Cheapo Thanksgiving

This year, I'm making a very cheap and fuss-free Thanksgiving meal, but I still think it will be yummy! Here's what's on my menu:

• Homestyle Turkey, The Michigander Way: I'm really excited to see how this cheap, super easy turkey recipe turns out! We got the turkey from my hubby's employer, which makes for a super cheap holiday meal!
  
• Instant mashed potatoes. I've found a brand that I like better than homemade, and they're WAY easier! It's Idahoan all the way for me!
• I really wanted to make this recipe for cornbread and sausage stuffing, but that wouldn't have fit into my "cheapo" Thanksgiving goals, and with that Stovetop box staring me in the face for only 78 cents, I went the cheap route. I really don't like Stovetop, but my kids and hubby do, so I settled.
• Frozen Sara Lee pumpkin pie! For me, it's just not Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie, but I hate the ones that are already made in the store. I also really didn't feel like making one from scratch, and I feel that a frozen, ready-to-bake pie is a good compromise between the two.
• Canned veggies: not much to say about this, because I don't think anyone will eat them except me.
• I'm trying my hand at giblet gravy from my tried-and-true Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I've never made, or even eaten, giblet gravy, so I hope it's okay!

How do you cut costs during holidays? Do you go all-out for Thanksgiving each year, or go the cheapo route? What are you making today?

Aloha Friday

Happy Aloha Friday! If you haven't heard of Aloha Friday, you should definitely join in on the fun! Just answer my question below, then visit An Island Life find all the other participating blogs and answer their questions.

Today, my son has no school and we just had a snow/ice storm last night, so it looks like we're homebound for today. Which leads to my question...

What do you do with your kids on a stay home day? If you don't have kids, what did you do when you were a kid on days off school?

My kids and I are going to make M&M's cookies, and probably find some kind of craft project to do, also clean the house, which won't be a popular activity I'm sure!