This printable Thanksgiving Planner will help you get organized for Thanksgiving this year! Packed with a Thanksgiving menu planner, grocery list, guest list, party planner, cooking schedule, budget worksheet, and more, this Thanksgiving Planner is a must-have if you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner!
Let’s face it… cooking dinner for 20+ people isn’t an easy feat! But add in cleaning your house, planning a menu, going grocery shopping, and decorating your home for Thanksgiving, and it’s darn near impossible to get everything done!
But that’s where a printable Thanksgiving Planner can help!
It’s no secret that the key to hosting a successful Thanksgiving dinner, whether for 10 people or for 35 people (like I did last year!), is to be PREPARED! And a Thanksgiving Planner can help you do just that!
Here’s what’s included in my printable Thanksgiving Planner, so that you’re well organized and fully prepared to host Thanksgiving dinner this year!
What is included in the Printable Thanksgiving Planner?
This printable Thanksgiving planner is packed full of worksheets and planner pages so that you’re organized for the big day:
Monthly calendars for October and November
Keep track of important appointments and events leading up to Thanksgiving. These could include scheduled pick-up times for bakery desserts or Fall festivals that you want to attend with your family. The monthly calendar pages are great for a quick “at a glance” view of Thanksgiving things that involve specific dates and times.
And what planner doesn’t include monthly calendars?!
Weekly planner pages
The weekly pages of the printable Thanksgiving Planner can help you plan out full days leading up to the big holiday.
Thanksgiving Countdown Checklist
Your Thanksgiving Planner would not be complete without a checklist of things to do to get ready for Thanksgiving.
When you’re working towards a big goal (like hosting a PERFECT Thanksgiving dinner!), then it’s a good idea to think about smaller tasks that will help you get there. My printable Thanksgiving Countdown Checklist gives you suggestions of what hosting tasks need to be done for the month leading up to Thanksgiving, and it’s an AWESOME addition to your Thanksgiving Planner!
You can grab my FREE Printable Thanksgiving Countdown Checklist here!
Thanksgiving dinner menu planner
One of the most important things to have in your Thanksgiving Planner is a dinner menu! Keep track of what will be served for appetizers, side dishes, desserts, and more. You can also reference your Thanksgiving dinner menu when you make your grocery lists.
Thanksgiving recipes
Most families have favorite Thanksgiving recipes that they make each year. You can keep track of those recipes, and any new recipes that you want to test out, in your printable Thanksgiving Planner so that they are all together where you can easily find them.
Thanksgiving dinner guest list
Keep track of who you’ve invited to dinner and who has RSVP’d that they are coming. You can also keep a record of what dishes each guest is bringing on your guest list.
Grocery lists
You definitely don’t want to forget something while you’re at the grocery store, and then have to go back… especially right before Thanksgiving! So an organized grocery list is an essential part of your Thanksgiving Planner!
I recommend splitting your grocery shopping into multiple trips to keep it more manageable, especially if you will be hosting a large dinner. Get all of your canned goods, non-perishables, and paper products in one trip. Then, when the stores are busier the week of Thanksgiving, you only need to get perishable items like produce and dairy products.
Fall bucket lists
Your Thanksgiving Planner is a great place to keep track of the fun things that you want to do with your family, because the holidays aren’t ALL about slaving away in the kitchen!
I’ve got some awesome free printable Fall bucket lists that you can grab so that you don’t forget any of the fun fall festivals or fall family traditions.
Go HERE for my Free Printable Fall Bucket Lists!
Utensils and tools checklists
You don’t want to host Thanksgiving without a gravy boat or a bread basket. And if you’re planning on making homemade mashed potatoes, you should probably have a potato masher.
There are a TON of utensils and random kitchen tools that you may forget, unless you’ve got them written down in your Thanksgiving Planner. Here are some kitchen necessities to include on your list:
- Carving knife and fork
- Turkey serving platter
- Reliable thermometer (Check batteries if using digital)
- Turkey baster
- Butcher’s twine (if tying legs)
- Salt and pepper shakers for each table
- Butter dish and knife
- Gravy boat and ladle
- Place card holders (if using)
- Serving forks/spoons/tongs
- Bread basket
- Place setting for each guest (dinner plates, dessert plates, forks, knives, spoons, napkins, cups)
- Potato masher
- Hand mixer
- Kids’ utensils and dinnerware
- Kids’ table activities (activity sheets, crayons, etc)
- Appetizer picks/mini forks
- Appetizer plates
- To-go containers
- Ice bucket and tongs or cooler
- Corkscrew/bottle opener
- Wine glasses and glass markers
- Coffee mugs or disposable coffee cups
- Straws/Stirrers
- Cocktail napkins
- Ice cream scoop
- Pie servers
Thanksgiving dinner cooking schedule
The perfect Thanksgiving dinner requires PLANNING, especially if you only have one oven! If you’re preparing a large meal, it’s a good idea to have a schedule broken down by hour to help keep you on track.
Write down what time you need to put the turkey in the oven, when you should make the mashed potatoes, when to start baking the pie, etc. Having a cooking schedule will also help you figure out when your oven and stove will be occupied so that you can make other arrangements, like cooking mashed potatoes in your instant pot.
Other Fall events and parties
There are a TON of other fun family fall events, besides Thanksgiving dinner. If you’re hosting any other fall parties or get-togethers, or if you’re attending fall festivals, craft fairs, etc., you can also keep a record of those in your printable Thanksgiving Planner!
Plus, a party planning worksheet is a great way to prep for parties that you’re hosting, besides Thanksgiving dinner.
Printable Thanksgiving budget worksheet
Stay on budget with a printable budget worksheet that’s designed specifically for Thanksgiving. Keep track of money spent on groceries, decorations, and more. Plus, having a record of your Thanksgiving expenses is a great way to plan your budget for Thanksgiving next year.
Just reference your worksheet to get an idea of how much money to set aside for the Thanksgiving holidays!
The Ultimate Printable Thanksgiving Planner
You can go HERE to check out my Printable Thanksgiving Planner! This is the ULTIMATE tool to help you get organized for Thanksgiving!
Plus, my printable Thanksgiving Planner includes some fun bonuses, like these awesome food labels (great if any of your guests have allergies):
What are some of your Thanksgiving planning tips? Do you host a bunch of people each year, or are you the guest instead of the host? Leave me a comment down below… I’d LOVE to hear from you!
And be sure to check out some of my other tips for Thanksgiving:
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