The holidays can prove challenging for myriad reasons. Family can be hard. Traveling sucks. But, if your budget is tight, the holiday season can be incredibly stressful.
TikTok creator @dollartreedinners seems to understand that fact and has worked to help folks out on Thanksgiving. That creator, real name Rebecca Chobat, has published a viral series of videos making Thanksgiving food out of affordable options available at Dollar Tree. To be clear, the series isn't stunt food or cosplaying Chopped; Chobat seems genuinely interested in giving folks holiday options on a really tight budget. As her username suggests, Chobat has dedicated her sizable following — nearly 2 million followers on TikTok alone — to helping folks eat for less.
The series started with a shopping video that has garnered some 3 million views. For just $20, Chobat bought the ingredients to make a fried mac and cheese appetizer, a Thanksgiving casserole, and a caramel sugar cookie bar with fruit pie filling.
Sure, the recipes are not gourmet. How could they be? And that's not really the intention. The food looks quite tasty and certainly squeezes the absolute most out of a small budget.
Chobat's casserole, for instance, combines packaged potatoes, canned turkey, canned green beans, dried cranberries, and some margarine to create an entire dish guaranteed to deliver the perfect Thanksgiving bite. The fried mac and cheese balls, meanwhile, reimagine the blue box classic. And what could be bad about sugar cookies with pie filling for dessert?
If you want to feel a bit of hope, read through the comments on these videos from Chobat. In an internet age where most things are negative, this series has inspired some real positivity. You'll see comments like, "I work at Dollar Tree and have seen so many people buying these ingredients," or "I needed this," or, "my mom made something like this and I loved it."
Most notably, a TikTok from creator @CalebCooks94 went super viral in response to Chobat's series. He described being at the Dollar Tree and meeting a woman using Chobat's recipes to feed her three kids this Thanksgiving. He talked about witnessing Chobat making a real difference for folks who thought their holiday options were limited.
And as if things couldn't get more wholesome, Chobat responded in the comments: "I really hope she and her family loves the Thanksgiving dinner and thank you so much for sharing this story!! It brought tears to my eyes."
Chobat has made Dollar Tree Thanksgiving recipes in years past and, obviously, has a channel dedicated to helping folks eat on a budget. In a video responding to a comment about canned turkey, she thoughtfully noted that her channel — and her Thanksgiving series, especially — are dedicated to helping folks find options. Not everyone has a huge budget. Not everyone has a full-size oven or fridge. Not everyone is physically capable of lifting a whole turkey. She makes TikToks for people who need to get around those roadblocks.
Mashable has reached out to Chobat for comment and will update if necessary. But, in general, it is nice to see success for a creator who really seems to be focused on helping folks. And it's certainly great to see folks who need the help get the chance to make tasty food for the holiday.
