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Best Stocks for 2025, Amazon Haul, $150k Bitcoin?

Best Stocks for 2025, Amazon Haul, $150k Bitcoin?

Plus: $50 Thanksgiving Dinner Challenge

Dollar Dad
November 20, 2024

In partnership with

Read time: 3.5 minutes

Welcome Back, Fellow Parent

The holiday season is magical, but let’s be real—it’s also expensive!

According to recent surveys, the average American spends over $1,000 during the holidays.

That’s just crazy but I get it. It’s a time for gifts, dinners, etc. There’s gotta be a better way though, right?

This week we’re tackling Thanksgiving dinner, which costs $61 on average for 10 people if you cook at home. If you’re outsourcing, I’ve seen Thanksgiving dinners clock in around $165.

Gif by friends on Giphy

I love a good financial challenge, so this year I'm looking to cut the average spent by 18% and cook the big meal for $50.

To meet my $50 holiday meal challenge, I’m turning to a few tried-and-true strategies that focus on planning, smart shopping, and using every ingredient to its fullest potential.

First, I plan on making a detailed menu plan.

Knowing exactly what I’m cooking helps me avoid unnecessary expenses. By choosing dishes with overlapping ingredients, I can buy in bulk and make sure nothing goes to waste.

For example, if I include mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, I can buy a large bag of potatoes and use them in multiple recipes. This way, I’m maximizing both ingredients and savings.

I also love making this a family activity—getting everyone involved not only makes it more fun but ensures we all agree on what we want, reducing the risk of buying items no one wants to eat.

Plus, I plan on batch cooking wherever possible. A roasted turkey today can become a hearty soup tomorrow, minimizing waste and stretching my dollar further.

Next, I’ll be focusing on seasonal produce and keeping an eye out for sales.

Seasonal vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts are not only fresher but also more affordable. I make a habit of checking grocery store flyers and apps for deals on holiday essentials. If turkeys are on sale a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I’ll grab one and freeze it until it’s time to cook.

Flexibility is also key here—if Brussels sprouts are too expensive, I’m more than happy to substitute them with a more affordable vegetable like carrots or green beans. It’s all about staying adaptable to what’s available at a good price.

Finally, I’ll be making use of discount stores and coupons. Discount grocery stores or dollar stores are great places to grab pantry staples at a fraction of the cost.

I’m also leveraging cash-back apps like Ibotta and Rakuten, as well as store loyalty programs to save even more. And whenever possible, I’m buying generic store-brand products—they’re often just as good as name-brand versions but much cheaper.

I’ll only be decorating once this year.

I know a lot of friends love decorating for every holiday. But honestly, after becoming a parent, I just don’t have the time or energy to go all out for each occasion.

Instead, I’ve found that decorating once for Christmas and keeping that ambiance throughout the season works perfectly. And you know what? Most people really don’t mind—it’s all about creating a warm, festive space where everyone feels comfortable and welcome.

Are you up for the $50 holiday meal challenge?

(Every click supports Knocked-up Money)

Calling All Coffee Snobs (You Know Who You Are)

We know you're picky about your favorite coffee and obsess over the best coffee equipment.. But let's face it, how often are you thinking about the inside of your machine?

Coffee makers inevitably build up scale, oil, and residue over time-- that impacts mineral balance, water temperature and flow. So you might not actually be getting the full flavor of your beans.

Luckily ACTIVE comes with a whole year supply of tablets to easily clear this build-up, so you can keep not thinking about it!

Taste the ACTIVE Difference Today!

Money News

Here’s a quick roundup of interesting things happening across the markets:

Amazon Launches Haul, offering products for sale for $20 or less. Advertising items as low as $2.99 with free shipping for orders $25+. Watch out dollar stores, Amazon is coming for you.

Will Bitcoin hit $150k? If you haven’t heard, the coin has skyrocketed since the election with experts believing the peak is still in the distane.

Builder Confidence is on the rise. If regulations loosen, more homes will be built, meaning a higher chance of finding an affordable home to purchase. (in theory).

6 of the best stocks to invest in for 2025 (according to the experts). Did your favorites make the cut?

Gold is up ~30% over the past year and is expected to continue in 2025. Here’s how to invest.

If you can’t tell, I love to read. Here are a few free newsletters I recommend, from one parent to another. Make sure to confirm your subscription to give them a try.

Tools to Grow Your Wallet

Here’s a quick list of tools I’d recommend to help you start and grow your business.

As a heads-up, some of these are affiliate links. All that means is I will receive a small commission for any purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Beehiiv for website design, landing pages, email and newsletters. Beehiiv is my top recommendation and it’s the platform I use to power this newsletter. I’m constantly reviewing different platforms, you can check out my up-to-date comparisons between Beehiiv vs. Mailchimp, Convertkit, and Substack if you want to learn more. If you try out Beehiiv, make sure to use promo code KMONEY to save 20% off your first three months.
Bluevine for banking. It’s online only but has been a great experience. Super fast to get set up, especially as a new company. I wrote up a review if you want to learn more.
Taplio for LinkedIn growth. Can’t speak highly enough of this platform - it’s helped speed up content generation, scheduling, and outreach 5x.
vidIQ for YouTube research. I’m just starting this journey but the tool is fantastic and extremely affordable.
Squarespace for no code website development. There are pros and cons to Squarespace, but I was able to get my MVP up in a day versus spending months on my original website.
Canva is a must-have tool if you’re creating content. You can do just about anything design-related.