Stretch Your Thanksgiving Budget

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta offers tips for serving
up a feast without breaking the bank

ATLANTA, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ --Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for
many families that means coming together to share a meal and give thanks. If
you are hosting this year's Thanksgiving dinner, it is possible to create a
feast without breaking the bank. Last year, the average cost of a Thanksgiving
dinner for 10, including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all
the basic trimmings was $44.61. (Source: American Farm Bureau).
"With a little creativity and planning, it is possible to have a wonderful
Thanksgiving celebration without adding to your debt," said Mechel Glass,
director of education for Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Greater
Atlanta. CCCS of Greater Atlanta offers tips to help consumers enjoy a
debt-free holiday.
Plan your meal. Consider a single main course, such as ham OR turkey. Turkey
is a delicious, but less expensive choice and can be complemented by a wide
variety of side dishes and desserts. Prepare a combination of less expensive
items, such as potatoes, to go with specialty casseroles and vegetable dishes.
Not sure what size turkey you need? Visit www.butterball.com and click on the
"Plan Perfect Portions" link to decide how big a bird you should buy.
Shop specials. Many grocery chains offer discounts on traditional holiday
items with the hope that shoppers will also do their regular grocery shopping.
Take advantage of buy one, get one deals and watch the newspaper for coupon
offers. Sites such as www.couponmom.com and www.coolsavings.com offer great
printable coupons.
Say "yes" to guests who offer to bring a dish. Share the expense by having
your guests bring a favorite side dish or dessert. Keep track of who is
bringing what so that you have a good variety of items.
Decide what you will do with leftovers. Leftovers can help you stretch your
budget by providing the ingredients you will need for meals throughout the
holiday weekend and beyond. Leftover turkey makes for great sandwiches and
turkey pot pie. A hambone is the perfect foundation for a great soup. Freeze
what you won't use in the next few days and enjoy the rest.
Decorate on a dime. Bring nature in and use leaves and foliage to add to your
table decorations. Ask guests to decorate a letter or legal size paper with
what they are thankful for--laminate them for instant placemats and great
souvenirs.

About CCCS
CCCS of Greater Atlanta offers online education classes that cover a wide
variety of money management topics at www.credabilityu.org.

CCCS of Greater Atlanta serves clients in all 50 states and has 33 offices in
four states. It is the headquarters for the CredAbility Network, a family of
nonprofit agencies serving consumers in north Georgia, south and central
Florida, middle Mississippi and east Tennessee as well as nationally via
telephone and Internet.

CCCS is accredited by the Council on Accreditation and is a member of the
Better Business Bureau and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
(NFCC). Governed by a community-based board of directors, CCCS is funded by
creditors, clients, contributors and grants from foundations, businesses and
government agencies. CCCS offers around-the-clock help by phone at
1-800-251-CCCS or at its Web sites, www.cccsinc.org and www.cccsenespanol.org.

SOURCE Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta

Scott Scredon, +1-404-653-8833, Scott.Scredon@cccsinc.org, or John McCosh,
+1-404-260-3108, John.McCosh@cccsinc.org, both of CCCS of Greater Atlanta