Thanksgiving Planner and Dinner Spreadsheet

Type your guest count and serving time. The spreadsheet tells you how big a turkey to buy, the day it moves to the fridge to thaw, the minute it goes in the oven, and builds your whole cooking timeline backward from dinner. Pair it with the 31-page printable hosting planner for everything else: guests, menu, potluck, grocery list, seating and leftovers.

Works with any menu, in Google Sheets (free) or Excel.

THE THANKSGIVING DINNER SPREADSHEET (6 tabs)
- Setup: date, serving time, adults, kids (counted as half portions), appetite, stuffed or not, budget
- Turkey calculator: recommended size, fridge-thaw start date, cold-water thaw time, roast time at 325°F from the USDA chart, rest time, plus preheat, temperature-check, out-of-the-oven and into-the-oven times. Already bought your turkey? Type its weight and everything updates.
- Cooking timeline: key dates for the week, then a Thanksgiving Day schedule worked backward from serving time. Change any "minutes before serving" and its clock time updates; add your own tasks.
- Menu and grocery: list your dishes and groceries with an aisle drop-down. A summary counts items and what's still to buy, with the estimated cost per aisle. Filter to one aisle while you shop.
- Budget: planned vs. actual, left to spend, and cost per guest
- Instructions
Example rows show how it works; overwrite or delete them.

HOW TO OPEN THE SPREADSHEET

• Google Sheets: upload the .xlsx file to your Google Drive, right-click it, choose Open with › Google Sheets, then File › Save as Google Sheets. A free Google account is all you need.
• Excel: open the file directly. Apple Numbers also works.
• Cream cells are for typing; white cells calculate for you.

THE PRINTABLE HOSTING PLANNER (31 pages + 14-page fillable PDF)
- Six-week countdown with tasks that work for any menu
- Guest list and diets · Menu planner with a how-much-per-guest guide · Potluck and helpers
- Turkey guide: thaw, roast at 325°F, done at 165°F, rest
- Thanksgiving Day timeline and oven plan, each with a filled-in example + blank
- Make-ahead plan · Recipe pages · Grocery list by aisle
- Table setting guide · Seating chart · Budget
- Leftovers log and food safety · Notes for next year
- Every worksheet has a filled-in example first, then a blank

SIZES AND FORMATS

• 1 spreadsheet (.xlsx) for Google Sheets or Excel
• 4 PDF files: printable and fillable, each in US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) and A4

PLEASE NOTE

• This is an instant digital download. Nothing will be shipped.
• Roast times are guidelines. Always check with a thermometer: 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost thigh and the wing.
• Recipes are not included apart from one sample. This planner organizes your own menu.
• For personal use only. Please don't resell or share the files.
• Designed by Rooted & Refined with help from digital tools. Photos are editorial concept images created with digital tools.