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Dollar Tree Dinners: Taking on the viral Thanksgiving trend
A woman spent just $12 on a Thanksgiving dish for four. We couldn't quite meet that cost but still came in well under budget. Here's how we did it.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for the whole family is expected to cost a little more than $50 – unless you're willing to look a little harder for a better deal.
That's where Rebecca Chobat comes in. She runs the social media account of Dollar Tree Dinners to make meals using only ingredients from the Dollar Tree. She creates recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, showing her audience how to make meals on a tight budget.
But for Thanksgiving, she took on the challenge of creating a meal for a family on a budget – and it includes turkey, green beans, potatoes and cranberries. She called it her ‘best of Thanksgiving casserole’.
The video has amassed over three million views on TikTok and she's been featured on websites around the world.
FOX 2's Dave Spencer tried the Dollar Tree Thanksgiving meal challenge – but he put our spin on it. FOX 2 News works for you – the people of Southeast Michigan. The Simon family needed a little extra support so we provided a Thanksgiving meal for four.
We started at Dollar Tree to meet the trend but he went shopping for Thanksgiving the day before the holiday. That probably wasn't a wise move as there were a few things we had to get at Aldi next store, instead.
Dave also picked up other essentials – like pans, foil, ingredients for dessert, and a bottle of Coke for the family to enjoy. In Chobat's video, she used canned shredded turkey – but we went for the turkey breast at Aldi instead. And even with all the changes, we still came in under budget.
How much we spent on Thanksgiving:
At Dollar Tree, we spent a total of $29.15. Most items at Dollar Tree are $1.25 but there are a few exceptions.
here's what we bought for $1.25 each:
- Foil cake pan
- Pie shell
- Dressing mix
- Instant potatoes
- Two cans of green beans
- Two cans of apple pie filling
- Two cans of yams
- Two cans of cranberry sauce
- Shells & cheese
- Cornbread mix
- Salt
- Pepper
- Roasting pan with a lid for the dressing
- Oval roasting pan for the turkey
- Aluminum foil
- 12 oz milk
The spreadable margarine we got cost us $3 while we bought a bottle of coke for the family $1.75.
But then we went to Aldi and spent a little bit more.
The turkey breast was an even $10, dried cranberries were $1.89, and the crispy French onion for $1.79.
All told, we went in with a budget of $50 and spent $43.82.
In other words – yes, you can do Thanksgiving on a budget and still fill your stomachs and your hearts.