Thanksgiving Hacks

Mindy Godding, partner and founder at Abundance Organizing, has been hosting Thanksgiving for decades. Thanksgiving is actually her favorite holiday and she loves everything about it from cooking to hosting. Mindy has developed lots of time saving techniques through planning, preparation, and organization, so that on the holiday she can relax and enjoy friends, family, and delicious food. Here are some of her favorite Thanksgiving hacks to help you with your holiday preparations and enjoyment.

CLEAN OUT THE REFRIGERATOR

The beginning of this week is the perfect time to spend a little bit of time with your refrigerator. No better time than now to get rid of everything that is expired and make room for groceries, the dishes you will be preparing, and all the leftovers. Once you get everything out of the fridge, give it a deep clean so that it is ready for the week ahead.

PLAN THE MENU

  • Get together with anyone else that is helping you cook the meal. Talk about what dishes you are going to prepare and what the ingredients are for each dish.
  • Decide what you have and what you will need to buy.
  • Make sure you have adequate pots and pans so you have no overlap and can accommodate all the dishes.
  • Don’t forget about any ingredients you need to eat your favorite leftover dishes on the day after Thanksgiving such as turkey sandwiches or soup. 
  • Mindy’s favorite leftover is a cocktail made with cranberry sauce. If you ask her in the Abundance Declutter group, she may even give you the recipe!

GUEST ROOM PREPARATIONS

Having the guest room ready for company ahead of time will allow you to focus on Thanksgiving Day preparations and enjoy your family and friends. Don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. Here is a helpful Guest Room Checklist to follow so that you can feel prepared and ready for your guests. 

THINGS YOU CAN DO A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING

  • Thanksgiving Day Breakfast: If you plan to host overnight guests, prepare a coffee cake or casserole a day or two ahead of time that you can easily put out for breakfast. 
  • Check all your linens – tablecloths, napkins, and anything else you may need – to make sure they are clean, pressed, and ready to go.
  • Plan your seating – do you have enough chairs? Good to know ahead of time in case you need a friend or family member to bring a couple chairs.
  • Check all your entertaining essentials and make sure you have all that you need for serving the Thanksgiving meal.
  • Set the table. Do this ahead of time so you can take your time and really enjoy making the table what you want it to be and how you want it to look.
  • Desserts: prepare your desserts ahead of time. This frees up your time, ovens, and mind.
  • Peel, cut, and put your potatoes in water (Martha Stewart’s way).
  • Make the cranberry sauce. 
  • Make sure your medicine cabinet is stocked on antacids! People always eat too much and have sore tummies. 

How are you celebrating this year? Is Thanksgiving your favorite holiday, too? If you have any favorite Thanksgiving hacks, share them in our Abundance Declutter community. We would love to hear from you!

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