earnings screen, showing off how much cash back you received!
  • Post your video on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook – or all three, by 11/22!
    • Must tag @Ibotta and include the hashtag #IbottaThanksgiving in your post. 

Tell your friends to sign up for Ibotta (up to 10 entries)

  • Get one entry for every friend that registers for a new Ibotta account with your referral code before 11/22. 
  • Plus get $10 after they register and redeem an offer in the Ibotta app. 

*You must have an Ibotta account to win.

*Offer only valid for new users and excludes grocery purchases and purchases made on the Ibotta mobile app. May take up to 90 days to receive credit.