4 Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

Are you cooking your family’s holiday dinner this year? Here are 4 tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving that will make holiday planning a breeze!

Is it ever too early to start planning Thanksgiving dinner?

The beginning of November seems like the perfect time to think about the big day. What will you cook? How many people are coming? How will you clean the house in time?

Our house isn’t that big (Just a very spacious living room), but we like hosting our families for holiday dinners. Depending on which side of the family is coming over, we could have up to 18 people in the house. That’s a LOT of food, and a LOT of time spent preparing the details.

There are so many factors that go into planning Thanksgiving, and it can get overwhelming. If you’re hosting this year and stressing out over the many tasks left, keep reading for some tips to make this process much easier!

Keep a calendar of events/tasks

November is SUCH a busy month. It’s not just Thanksgiving; it’s all the work events, school parties, get-togethers… all of that can distract you, but if you write everything down, you can see the big picture of where your time needs to go.

And if you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you NEED to have a to-do list. It’s so easy to forget the little things, like cleaning different parts of your house or buying decorations/dinner supplies. Writing everything down will save your life!

Delegate jobs

I don’t know about you, but I’m a pretty gung-ho person. When I take something on, I want to control it and do every part of it. You can imagine how well that goes.

If you’re cooking for a large amount of people, you’re gonna need some help. That’s why you delegate dishes to everyone! Or at least offer to make the turkey and another dish, and have the others choose what they want to cook.

Shop for non-perishables early

Have you ever tried doing your Thanksgiving shopping the day before? I’ll give you a tip: Don’t. Because holy cow, it’s a madhouse. All the essentials are out of stock and you’ll be waiting awhile in line once you finally find what you need. Whipping cream was always one of the foods that runs out quickly!

If you can, buy your canned goods, baking supplies, or whatever will keep for a couple weeks, way in advance. That way, you know you have them. And you should be fine waiting until the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving to buy the fresh vegetables and last-minute supplies!

Learn your foods

When it comes to cooking, it’s important to know how much food you need for each person. You don’t want to buy a turkey that’s too small, or only buy one bag of potatoes that will only feed half your crew.

Typically, one pound of turkey per person is the average amount needed. And 3/4 cup of stuffing per person is ideal, too. If you’d like a printable list to keep handy, you can sign up below to get it sent straight to your inbox. Print it and use it as a reference when you plan your food!

Now, all of this sounds great. But how in the world do you keep it all organized?

I’m excited to announce my new Thanksgiving Planner for 2019! This planner has everything you need to schedule your Thanksgiving dinner, manage your guest list, and keep your to-do list in order.

Here’s what’s included in this 13-page printable planner:

• Grocery List
• Menu and Shopping List
• Guest List
• Recipe Cards
• November Calendar
• Place Cards
• To-Do List
• Pre-Thanksgiving Timeline (Pre-filled and blank)
• Thanksgiving Day Cooking Timeline
• Tips for cooking the perfect turkey

And for a limited time, you can get this planner for only $2.00 with the code THANKS. If you’re ready to host a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner this year, get your copy today!

How early do you plan your Thanksgiving dinner? And what do you do to make things easier? Leave a comment and let us know!