By Nicole Alibayof
The leaves have fallen, the air is crisp, the fireplaces are burning and you can smell the aromas surging from kitchens. Friends, family, music, food and gifts surround the turkey placed on the center of dining room tables. It’s an annual American tradition people have been excited about celebrating since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving. What our stovepipe-hat wearing president didn’t know was how tough of an economic situation American people would face 165 years later. This year is all about budget-friendly celebrations.

Between Halloween and Christmas, decorations are the last things you want to spend a lot of money on for this Thanksgiving. The first thing to consider is where to shop. Stores like Michael’s, Target and Wal-Mart – or even your local dollar store – are great places to find bargain ornaments. They carry items like artificial flowers, fabrics and spray paint for you to be creative with.
If you’re looking for a fun and free way to decorate your home, you can do it from your own backyard or with objects lying around the house. Colorful leaves during this time of year aren’t hard to find. Step outside and collect things like leaves, acorns, pine cones and oddly but interestingly shaped branches. It will even be fun for the children to help you spray paint them with a beautiful shade of gold. Jars, spaghetti, vases, kitchen supplies and old wine bottles are great accessories to use for arrangements in random corners of your home so guests can see details in your decorations.
Centerpieces for tables are usually the most expensive part of decorating. Here are easy arrangements you can make at home from associatedcontent.com. You will need a glass jar, asparagus, twine, mums and a rubber band.
Stand one asparagus up to your jar, cut the end of the stalk off at a height that will allow it to be two inches taller than the jar, line the asparagus’ around your jar, use your rubber band to hold the asparagus around your jar, cover the rubber band with twine, rope or a pretty ribbon and insert mums, daisies or even macaroni into the jar.
Another idea is to collect twigs from outside, snap them all off at similar lengths, group them around your jar, hold them up in place with a rubber band, tie a beautiful velvet ribbon in Thanksgiving colors around the rubber band and insert some daisies into the jar.

Many websites offer an opportunity to find cheap but meaningful gifts. PamperedChef.com is a great Web site to find gifts for $20 and under. Available on the site are gifts such as a bamboo serving set for $11 and a windowpane napkin set for $12 or you can just bake a gift to save time and money.
When it comes to buying the big bird you must realize the breast is the most expensive part of the turkey. For white meat lovers, it’s cheaper to buy a whole turkey than just the breast. For dark meat lovers, if the whole bird is too expensive, try purchasing just the drumsticks and serve a large and elegant platter of drumsticks. Also, look for free deals at supermarkets like ‘buy one get one free’ or instead of supermarkets where they have overhead charges such as rent and electricity making items more expensive, try to find farmer’s markets. For the rest of the food, try asking each of your friends to bring one dish so everyone can contribute.

Here is a recipe from Aunt I.R.A.’s Cook Book (soon to be published):
Candied Yams
2 large cans of whole yams in heavy syrup (drained well) or 10 fresh yams cut in quarters
1 stick of unsalted margarine
1/2 bottle of dark maple syrup (personal preference)
2 cups of sugar
1/2 pkg. of dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. of cinnamon
1 can of pineapple chunks (drained well)
10 dried prunes (with pits)
10 dried apricots
1 orange and rind of one orange
1 pear (peels and ¼ sectioned)

In a medium size pot, melt the margarine. Add two cups of sugar, add 1/2 package of dark brown sugar, two tablespoons of cinnamon and the orange rind. Then add the 1/2 bottle of dark maple syrup and on a low flame let the concoction come to a slow simmer until all the ingredients melt and allow it to simmer for one hour.
Arrange the drained whole yams in an oven-proof glass dish and top with the pineapple chunks, dried prunes, dried apricots, orange slices and pear. Pour the syrupy mixture on top of the yams and fruit. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for two to three hours or until most of the liquid has reduced, leaving a sticky, yummy, candied yam. Top with marshmallow if desired and return to the oven until brown on top. Serve.