Woman makes entire Thanksgiving dinner on $20 budget with ingredients from Dollar Tree

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and while it can be a time for joy, for other's it can be a time for stress. Not just stress due to spending an extended amount of time around family members you haven't seen in a while or shuffling from house to house. Some people feel extra stress because they can't quite figure out how they're going to provide a special holiday dinner.

Food banks and churches often give out meal boxes for families that may be struggling financially but there can be barriers to getting the boxes. Sometimes the lines are long which causes extreme difficulty for elderly, disabled or people with chronic pain to participate. For others it could be they're living in temporary housing like a extended stay hotel so they don't have access to a full size stove to cook a large turkey.

While others simply may feel that though they need the help, someone may need it more so they stay home instead of risking taking away from other people. These are all things Rebecca, the woman behind Dollar Tree Dinners tries to keep in mind when creating the healthiest meals she can for those on a budget or living in a food desert.

brown wooden board Photo by Megan Watson on Unsplash

Every year Rebecca tries to come up with tasty meals specifically for the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, the budget food influencer decided to increase her own challenge by creating a three course meal on a $20 budget. For this small budget to work she went to her favorite store for affordable food items–Dollar Tree, and from the looks of it, her meal did not disappoint. She shared all the ingredients and the finished product on social media, the video was viewed more than 1.5 million times and the comments were filled with people thanking her.

Things this year are a little tight for everyone, even those that may not need help from a food pantry are feeling the pinch. Splurging on a large ham or turkey and all the fixings could put some people in a bit of a bind, even though this Thanksgiving dinner is at a historically low price when adjusting for inflation. The "historically low" price may not feel so low for everyone which is why Rebecca's work around for this three course Thanksgiving meal may be the perfect work around.

The menu consists of Mac & Cheese Croquettes with Ranch dipping sauce, a "Best of Thanksgiving" casserole, and caramel apple cookie bars for dessert. Rebecca explains in a longer video shared on YouTube that she only allows herself to use oil, salt and pepper from home, everything else has to be budgeted into the $20 to purchase from Dollar Tree.

If you're big on having turkey for the holiday, no worries, the turkey is included in the casserole. The casserole consists of a layer of mashed potatoes, drained French cut green beans, canned turkey, gravy, and stuffing mix.

"Ten ingredients at $1.25 a piece means that just to make this casserole you're looking at $11.25 cents, which is an absolute steal because this would definitely feed four people with a significant amount of leftovers. And if you've been feeling like you're not going to be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner this year because you can't afford to make one, hopefully you can afford to make this," Rebecca says at the end of the video sharing the recipe for the casserole.

The entire dinner looked delicious and people were sharing their plans to give it a try while others thanked her for putting together an affordable meal, with one person writing, "I'm gonna make this and put them in smaller loaf pans to freeze for when I'm needing something warm and cozy."

Another person shares, "As someone who mixes everything on their plate at Thanksgiving, this is GENIUS!! Much more affordable and far less wasteful than making each separate dish!"

One mom is grateful for the recipes, "It’s just me and my son, I’m about to have surgery so finances are incredibly tight. Thank you SO MUCH for this."

Someone else reveals, "I’ll be alone on Thanksgiving this year. I love the idea of the casserole so I can still have a Thanksgiving but not spend a ton of money on it since it’s just me."

A few people who know the struggle of not having money for holiday dinners chime in to praise Rebecca for thinking of people who aren't in a financial position to purchase ingredients for a meal, one of them writes, "Truly makes me teary-eyed. We are financially able to make thanksgiving dinner how we’d like, but the fact that you make this possible for SO many…you’re a treasure on this app." The other commenter shares, "I don't know why I'm crying but there you have it. I thankfully no longer struggle to feed my family but for those who do, you are helping to feed their tummies, their souls, and their dignity."

Rebecca's meals may not be for everyone but the ones that need it can purchase the ingredients and serve their family with no one ever being the wiser. Thanks to her Dollar Tree menu, some families who didn't think they could afford a Thanksgiving meal but now can thanks to this thoughtful meal can now add this to their list of things to be thankful for.