Sifu Renka / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

I love Thanksgiving and can eat leftovers for days. This year, I tried a new recipe that used leftover turkey. Not only did this save money and time, but it created a new tradition! Below I share the recipe to this yummy Turkey Pot Pie.

The best part of this recipe is that you can substitute chicken if your turkey is all gone. Need other ideas for leftover? Check out my post on what to do with leftovers and learn other money saving tips! This recipe was adapted from Carla Hall’s recipe for The Chew on ABC.

Ingredients

For the Turkey Filling:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 medium carrots (bite-size pieces)
• 2 celery ribs (bite-size pieces)
• 1 sprigs thyme
• 1 sprigs rosemary
• 1 leaves sage
• Salt and pepper (make sure to taste everything before you bake)
• 4 ounces butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 quart turkey stock
• 1 1/2 cups cooked dark turkey meat (bite-size pieces)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup frozen baby peas

Directions

In a pot, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery with the thyme, rosemary and sage for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure to taste everything for seasoning before you bake. Set aside and allow to cool. Remove any herb stems.

In the same pot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux to thicken the sauce. Then pour in turkey stock, and whisking to stay smooth. Add bay leaves and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. (If you have gravy leftover use it instead.) Stir in the vegetable mixture, turkey and peas. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large casserole dish, place cooked crust on bottom and pour turkey filling on top. Place the raw crust on top and crimp edges around dish. Brush with eggwash and bake in 375°F oven until bubbling and golden brown. I bought my pie crust but you can make your own.

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Markus Rodder/flickr

Tired of the usual Thanksgiving traditions? Want to put the giving back in Thanksgiving? Try these 10 ideas.

1. Volunteer on an organic farm in Italy in exchange for room, board, education and culture. I’m sure there would be a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner on an organic farm. There are farms willing to take volunteers all over the world.
2. Help out at a food bank.

   Get involved with your local shelter and work on preparing and serving food to families that don’t have a home go to for the holidays. I know of a young couple with no children and limited family who have been doing this for years. It IS their Thanksgiving tradition.

3. Spend the day creating a home garden. Depending on what area of the country you are in, what you can do will be different. Make your goal to have a meal of homegrown foods next Thanksgiving.
4. Create or attend a food swap followed by a homemade potluck meal.
5. Make seed bombs and walk around your area seed bombing vacant lots that need more loving. Next Spring you will see the beauty of your efforts.
6. Adopt a family for the holidays. Give a needy family a basket of food so that they can have a special holiday with their family.
7. Gather needed winter supplies for the homeless. Spend the time and money you would spend on a big dinner making hygiene kits and handing them out.
8. Offer your services to a local volunteer group to help out on the latest international disaster. Don’t count yourself out just because you don’t have special skills (EMT, RN, teacher, or minister.) As long as you can be caring and calm while living in horrible conditions, you will be welcome.
9. Invite someone you do not know to stay at your house during Thanksgiving or vica versa. You can find free places to stay and people who need free places to stay at CouchSurfing or Servas. It goes without saying that one has to be smart about such arrangements, but there are truly lots of wonderful people out in the world just waiting to be met.
10. Spend the holiday truly giving thanks. Call your loved ones and thank them sincerely. Buy a dozen flowers and hand them out one at a time to your neighbors, the grocery clerk, the babysitter, the postal person, your teacher, hair dresser or random person on the street. Pay it forward. Hand out the love and it WILL come back to you. Make sure to remember to keep it stress free.

That’s my 10. Do you have any ideas to add?

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Black Friday deals and buying guides are here!

This post is brought to you by Cricket Wireless, a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services with nationwide talk, text and data plus unlimited music downloads with Muve Music.

You would not believe how many pre-Black Friday sales are going on! Amazon, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Target, and are all getting in on the action. Last night I scored a huge deal at Michael’s!

Get all the pre-Black Friday and regular Black Friday 2011 deals and sales info. There are now 60 stores listed. Yowza!

Overwhelmed by so many sales? Check out the Hot Deals page or go straight to the Top 5 Deals page.

Buying Guides for Black Friday (courtesy of BFAds.net)

Video Game Buying Guide

TV Buying Guide

3DTV Buying Guide

GPS Buying Guide

Laptop Buying Guide

Mobile Phone Buying Guide

More Black Friday guides

Amazon’s Movies and TV Deals

Price matching tips and policies

Amazon Black Friday Deals Guide

Check out all the NEW! Black Friday 2011 deals and sales now!

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wuestenigel/flickr

Now that Halloween is past us and we’ve eaten all the candy corn and miniature Snickers bars that we can hold, it is time to turn our attention to one of my favorite of holidays – Thanksgiving. Although Thanksgiving has become as commercialized as all the rest of our holidays, you can still create a special family event that brings years of memories without destroying the budget.

Here is a list of ten wonderful frugal and homemade Thanksgiving decorations.

1. Decorate a basket and go for a nature walk. Pick up pine cones, leaves, sticks, acorns, flowers. Come home and create center pieces and decorations.
2. Tie pine cones on string to make a fall garland.
3. Make little elves and fairies out sticks and leaves. Glue on googly eyes. This craft is best done with a hot glue gun so adult supervision is needed.
4. Name Tag Pins -  I love this idea to make leaf name tags for the guests at your Thanksgiving gathering. It was always so hard for me to keep my relatives name’s straight. I only saw them once or twice a year. I always wished that they had on name tags. I highly suggest this idea (or some other name tag idea) if you want to help your kids learn the names of friends and family. I bet that it will help the adults too.
5. Family Banner that becomes a book – Cover a table or wall with wide art paper. Divide the paper in squares. Have everyone draw a picture, make a hand print or leave a message in one of the squares. Afterwards, cut up the squares and make it into a book. Date the book so you can look back over the years. You can also scan each page and make a digital version to send to everyone.
6. Turkey Bread Basket – This craft is made from a paper bag, a piece of card board, paper plates and some decorations. I love this idea because it is frugal AND useful. If you have the storage room, this craft might even make a reappearance for several years.
7. Newspaper leaf rubbings – Make this ingenious craft idea into a garland. Rub crayon on newspaper that is laid over freshly fallen leaves. Cut out and string together. Add a bit of glitter to the edges for a special touch.
8. Painted rocks as place cards – Yes! Yes! I love this craft for the simplicity and long term memory value. Pick up wonderful rocks on your walk in No. 1. Paint and add names of guests. Add a gem for added elegance. Coat with clear nail polish once the paint is dried for a shiny look.
9. Marshmallow Pumpkins – Although technically this orange sugar coated marshmallow is a Halloween treat, I say that it will still work for a Thanksgiving treat. Warning: pure sugar!
10. Twenty more crafts – I just couldn’t decide on just ONE of these cool crafts from the TipJunkie, but I am partial to the Thankful Wall.

I hope these ideas have got you in the decorating mood, because right after Thanksgiving comes Christmas and then it is REALLY craft time.

This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.

L*Ali / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com Yazmin Cruz.

Thanksgiving should be a day were we gather with friends and family to give thanks and catch up, but hosting or attending a large gathering can create anxiety. Let’s face it, there is are a lot of things that need to get done before we can sit down and chow! Below I share 10 tips to keep you sane. Best of all, they will save you money!

1. Skip pre-holiday parties – There are so many parties and gatherings around this time, but you don’t have to go to all of them to be in the holiday spirit. Attend high-priority events, like your company’s Thanksgiving potluck and Thanksgiving lunch at your child’s school, and skip the rest. Not only will you cut the cost of buying hostess gifts, but you’ll have more time to plan your Thanksgiving dinner. You can always go next year!

2. Make a plan – Start planning early! Start making a list of items you’ll need and start looking for specials. Don’t forget to check My Coupon Database to find grocery and drugstore coupons. Make sure to keep an eye on our weekly grocery coupon matches (they’re published on Wednesdays) where I’ll let you know where to find deals on stuffing, potatoes and turkeys.

3. Decorate on budget – Decorations can be as simple as your child’s art work from school. You can also reuse your Halloween pumpkins to decorate your home. A simple centerpiece can be made by cutting the top of the pumpkin, filing it a fourth of the way up with water and adding flowers. Stay tuned for Bobbi’s ideas on frugal Thanksgiving decorations.

4. Delegate tasks – Have friends and family pitch in with sides, desserts, and drinks. It will give you one less thing to do and it will cut down on the cost. Most guests like to stay busy and help out so don’t be afraid to give them tasks when they arrive.

5. Buy inexpensive booze -  If your family celebrates with a glass or two of wine, you must read Bargain Babe’s post about inexpensive Merlot wines and The Reverse Wine Snob’s post on 10 great tasting wines for less than $10. Stock up at Trader Joe’s, Costco, or raid the discount barrel at  your local store.

6. Ditch sitting down - Host an hor d’oeuvre-and-cocktail party! Appetizers cost less than putting a complete meal together and making a signature drink will cut down on the cost.

7. Be honest with overnighters – Many times stress comes from having to accommodate relatives in your home. Tell them clearly whether they can or can’t stay with you and for how long. The longer they stick around, the heftier the bill will be for you (assuming they’re not pitching in when you go out). I’d be very tactful if you’re letting them know they can’t stay with you. Avoid stirring up drama.

8. Encourage bonding  – Plan cheap activities that will help people bond. It can be as simple as having them head to the park while you cook dinner (it may just be me, but I get so stressed when there’s a lot of people in the kitchen while I’m trying to cook). You can also have them watch the parade or some football.

9. Take a headcount – Knowing how many people to expect will help you figure out how much food to buy. It will also keep you from spending extra money. Sure, leftovers are tasty, but not when they spoil.

10. Keep your cool – Don’t forget what Thanksgiving is all about!  Simply reflecting on what you’re thankful for will help minimize stress without breaking the bank on pricey massage therapy. You’re probably the only one who will notice those extra details you feel are essential.

Zager Family / Flickr

Halloween is behind us and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I love Thanksgiving because it is a time for family, reflection and thanks. The following activities can help you create a special day.

1. Make a Thanksgiving scrapbook. Every year, take a picture of who you sit down with. Note who is the oldest and who is the youngest. Enter in any special relationships (Aunt Josie just got engaged to Fred) and where people are currently living. Over time, this will become a treasured family album.
2. A variation on a scrapbook is a yearly
   
   video. Have everyone say their name and age and what they are thankful for. These will be precious memories in the years to come.
3. Find a story book that is representative of how you feel about family. Read that story to the youngest kids each year. Ten years down the road, you will find everyone sitting around waiting to hear you read the story.
4. Schedule an activity that gets everyone up and moving. If you are in a warm weather environment, you can take a jog or have a flag football game. If you are in the colder climates, check out these 39 indoor games from Family Fun or try Bargain Babe’s three family games that involve quick thinking. You will have a much more pleasant and memorable day if you have thought about planned appropriate activities that you can do. Consider the age, interests and abilities of your guests in order to have ideas that won’t fall flat.
5. Tell everyone that you are going to be going around the table and asking what people are thankful for. This will give everyone a chance to think about it and talk to the younger kids. I suggest that you don’t delay eating for this, but have this be the dinner conversation.
6. Make place tags. There are many great ideas for making Thanksgiving place cards. This is a fun activity for kids to do ahead of time.
7. If you happen to be in the Boston area, go to Plimoth Plantation. This is a very interesting field trip that gives you and your family a good picture of what it must have been like during the early years for the European settlers and their interaction with the Native people. You can even eat your Thanksgiving dinner there. But hurry, the seats are selling out fast.
8. Make individual salt and pepper cellars out of walnut shells. Certainly a different idea from Martha Stewart.
9. If you are having a potluck dinner, have everyone bring recipe cards of their dish and exchange cards. You can even take pictures and upload them to this fall recipe template.
10. Make a Give Thanks center piece. This is a print, cut and fold project that I love! I’m going to make this one for sure.
11. Learn the art of napkin folding. If you have kids, teach them to fold the napkins prior to the day of the event. Then on Thanksgiving, have them create napkin art. This will give them something to feel that they have contributed to the dinner. It is also a skill that they will have for life. I still know how to make pretty napkins folds that my mom taught me many years ago.
12. Plan to watch at least one of these 21 movies about Thanksgiving. Many of these can be found for free online or for cheap download. You can also find these movies at thrift stores and yard sales – especially if you still have a VHS player.

I love the potential of Thanksgiving. Use it wisely as a time to say “I love and appreciate you” to those special people in your life.

lordog / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Don’t get me wrong, I love apple and pumpkin pie — served warm with a scoop (or two) of vanilla bean ice cream. These pies complete a Thanksgiving meal. But if you’re in charge of dessert this year, change it up a bit and try your hand at making one of these six non-traditional turkey day sweets. (If you’re in charge of the bird, here’s how to cook a perfect turkey.)

Flan

If you’ve never tried flan, you’re missing out! This is a custard topped with caramel that’s similar to creme brulee. I’ve taught several friends how to make this decadent dessert using my family’s recipe. I like that it’s so easy to make and it keeps well in the fridge so you can make it ahead. The Food Network’s Ellie Krieger has a pumpkin flan recipe similar to mine. You can either use ramekins for individual portions or make one to share. If you’re traveling, don’t flip it till you arrive or you’ll end up covered in caramel.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I recently shared a list of five sources for free Thanksgiving recipes and one of those was MarthaStewart.com. Last year, I made Stewart’s pumpkin cheesecake recipe and enjoyed it as I wrote a term paper. It was was creamy and velvety. There will be no last minute term paper writing this year, but I am making this cheesecake again. You may have already noticed that I love pumpkin as I’ve shared two pumpkin bread recipes. If you don’t, cheesecake is so versatile that you’re bound to find one you like. Stewart has a variety of recipes for this dessert.

Pear Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. I haven’t tried this recipe, but it looks delish! I’m making this for one of my Thanksgiving dinners. It’s easy to transport as you can cover with a baking dish and go. The gooey, warm fruit topped with the crumbly mixture is sure to be a hit. You can also make this with apples. Don’t forget to top with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

End your Thanksgiving meal with warm bread soaked in spiced custard with this pumpkin bread pudding recipe. It only takes 45 minutes to complete and you may already have all the ingredients on hand. A friend once made this for a potluck and it was delicious. I would warm this before serving, although you can eat it cold.

Cranberry, Almond, and Cinnamon Tart

This tart has all the flavors of Thanksgiving, but it’s different enough to stand out at the dessert table. The tart recipe calls for a homemade crust, but to save time you can buy a pre-made one. All you have to do is make the filing and bake it. It will still look homemade and taste delicious. If you don’t like cranberries you can easily switch the jam or preserves to strawberry or raspberry.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dessert? What desserts will you be serving on turkey day?

StarMama / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching it’s time to decide what will be on your menu. To get you started, I share my five favorite sources of free recipes below.

Thanksgiving on a budget is possible as long as you start preparing early! Although, I tend to roast my turkey the same way every year, I’m already browsing the five sites below to decide on the sides and desserts I’m making this year.

MarthaStewart.com – Get your inner Martha Stewart revved up! This site is filled with delicious recipes, menus, and centerpiece ideas for crafty hosts and cooks. I love that her menus include drink ideas as well.

FoodNetwork.com – If you’re looking to change up your Thanksgiving dinner this year, this site should be your first stop. You’ll find tons of Thanksgiving recipes from Food Network chefs including some of my faves: Alton Brown and Giada DeLaurentiis. How does a Thanksgiving dinner with an Italian twist sound?

RealSimple.com – One of the reasons I keep coming back to this site is because the advice is, well, really simple. Not only do they share mouthwatering recipes, but they streamline the Thanksgiving preparations and menu so you can have a stress-free holiday. Genius!

RachaelRay.com -  The queen of 30-minute meals does not disappoint. She’s got you covered with recipes for appetizers, sides, dessert, the bird and leftovers! One of my favorite things that Rachael Ray does is she skips the long list of ingredients. She also tends to use a lot of similar ingredients throughout her menu. I also like to carry a theme throughout the different dishes I prepare as it helps cut down the cost. For example, I’ll add cranberries to the stuffing and I’ll also use them in a blue cheese and cranberry salad.

CookingLight.com – This is a great resource for those looking for light recipes to their favorite desserts, side dishes and more. Since we procrastinated last year (I was still in school and super busy), this year my family is going all out, but we are still going to try to eat healthy. It’ll just makes us feel better for when the potions get out of control. If you have family members with different nutritional needs, you must check out this site. They also have vegetarian recipes!

What are you cooking this Thanksgiving? How much will you spend on Thanksgiving dinner this year?

A cuter version of my Thursday meal. Credit: Me-Liss-A/Flickr

I’m taking the rest of today off to celebrate Thanksgiving. No posts Thursday, but stay tuned for a HUGE list of Black Friday Freebies early Friday.

Be back Monday in full swing (and a few pounds heavier).

Happy eating,

Julia

aka Bargain Babe

gamene / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There is no need for expensive gifts and no stressing over what to buy people and whether they’ll like it. It’s just a day to spend quality time with family.

It’s too late to get a cheap Thanksgiving flight, (preparing for the holiday season is key to saving money), but if you left things to the last minute like my family, here are three things you can do to save.

1. Non-traditional dinner – If preparing food from scratch and spending all day in the kitchen is not your cup of tea, try simplifying the meal. Instead of preparing turkey, roast a chicken or Cornish game hens, or make something completely different. Go vegetarian for a day or make soup. Both options can be easy, delicious and are often very inexpensive.

2. Impromptu Potluck – Ask friends and family members to bring a side dish, dessert, or beverage for a potluck dinner. If the festivities are being held at your home, prepare the turkey or other main dish like duck, ham, or prime rib. This will get everyone involved and save you time, money and the hassle of preparing a complete meal for your guests. This is one of the easiest and most common ways to save money on Thanksgiving dinner.

3. Make new traditions – Many of us already have traditions like going around the table and telling others what you are thankful for, but how about creating new traditions. This year, strengthen your family and community without spending a penny. Volunteer at a local homeless shelter or food pantry. You’ll feed good from helping others and come away with a new understanding of how much you have in your life. If you cannot volunteer on Thanksgiving Day, consider helping out before or after the holiday.

Seasoned Black Friday shoppers know that the best way to save during this all-important shopping day is to plot out a course of action ahead of time. That means knowing what you want and where to get it — at the lowest possible price, of course. Black Friday shopping guide: Best places to buy

Have you ever shopped online through a “cash back” site? The main ones are ExtraBux, eBates, and Cashbaq. The way it works is you register for free at one of these sites, then click through to the retailer of your choice. They track what you purchase and send you a check a few weeks later with a percentage of your purchase. Cash back rebate deals on Black Friday

The ads are in! While this info is gathered in a lot of places, we thought you might like a handy list of where you can find the actual circulars from your favorite stores. So peruse away! Black Friday 2009: The ads are in, and here’s where to find them

Even though many stores are trying to keep their Cyber Monday sales under wraps until after Black Friday we found several places to go looking for the best bargains on Cyber Monday. Where to find Cyber Monday deals.

The ramp up to Black Friday has been more energetic this year than any I can remember. There’s a near insatiable thirst for discounts and door busters and retailers are more than willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy that thirst. Say hi to Mom and Pop: Shop local on Black Friday.

Experts are predicting 76.9 million people are going to shop on Black Friday, which means safety will be an issue. You probably remember last year a Walmart employee was trampled to death in the rush? I called expert shopper Suzanne O’Connor of BargainsLA.com for advice to stay safe in big crowds. Be safe on Black Friday (BargainBabe).