On Thanksgiving, I’ve always cooked a big meal with all the traditional sides. However, this year I’m planning to opt out of the holiday for financial and health reasons. Studies have shown that I’m not alone. Last year one in four Americans planned to skip Thanksgiving due to rising prices. Here are four reasons why I’m not celebrating the traditional way this year.
4 Reasons Why I’m Skipping the Thanksgiving Feast
Food Has Gotten Expensive
Because of inflation, the cost of celebrating Thanksgiving has increased every year. In 2019, Americans spent an average of $310 on the holiday. In 2020, that figure rose to $475 due to inflation. The costs are expected to be even higher this year because of rising prices.
I don’t have to feed a huge crowd, so I typically spend around $200 on Thanksgiving. However, that’s still a lot of money to spend on one day. To put things in perspective, $200 is about half of my grocery budget for the month. This year it doesn’t seem worth it to splurge on a big Thanksgiving meal, especially since the price tag will be higher than ever thanks to inflation.
Plus, I’ve had about $1,200 worth of car and health expenses come up this month. I’d rather save the money I’d usually spend on Thanksgiving and use it to start refilling my car maintenance fund.
It’s Unnecessary to Have Two Holiday Feasts
I usually cook a similar menu every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ve realized it’s expensive, tiring, and unnecessary to have two-holiday feasts. The only reason I’ve continued to cook two meals is because of tradition. But it finally hit me this year how silly it is to keep doing something you don’t fully enjoy out of a sense of obligation.
Being frugal is all about cutting costs in areas that don’t matter to you. That way you can spend more freely on the things you love. I enjoy Christmas more than Thanksgiving, so I’m choosing to prioritize that holiday this year. If Thanksgiving is important to you, there’s nothing wrong with cooking a nice meal. Just make sure you budget for it and try not to overspend.
In 2021, about 44% of Thanksgiving hosts planned to take on debt to finance the feast, which is a bad financial move. If you can’t afford to pay for all the festivities yourself, it’s better to have a family potluck than go into debt.
I’m Trying to Take Care of My Health
Like many people, I gained weight and fell off the health bandwagon during the pandemic. I gained around thirty pounds due to unhealthy habits like stress eating and being sedentary. I’ve been trying to lose weight for a while and have shed almost half of the pounds I gained. Overindulging this holiday season could cause me to backslide, which is part of why I’m opting out of Thanksgiving.
As a personal finance writer, I realize it’s just as important to care about my health as my finances. Being overweight could put me at greater risk of developing costly chronic diseases like diabetes and heart problems. So I don’t want to undo my progress toward a healthy lifestyle by overeating during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Apparently, more than 90% of people gain weight during the holidays, which is a fate I want to avoid. That’s why I’m scaling back this year’s Thanksgiving festivities and opting out of the usual feast. This decision will not only be better for my wallet but also for my waistline and health.
Thanksgiving Is About Thankfulness
To me, Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you already have. So preparing a huge feast feels like a departure from the meaning of the holiday. Going Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping also seems at odds with the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Instead of participating in the usual festivities, I’m planning to watch the parade on TV and have a Christmas movie marathon. This year I’m not going to make a special grocery trip, so we’ll probably prepare a simple meal with ingredients we have on hand. Maybe we’ll go around the table and say what we’re thankful for. I think we’ll still be able to have a cozy holiday without participating in consumerism like Black Friday shopping.
What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Do you have any tips for saving money on the holiday? Have you ever decided to opt-out or scale back your Thanksgiving celebration? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.
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