Thanksgiving Dinner Planner Spreadsheet + Turkey Calculator + Potluck Sign-Up (Excel & Google Sheets)

Plan Thanksgiving dinner without the stress. Type your number of guests, the date and your dinner time, and this spreadsheet works out your turkey size, the day to start thawing it, when it goes in the oven, and a clock time for every task on the day. A shareable potluck sign-up and 9 printable pages are included.

THE SPREADSHEET (Excel + Google Sheets)

• Turkey calculator: suggested size from your guest count, days to thaw in the fridge, the move-to-fridge date, and roasting time at 325°F based on the USDA timetable (stuffed or unstuffed), with 1 buffer day built into the thaw

• Thanksgiving Day timeline: every task gets a real clock time, worked back from dinner. Edit tasks and minutes to match your recipes.

• Countdown: "days before" turns into real dates, with a Done tick and strike-through

• Menu planner: dish, course, cook, oven temperature and time

• Potluck sign-up: share the tab so guests add their name next to a dish. Open dishes are highlighted and a counter shows how many are taken.

• Shopping list that scales to your guest count, with a budget and amount left

• Guest list with RSVPs, adults, kids, dietary needs and headcount

THE PRINTABLES (9 pages, US Letter + A4)

• Potluck sign-up (by category), plus a simple "Who's Bringing What?" sheet

• Menu planner

• Countdown checklist

• Cooking timeline

• Shopping list

• Guest list

• Food labels for the buffet

HOW IT WORKS

1. Download the zip and unzip it.

2. Open the .xlsx in Excel, or upload it to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets.

3. Fill in the yellow cells. Everything else updates automatically.

4. Print any page you like.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Instant digital download. No physical item is shipped. You'll get a download link right after checkout.

• Cooking times are estimates from the USDA timetable. Stuffed turkeys take about 30 minutes longer, and the stuffing center must also reach 165°F. Always check the turkey reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.

• Built with standard formulas for Excel and Google Sheets. It should also open in Apple Numbers, but that hasn't been tested.

• Reusable every year: just change the date.

• Personal use only.

• Made with an AI generator for parts of the design and writing, then edited and checked by hand.

Questions? Email bhamlefty@gmail.com.