Thanksgiving "Doggie Bags" Amounts

I consider the leftovers to be the reward for hosting :). I don't think you need to send anything, and if they are good guests, they will leave any uneaten pie as a thank you for hosting.

(By the way, I say this as the person who rarely hosts. At this point, my mom and MIL host. I'm so grateful for this that I'd never consider it stingy of them to keep all the leftovers)

You are not obligated to send home doggie bags. Leftovers from dishes brought by others are supposed to be left for the host family to enjoy.
If you WANT to pack up leftovers, pack up what YOU feel is a reasonable amount.

I'd pack up their chips, dip, and pie and send that home with them. I host all major events at my house and I do send home leftovers with my children. But its only because my hubby and I will never eat everything. When all my kids lived home I kept all the leftovers.

Sometimes people don't "get" how much work it is to put on this dinner, and sometimes people just aren't secure in their abilities and feel overwhelmed by a really competent cook. Sometimes people fall on hard times. And sometimes people are thoughtless. Hard to know what's going on with these people.

I saw something on TV where someone made all kinds of Thanksgiving decorations (place card holders, candle arrangements, you know the type). She had supermarket take-out containers for "doggie bags" - the divided ones with 3 or 4 compartments. She packed them up and even tied them with a little piece of ribbon - which was designed to look festive but which in your case would make it clear that "That's what you're getting." She added plastic utensils and a napkin, which is definitely overkill unless you really love that sort of thing. But having the containers right there mean that each person is getting a specific amount and it's clear that the containers aren't coming back to you. (I always hate having people digging through my plastic containers looking for the right size for what they want.) So just get a 4-sectioned container, put turkey and stuffing in one, potatoes in the 2nd, cranberries and a roll in the 3rd, and dessert in the 4th. Done.

Why do you feel like you need to send them home with food? Btw that is crappy of them. I guess if you really feel the need to send them home with something, I would do a plate each.

I have hosted Thanksgiving and never send leftovers homes with anyone because I have a second big leftover dinner on Friday with friends and family that we don't see Thursday.
That said, if I went to someone's home I would never expect leftovers and I would have them keep whatever it was I brought if any was left.

Considering they reneg'ed on their agreement to bring all sorts of things, you're now hosting a dinner party in my opinion. This isn't a everyone pitch in Thanksgiving anymore. I never go home from a dinner party with leftovers or not much if I do. I hope you like to cook all this though bc you shouldn't feel obligated. They changed the menu. So give them whatever you feel like if that's anything at all. They should be grateful for the dinner in general given they backed out of contributing. Call me a scrooge but I think they're worse. And I remember going to a friend's parents for Thanksgiving several years when I was single. He was a good friend. I don't remember what I brought but it was an offering vs half the meal. Pretty sure I never brought any leftovers home with me and it never occurred to me I would. I was very happy to have been included and fed just as your friends should be.

I would get some of those divided gladware type containers and make them each a plate with some ham and turkey on it and then they can add some of the sides. and put the rest away for your family. I used to go thru this with my sister. she would come for the dinner and then want to take 3 lbs of turkey home with her. meanwhile I have bought a big enough turkey that my family can have several days of left over meals. but not after she would strip the turkey. So I started bringing out out the gladware things and handing one to her and saying here make you a plate to take home. I would put the meat on and put it away. she complained once and I said we could bring the sides to her house next year and she could do the big cooking.

Will your family eat the left overs? If so, I would send them with a plate of food.

If the food is just going to go to waste, then send them with plenty.

IMO, you don't have to send them with anything, if you are cooking it all, but it sounds like you want to.

Haven't read your answers yet, but call me stingy. I host Thanksgiving almost every year (the company changes as we alternate between our families). I rarely if ever send food home with anyone. I feel that if you send it home with one person, you have to send it home with everyone - impossible when I may have 10-15 people.

I have back issues and it takes me weeks of preparation to prepare the meal and sides. I make everything from scratch - no stove-top stuffing here as we're allergic to the additives. Guests usually bring desserts, but I'll usually bake a pie too. If I'm going to spend that much energy preparing and cooking, I'm going to keep the left-overs as I usually can't do much for a few days after Thanksgiving. I've provided an ample meal, so I keep the left-overs. BTW, I usually only have enough turkey (if at all) for one dinner for my family of 3. I might freeze some stuffing and mashed potatoes to have with chicken at another time.

Give them what ever you think you would end up throwing away.

I would be in control and create a plate of food for them and not let them take as they see fit. I think you might resent them if they took you child's favorite piece of turkey or what have you.

They can take home what ever is left of what they brought.
If there's any chips and dip and pie left, they can take that home.

i tend to angst over this too. i *want* to send everyone home with enough turkey and stuffing and sides to enjoy for a while, but then sometimes there aren't enough leftovers to keep us through the t-giving weekend (when i really REALLY don't want to cook!)
i love diane B's suggestion about the partitioned carryout containers. i'm totally stealing it. today is t-giving shopping day!
khairete
S.

I don't think you have to send away people with anything. But I would say one meal worth of leftovers is plenty. Don't sweat it - just see what's left.

How did they get from bringing only chips, dips and a pie, from three or four sides and drinks, etcetc? anyway, you should decide when you are done with the meal if there's enough of something. We are going to go elsewhere for Thanksgiving but bought our own small turkey to make for leftovers. These people obviously feed themselves the rest of the year so don't worry if you don't have any leftovers for them.

I wouldn't send anything home with them. They are taking a heck of a lot from you and not contributing much at all.

I would make them each a plate to take home for leftovers. Basically like one additional meal, with a little serving of everything on the plate (more or less of each items based on their preferences). Let them have the leftover chips and the remainder of the pie they bring as well.

I have only ever come home with the left overs of what I brought. I didn't know it was a "thing" to send guests home with leftovers. If you really want to send leftovers I would say one adult sized portion for each.

I agree with Veruca Salt - when folks get ready to leave, they go to the kitchen and fix up their own "doggie bags." They are welcome to whatever is there. I would never stand over them and tell them how much they can have. I consider that to be rude.

We normally host at our house and I tell my siblings and parents to bring their own containers for left overs. I let them take what they want - no one ever takes too much of anything and we all have plenty of leftovers.

But they all bring things.

If someone came and didn't bring anything, I would not send them home with anything. A pie doesn't count in my book.

We are going to my sister's house this year and we are bringing a turkey (her husband is also making one), mashed potatoes, hash brown casserole, macaroni and cheese, and dressing. I will likely leave some of all of it at home for us. Then we won't need to take leftovers home with us. She hasn't said for anyone to bring dishes for leftovers, so I don't want to assume. We'll see how it plays out though.

Give them enough for one good sized meal with all the sides and dessert each and extra meat they can each make a sandwich or two with. My SIL hosts and she buys those restaurant to- go containers with the dividers so you don't feel obligated to fill up a whole Tupperware with single dishes. With those to-go containers, you can do a scoop of this and a scoop of that. I don't think you are obligated to give them a third of everything. Thats your reward for hosting- no cooking through the weekend!

ETA: reading over these answers and I've gotta say I'm shocked at the Scrooge-like attitudes! LOL leftovers are just part of the holiday in our family!!!

Original:
IME, leftover amount is directly proportional to the amount of leftovers.

Are you thinking that because you're contributing more, they should get less? Cause that's a little messed up.
Not sure why else you'd detail your/their expenditures here....

When I want to get rid of all that extra food then I send folks home with most of that extra food. I believe you should pick and determine how much of the food left you want to keep and how much you want to send home with them. Have containers ready to send home with them. This way you can give them what you want them to have. Also be very clear about how this food is to be distributed. I have had instances where folks thought it was ok to help themselves and I had to stop their greed.

You don't say how many people in total you are hosting but I would defintely distribute the leftovers myself but I'm controlling like that. LOL

I would just see what's actually left-over. Sounds like you'll have plenty of food-even with them lessening what they are bringing. You have more to feed after the fact, so I would plan on keeping the majority of the food if I were you and you know your family will eat it. Whatever they actually bring and is NOT eaten, I would send home with them. So, the rest of the chips, dip and the pie that they bring; possibly a small plate of the Turkey for them and then call it good. It might be a little trickier if they ask for something specific to take home, but I wouldn't stress about it. I'm sure they are Thankful that they were invited to your place. Happy Thanksgiving!

Goodness, we've always filled up containers as much as our guests would allow when we've hosted. Usually, they will take a modest amount, but I have never cut them off - if it's something they like, they can have it all! I encourage it! I'll make more! It's how my mother raised me. I can't imagine not giving it all away.

Wow. Kinda stunned by the responses. On a day when we are supposed to show gratitude and be grateful for all we have, very few of us seem willing to give it away.

If the real issue is that you need their food, ask them to please pick up x or y for you. Give out doggie bags based on likes and size of leftovers and size of household. Don't withhold because they only brought chips.

FWIW, we keep a lot of food (hosting) but we send home ham with my ILs because they like it more, and send home chips with my SIL because her sons will eat them and we don't need the temptation, etc.

If you don't want them to take anything home then don't offer anything when they leave and if they ask, hand them a small paper plate and a sheet of tinfoil to cover it. I would never try to make up a plate for someone of food to go, I would allow them to make their own and frankly wouldn't care if they took a ton or not. I'm already sick of Thanksgiving dinner and we only had it for lunch and dinner and that was enough for me. Good luck.