10 Cheap and Easy Thanksgiving Centerpieces
There’s nothing quite like a beautifully decorated table filled with all of your favorite foods and surrounded by all of the people that you love. Creating this experience however, can cost a pretty penny. It doesn’t have to though! Think outside the box and use what you have around the house or make a few small purchases to achieve a look that will wow guests.
The short answer: The cheapest Thanksgiving centerpieces use stuff you already have: candles in clear glasses, a bowl of apples or mini pumpkins, sticks and leaves from the yard, or whole coffee beans with a tea light (my favorite). Most of these cost $0–$5 and look like you tried way harder than you did.
My favorite (and what I always use) are whole coffee beans (the darker the better- they smell amazing), and a votive or tea light candle nestled into a wine glass, regular glass, small bowl, votive holder, or anything that’s made of clear or stained glass. If you nestle a few together of different sizes, it makes a beautiful centerpiece and is either free, or about $3.99 for a bag of whole coffee beans. If you want to be really cheap, store the beans in the freezer after your dinner is over and reuse them for as long as they still make the house smell like fresh coffee (likely a few years).
More Cheap Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas (Using Stuff You Already Have)
- Mini pumpkins and candles: Line a few mini pumpkins (Dollar Tree or the grocery store) down the middle of the table with tea lights in between.
- A bowl of fruit: Apples, pears, oranges or pomegranates piled in your prettiest bowl. Bonus: you eat your centerpiece later.
- Mason jars with popcorn kernels, dried beans or acorns: Fill them halfway and add a candle. Pantry staples for the win.
- Leaves and sticks from the yard: Free, and the kids can collect them (which also gets them out of the kitchen).
- A kraft paper table runner: Roll brown paper down the table and have everyone write what they’re thankful for. Cheap, fun, and it’s become a tradition for a lot of families.
- Herbs in a glass: Rosemary, sage or thyme sprigs in small glasses smell amazing and you can cook with them afterward.
Quick Tips
- Keep it low. People need to see each other across the table.
- Leave room for the food. If you’re serving family style, a skinny runner of decorations works better than one big centerpiece.
- Save it. Coffee beans go in the freezer, jars and candles go in a Thanksgiving bin, and next year’s centerpiece is free.
| Centerpiece | About what it costs |
|---|---|
| Coffee beans + tea light in a glass | Free–$5 |
| Leaves and sticks from the yard | Free |
| Bowl of fruit | Whatever’s already in your kitchen |
| Mason jars with kernels or beans | Free if you have jars |
| Mini pumpkins + tea lights | About $5–$10 |
| Kraft paper runner | About $5 for a roll |
Need more inspiration? Check out these genius ideas from my favorite bloggers…
The Glamorous Housewife has a solution for elegant table settings. Click on the photo to head to the full tutorial.
House of Hawthornes has a whimsical set up of things she has around the house. Click on the photo for the tutorial.
Our Southern Home has a similar idea, but uses a different medium to match her color scheme.
A Thrifty Mom has a centerpiece for only $1.00! Click the photo for the tutorial.
The Coupon Closet has a similar idea but using popcorn for an even cheaper display.
A DIY Pottery Barn inspired centerpiece by Live, Laugh, Rowe.
This is my centerpiece from last year using sticks surrounding a coffee can to hold a $4 Wegmans bouquet. Click the photo for more info.
What I love best about this idea from Cut Out and Keep is that you will have it to enjoy for years.
The Real Coake uses a dinner plate to set up her simple display.
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