• With a career change and becoming an empty nester, I'm doing more things on my own.
• I've traveled for work alone for years, including multiple solo trips to Disney parks.
• I'm excited about more solo dining and exploring my newfound Swiftie era on my own.

I'm 46 years old and in the last 12 months, I've done two things solo for the first time. I had a drink alone at our local cocktail bar and saw a movie with just myself for company.

I'm a mom/stepmom of five, and I'm married to my best friend. I don't often have time or the inclination to do things alone.

With multiple life changes on the horizon, I'm ready to try even more solitary experiences.

Career change and empty nesting are making me embrace doing things alone

In 2023, I left a 25-year career in corporate America.

One promise I made to myself was to transition from corporate to curious — meeting new people or trying new things on a weekly basis. Two years and 104+ weeks later, I've had a ton of new experiences, including tap dancing, acting in an independent film "Brilliant Blue," and a solo trip to Disneyland.

This, in combination with two major life changes coming up — my youngest going away to college and my husband retiring — is pushing me to get out of my comfort zone

I've discovered it's a comfort zone I only have when at home.

Traveling for business forced me to be comfortable with being on my own

At the age of 25, I went on my first business trip alone. A few years later, I found myself in a global marketing role at work, regularly traveling internationally solo.

I've dined in London and Dublin, explored Copenhagen and Munich, shopped in Paris and Shanghai, and ended up at a cheese tasting after getting totally lost in the Netherlands — all on my own.

I love visiting Disney parks as a party of 1

After 22 visits, I've done Disney parks in almost every way — with my Disney bestie in the runDisney ChEAR squad, a party of three for my child's first Disney trip, a group of five with my grandson, and with nine guests for our Disney Wedding.

My first solo Disney trip was in 2018. Disney is great on your own. You're rewarded for your solo status with shorter wait single rider lines. Lounges and bars serving food are everywhere, making solo dining less awkward.

When you get lonely at a Disney park, there's always someone, or something, to connect with. You're never more than a character meet away from a hug.

Some restaurants make being a party of one difficult

When I visited Disneyland in 2023, I attempted to book a World of Color Dining package through the app. No available reservations for one. I tried a party of two and was given multiple options.

Curiosity piqued, I went to the host stand for my desired Dining Package location and asked the friendly Cast Member. After commenting that it wasn't OK that I couldn't get a reservation for one, she booked it for me.

While there, put down your phone and engage with the people around you. I did this at Lamplight Lounge in Disney California Adventure and got an exclusive tour of the secret room.

I prefer going for cocktails with others instead of alone

In the last year, I've found myself in a bar solo twice. Once, over the holidays, when my husband had COVID and I desperately needed to get out of the house.

The second time was at Your Office, a bar in Milwaukee, at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning. It was for a media event, so I wasn't the only solo patron.

On both occasions, I missed having someone to "cheers" with, to share food, and to laugh about the cheeky nods to cubicle life in the bar's decor.

'Life of a Showgirl' was the first movie I've seen alone

I watched the Eras Tour movie on Disney+ and wished I had seen it in theatres. When the folks who would see a Taylor Swift movie with me weren't available, I went to "Life of a Showgirl" on my own.

I dressed up — orange and teal dress, sparkly ribbon on my shoes, friendship bracelets — grabbed my junior popcorn, and had a lounger to myself.

I loved dressing on theme and getting there early to make a friendship bracelet in the lobby without worrying about anyone else.

I'm already planning for my next solo adventure — a Taylor Swift cover band show. Rather than drag someone to an event I'm excited about and they're going because they like me, I love having the confidence to be "on your own, kid."

• In search of a new dinner recipe, I tried Ina Garten's baked shrimp scampi.
• The ingredient list was on the longer side, but the process was easier than I expected.
• The dish was delicious, and I especially loved the sauce — but next time, I'll add less salt.

Easy dishes aren't usually known for complex flavors, but leave it to the Barefoot Contessa to defy that with her simple baked shrimp scampi recipe.

Ina Garten's seafood dish looks beautiful, has layers of flavors, and comes together in a few simple steps.

Admittedly, the recipe does require quite a long list of ingredients, but I was surprised at how uncomplicated it was, especially after I finished prepping the shrimp.

Most of the ingredients are just minced and mashed together, and then the whole thing is baked in an oven. No sautéeing required!

First, I gathered the ingredients.

With Garten's recipe, I found it helpful to divide the ingredients into two groups: the items needed for the shrimp prep, and the ingredients for her flavorful butter-panko mixture.

For the former, I chose frozen, deveined shrimp. The other ingredients were fairly simple — I grabbed some Kosher salt, black pepper, dry white wine, and olive oil.

The butter-panko mixture is really the star of this dish, and has a lengthier ingredient list. For this part of the recipe, I needed unsalted butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon juice, Kosher salt, black pepper, an extra-large egg yolk, and panko (flaky breadcrumbs).

I prepped my shrimp by peeling, butterflying, and marinating them.

My first step was peeling the shrimp, carefully ensuring their tails stayed on.

Next, I butterflied them — which is to say I used my knife to cut a little deeper into the shrimp and pull the two halves gently apart.

Once the shrimp were ready, I put them in a mixture of pinot grigio, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Then, I left them to marinate at room temperature while I prepped the butter-panko mixture.

Next, it was time to make the buttery sauce.

I minced garlic, a shallot, parsley, and rosemary, and added them to a bowl with unsalted butter.

After that, I added more ingredients: crushed red pepper, lemon juice and zest, an egg yolk, panko, salt, and black pepper. I mashed all of these together until the mixture looked colorful and crumbly.

I arranged the butterflied shrimp in an oval baking dish.

Garten's recipe calls for a 14-inch gratin dish.

I grabbed a baking dish of around the same size and arranged the shrimp in ovals, with each piece placed butterflied side down and the tails pointed toward the center of the dish.

Then, I poured the remaining marinade over the layer of shrimp.

I topped the shrimp with the butter and panko mixture, then baked the whole thing.

Using my hands, I broke up the butter-panko mixture into dollop-sized pieces and placed them on top of the shrimp until I had a nice, even layer. Following the featured photo in Garten's recipe, I made sure not to cover up the tails.

Finally, I put the whole thing in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. After it was finished baking, I gave the dish a final squeeze of lemon juice.

This baked scampi was an easy, gorgeous dish with surprisingly varied and robust flavors.

The shrimp was a bit on the salty side for me, so there are a few changes I might try next time. Namely, I'd include a touch less salt in the marinade and a bit more crushed red pepper instead.

I'd also love to try a different dry white wine, just to see how it impacts the flavor.

The dish's sauce, on the other hand, was my favorite part. I'm a sucker for a meal with a delicious sauce that you can easily sop up with bread, and this baked shrimp scampi definitely did the trick.

Mostly, though, I loved the dish's robust blend of flavors. I knew the recipe would heavily feature butter, garlic, and lemon, so I expected that I'd mostly taste just that — which would've been fine with me, as someone who loves all these ingredients.

However, I was pleasantly surprised that I could taste all of the other ingredients, too, from the rosemary to the red pepper flakes. It made for an exceptionally flavorful dish: very lemony, zesty, garlicky, and herbaceous, all at once.

• A Delta flight returned to Paris minutes after takeoff due to a flap-related mechanical alert.
• The Airbus A330 declared an emergency and was in the air for less than an hour.
• The jet landed safely in Paris, and passengers were rebooked as the aircraft underwent checks.

A Delta Air Lines flight from Paris to Minneapolis was forced to turn back less than 20 minutes after takeoff on Wednesday.

Delta Flight 153, operating from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, took off around 10:53 a.m. local time before leveling off over northern France and beginning a wide U-turn, Flightradar24 data shows.

The plane, an Airbus A330, never climbed above 9,500 feet and spent less than an hour airborne before landing back in Paris at about 11:47 a.m.

A Delta spokesperson told Business Insider the flight, carrying 177 passengers, turned back "due to an indication of a mechanical issue," which the airline said was related to the aircraft's flaps — the movable panels on a plane's wings that are used during takeoff and landing to generate lift at low speeds.

Because the aircraft was still heavily loaded with fuel for a transatlantic crossing, the crew declared an emergency due to excessive fuel weight, Delta said.

The move allows aircraft to receive priority handling on approach and landing when returning shortly after takeoff.

Passengers are being reaccommodated on later flights departing CDG throughout Wednesday afternoon, the airline said, adding: "We apologize to our customers for their delay in travel."

The aircraft is now undergoing evaluation and maintenance in Paris.

This is not the first time an aircraft has been forced to return to its departure airport due to flap-related issues.

In June, a British Airways Boeing 787 bound for Chennai turned back to London shortly after takeoff after pilots reported a suspected flap problem.

The aircraft entered a series of holding patterns to dump fuel before landing safely at Heathrow. A British Airways spokesperson at the time said the return was a "standard precaution."

• The Coast Guard uses a mock ship to help train its personnel for close-quarters combat and drug interdictions.
• The "ship in a box" can be customized for different mission sets and objectives.
• In some scenarios, actor traffickers are apprehended quietly, while others involve force.

USCG TACLET SOUTH OPA-LOCKA, Florida — Inside the Coast Guard's "ship in a box," elite Tactical Law Enforcement Teams rehearse the split-second decisions that make or break a real drug interdiction.

The Coast Guard is seizing record drug hauls at sea. To keep pace, its elite boarding teams train inside a mock ship where the hallways, hatches, and hidden threats are designed to prepare them for the moments when a boarding takes a turn.

From the outside, the "ship in a box" concept looks like a stack of cargo containers, but it's meant to mimic a large vessel. The inside is customizable, with movable walls and doors to change the layout.

It's here that the Coast Guard's elite TACLET, the specialists who engage in high-pressure boardings of boats suspected of carrying illegal drugs like cocaine and marijuana to the US, prepare for all the ways an interdiction might go down.

Business Insider recently got a look at a demonstration of a team training in the "ship in a box," watching how specialists boarded the vessel, swiftly moved through it to take control, apprehended "traffickers," and in two instances, neutralized hostile crew members. It's this kind of training that keeps teams sharp, specialists said.

The "ship in a box" sits on TACLET South's Opa-locka base, with multiple levels and entry points. A small Coast Guard boat waits alongside it — the team's starting point for the boarding.

Hanging a ladder from the railing of the ship, the team climbed aboard, keeping eyes and guns trained. Once aboard, they began to work toward taking control of the vessel, from the propulsion systems to suspected traffickers and drugs to any potential weapons or threats that could endanger the operation.

A few scenarios played out inside the "ship in a box."

In one, the four Coast Guard personnel moved into one room where a drug trafficker stood, unaware of their presence. Not wanting to reveal their status on board, they quietly signaled for him to put his hands up, checked for weapons, and restrained him. In another situation, they woke up two sleeping traffickers.

These were calmer, smoother moments in the interdiction process. The next situation, though, put the team in danger.

In one hallway, an armed smuggler spotted the Coast Guard coming in through a door and began to raise his gun. The team quickly opened fire, putting him on the ground before he could take a shot. They then moved toward a nearby room, eliminating another armed crew member.

Once the threats were neutralized, the ship was secure.

In a real interdiction, the next steps would be questioning the crew, confirming the vessel's origin, cataloging the drugs, and beginning the long process of building a case.

The "ship in a box" demonstrates the higher level of training that TACLETs have to have. "We train for the ability to do a non-compliant level boarding where we may need to engage threats during a boarding and be able to move through space and execute close-quarters combat skills," said Cmdr. Chris Guy, commanding officer of the TACLET South.

Right now, the Coast Guard is interdicting substantial quantities of drugs, mostly cocaine, during long deployments in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Just last week, the service broke its record for the most cocaine seized by one vessel in a single deployment. Continued demand has raised the bar, prompting more training and flexibility.

"You never know what you're going to see out there, and we're trained to react to whatever may happening," said Lt. Matthew Lesyk, a specialist with TACLET South.

• When my first child started kindergarten, I homeschooled her through a virtual charter school.
• Now I've tailored my kids' education using homeschooling, public, and private school options.
• Personalized paths have boosted my children's engagement and nurtured their individual talents.

When I first became a mom 10 years ago, I was the quintessential "crunchy" mama. Parenting approaches like co-sleeping and continued breastfeeding were part of my identity. I praised effort instead of results and consciously provided my children opportunities that emphasized exploration.

I believed these core values would foster the genius minds I dreamed of. I imagined my kids learning experientially through art and travel. I studied the Waldorf and Montessori education models and threw myself into promoting whole-child learning.

I also had no trust in the public schools. I saw them littered with issues, including a lack of resources, exposure to violence, and overburdening kids with homework. I viewed the US education system as an institution that wanted to produce a cookie-cutter child, and that wasn't what I wanted for my kids.

My oldest started out at a virtual charter school

When my oldest started kindergarten, I knew I wanted her to be at home, so I could encourage her. As a new "teacher," I chose a virtual charter school to guide us. Her curriculum was often completed in just two hours a day, so there was plenty of time for her to still be a kid, which I appreciated.

That same year, I learned my daughter's IQ fell in the highly gifted range. I believe the dedication I put into organic learning during her early years made an impact. To honor her curious mind, I enrolled her in a private online school for advanced learners in first grade. They grade-skipped her over second, and she attended third grade there as well.

When my circumstances changed, their schooling did, too

Soon, I was a single mom of three kids under 8. I no longer had the privilege of choosing expensive schools tailored to individual needs, and the logistics of ensuring each of my children had equal access to an exceptional education became increasingly complicated. For a moment, it felt like my ideology might get lost in circumstance.

I chose to traditionally homeschool all three of my kids the following year, but it didn't feel like I was doing them justice. And practically, I no longer had the bandwidth to customize curricula for three different children. So, with great reluctance, I enrolled them in public school at the start of the next school year.

Public school was better than I expected it to be

My oldest and youngest thrived in their new school. As extroverts, they reveled in being in a social setting. They participated in extracurricular activities, and my kindergartener made many friends. My preconceived idea of what was best for them was being challenged.

My first grader, however, wasn't thriving. So I pulled her out and enrolled her in an online charter school so I could focus on her social-emotional development.

This is when I started to see that an ideal education didn't just look different for my family, but for each child within it. Thankfully, I was used to adapting to my kids and their unique needs.

My kids are all on their own paths

A couple of months later, my oldest got an acceptance letter to a private middle school. She wanted to see how this opportunity would take shape. I was conflicted because she was already doing well and would have to leave her Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP) behind. At the same time, I knew she'd need stronger academics to reach her potential.

I questioned myself. Wasn't the value of acquiring life experience the very thing I focused on teaching her? She began attending the private academy in August and has been flourishing there. She found a core group of friends, participates in cross-country and theatre, and has exceptional grades. A performing arts charter school has piqued her interest now, and she is considering another switch for 7th grade.

I felt that my now second-grade daughter needed to continue with online schooling for a bit longer to further improve her confidence and target her strengths. She was quickly put on a GIEP, and grade accelerated in mathematics. After an online trial at the same school for my youngest, I discovered that he is a bit too excitable to be in a regular classroom environment yet. To accommodate his learning style and foster participation, he is homeschooling this year.

I've discovered that differentiating my children's instruction paths has a lot of benefits. When I nurture their unique educational needs, each kid feels like their talents are meaningful, so they become more engaged.

• Uber told some AI contractors on Monday that their services are no longer needed.
• Uber had recruited the workers to train AI under "Project Sandbox."
• In an email, Uber told workers that its client "communicated a change in their internal priorities."

Uber has told some of its gig workers focused on AI training that it no longer needs them two months before their stint was supposed to end, Business Insider has learned.

The workers are part of Project Sandbox, Uber's name for the AI training work it carries out for Google. The project represents an early effort by Uber to develop AI tools for other companies under its AI Solutions division.

About a dozen contractors were involved in the project, two workers told Business Insider, though it wasn't immediately clear how many were cut.

"The client has recently communicated a change in their internal priorities, which directly affects ongoing work on this program," Uber emailed the affected contractors on Monday.

It added that Uber is "committed to keeping you in our network and will reach out with any upcoming opportunities where your profile is a strong fit."

Three workers who spoke to Business Insider for this story had advanced degrees, such as PhDs, or work experience that could be relevant to AI training. They said they joined Project Sandbox earlier this fall after Uber told them that they could expect at least three months of work.

An Uber spokesperson declined to comment.

Uber has spent years building its ride-hailing and delivery businesses, both of which posted double-digit percentage increases in gross bookings for the third quarter of this year. Uber's stock is up about 39% so far in 2025.

The company's AI-training arm, meanwhile, appears to be just getting started.

Last month, the company said it would pilot its Digital Tasks program in the US, which allows gig workers, including those who already drive or deliver for Uber, to complete tasks that train AI.

Some of the work requires PhDs, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the company's earnings call earlier this month. The gigs show that Uber is expanding beyond driving and delivery to become a broader "platform for work," Khosrowshahi said.

One Project Sandbox worker who received Monday's email told Business Insider that a staffing agency sent a cold email about the gig earlier this fall. After an assessment, they were cleared to join Sandbox for a minimum of three months, according to another email.

Once Uber onboarded them, each worker was put in contact with an employee at Google, which was Uber's client for the AI training work. Google did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Tasks ranged from annotating photos and videos to evaluating whether an AI-generated answer to a prompt was accurate and complete, the workers said.

Pay varied. In one case, base pay was $55 an hour, rising to as much as $110 an hour, or around $19,000 a month, if the contractor worked 40 hours a week consistently for four weeks, according to a copy of the earnings structure seen by Business Insider.

Sometimes, the contractors were told to work fewer than 40 hours a week, making it impossible to receive the highest hourly rate, the three workers said.

Uber's latest email told workers their assignment would conclude on Tuesday. Now, they're waiting for instructions to return their company-provided laptop. They are still waiting for their first paycheck, which Uber told them could take up to seven weeks from their start date to arrive.

A worker who has done other tech gigs said that other companies he's worked for have honored the length of their contracts.

Labeling data for AI has become a giant business, with hundreds of thousands of people worldwide doing the work. Some turn to training AI as a side-hustle while in college or raising kids, while others have made it their primary source of income, Business Insider reported in September.

Do you work for Uber and have a story idea to share? Contact Alex Bitter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

• Managing holiday-season spending can be stressful, especially if you have financial goals to prioritize.
• Brittany Greene, a financial behavioral strategist, said that planning ahead can help.
• She offered tips for creating a realistic budget and setting expectations with others.

When you're saving to reach a personal financial goal, the pressure to spend in the name of holiday cheer can feel particularly stressful.

Whether you're working toward a home down payment, building your emergency fund, or paying off a chunk of your student loans, there are simple strategies and mindset shifts that can help you stay the course, said Brittany Greene, a financial behavioral strategist and the head of community at Self Financial, a technology company with a mission to help people build credit.

"There's nothing like building up your financial foundation and then having all of that hard work taken away from you. Take precautions and absolutely stick to your goals in this holiday season," Greene told Business Insider.

She offered tips for taking stock of your current finances so that you can set realistic goals around holiday spending. She also shared creative ideas for having a low-spend season and how to manage others' expectations when it comes to gift-giving.

Manage emotions ahead of time

Green said that when it comes to sticking to a holiday budget, setting expectations before family gatherings can help.

"Holiday time comes with a certain amount of pressure to show up for the people that we care about and if we're not able to, there's a guilt that sometimes surrounds that," Greene said.

She suggested curbing feelings of guilt — which, if unaddressed, can lead to unnecessary spending — by having an honest talk with yourself, your immediate family, and any extended family you'll be seeing this season.

To do this, Greene suggested being candid about how you want celebrations to look and feel this year and initiating this conversation as early as possible. She said that prioritizing experiences — like having a "secret Santa" gift exchange that requires just one purchase, or having a sightseeing outing with loved ones — can act as budget-friendly alternatives to buying gifts for multiple family members.

Set realistic expectations

Amid the season's hustle, bustle, and seemingly endless shopping opportunities, it can be difficult to prioritize your budgeting goals. Understanding your spending habits can help here, Greene said.

She suggested that you review your bank statements from the past three months, taking note of where you've been spending — like on entertainment, subscription services, or clothing — to spot patterns.

"Taking a snapshot of where you are within your own financial journey is super important because this way you're getting a chance to see where you are, what you have, and what you can allocate," Greene said. She added that this step works best if you avoid guilting or shaming yourself for previous purchases.

Once you see your spending habits more clearly, get honest with yourself about expenses you can temporarily cut — like meals out or your streaming service subscriptions, Greene said. Then, you can determine an amount you're willing and able to spend this holiday season.

"Stay firm with whatever your number is going to be because the most important thing is that you're building toward your own financial future," Greene said.

Flex your creativity

Exercising your imagination can help with saving during the holidays, said Greene.

She said that in the past, she often spent more than she budgeted for because she wanted to treat her loved ones to nice gifts. Now, she uses resources like Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to get ideas for do-it-yourself gifts that are more wallet-friendly.

Greene also recommends keeping a note on your phone with gift-giving ideas. Throughout the year, keep track of the experiences and items your loved ones mention. Then, find ways to create these gifts on your own.

"My best friend said that she dreamed of winning the Powerball Lottery and that the big check would get delivered to her house," Greene told Business Insider. "I came to her house with flowers, a check I had hand-painted, and balloons."

The bottom line: Understand your ultimate financial goal and make decisions in service of it, said Greene. To do that, she said she likes to ask herself, "Is this pulling me toward my financial goals or away from them?"

"If I'm ever in a decision fatigue space or have analysis paralysis, I focus on that solid yes or no," Greene said.

• Lace Larrabee is a 41-year-old who felt that Thanksgiving was a burden she carried alone.
• After divorcing her husband nearly two years ago, she has started dating her girlfriend.
• The two women share the load now when it comes to celebrations.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lace Larrabee, a touring stand-up comedian. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Until this year, I had always been the person in my relationships who planned and implemented holiday plans — first with my long-term boyfriend and then with my husband. It all fell on me.

Gatherings with family and friends to celebrate is a priority for me, but my past partners never seemed interested in birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I just took it all on myself.

We got divorced, and 6 months later, I met someone new

I remember that for past Thanksgiving meals, I would spend the day before prepping the food and wake up early on Thanksgiving to finish cooking and decorating. I wanted it, the celebration, and so it was all on me.

I recently wrote about it on Threads, and found that so many women resonated with how I have felt about holidays in the past. I wasn't alone. It's common to see that women are the ones on whom the burden of celebrating falls.

In July 2024, my husband and I split, and I moved out of the house.

Just over six months later, I met Alix, a woman who was taking a stand-up comedy class I was teaching.

After the class finished, Alix got in touch to say she was interested in me. I told her I was interested in her too, but said she didn't want this — I was complicated and had lots going on. She replied: "Yes, I do."

We started dating in the spring and have been together since.

She likes to plan with me for the holidays

Right away, we became partners, not just companions, when it came to planning for activities, events, and celebrations.

I remember telling Alix I really wanted to go to a concert in Florida with her. She told me she would love to go with me. She was just as enthusiastic as I was. We booked an Airbnb together, shared expenses for travel, and she planned a romantic way to officially ask me to be her girlfriend, thinking through every detail to make it special for me.

We have planned a Fourth of July weekend getaway, a birthday celebration, and Halloween together. I haven't had to force her; she's wanted to share the load of these celebrations with me.

Our families are spending Thanksgiving together

Months ago, Alix told me she wanted to host Thanksgiving at her house, bringing both of our families together to celebrate.

After creating a menu together, Alix created a group chat with everyone invited, asking each person to share what they would bring.

Together we made seating arrangements. Together we decorated (the house is decorated for Christmas, and the table for Thanksgiving). Together we shopped. Together we'll cook. Together we'll clean.

It has been so unlike any Thanksgiving I've ever hosted previously. Before, it had always felt stressful, frustrating, and overwhelming to do it all alone. But this Thanksgiving is different, because I now have a partner to share it with. I'm doing this with someone. I didn't know holidays could be like this. It makes me look forward to all the celebrations to come.

Growing up, my dad and mom always shared the burden of everything. They were partners. It was something I had always wanted in my own relationships, but I never had it, until now.

• I'm a home cook and Costco superfan who runs the recipe blog Costco Kitchen.
• I've relied on the store to satisfy all of my Thanksgiving dinner needs for about a decade.
• I've picked up flowers, disposable plates, appetizers, and pumpkin pie at Costco.

I'm an avid home cook and quite a fan of Costco.

In fact, I run a recipe blog and social account, Costco Kitchen, dedicated to making delicious dishes using ingredients from the wholesale retailer.

For the past decade or so, I've relied on my Costco shopping trips to stock up for hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

A premade vegetable tray is a great way to kick off a meal.

Offerings vary, but I can always find at least one great veggie tray at Costco. They typically come in a ready-to-serve plastic platter, which means one less dish for me to wash.

Simply peel off the plastic cover and set it out for your guests to enjoy.

This one from Taylor Farms has an assortment of colorful, crunchy, and cruciferous produce, plus a delicious ranch dip.

Costco's wide selection of cheese and cured meat makes assembling a charcuterie board easier than ever.

We usually serve Thanksgiving dinner around 4 p.m., so I like to set out small dishes and snacks for guests to have beforehand.

A charcuterie board is a great way to ensure no one gets too hungry or full before the main course.  

Costco offers premade flights and variety packs with assortments of cured meats or soft and hard cheeses, making it easy to customize a board.

Additionally, the chain offers lots of finishing touches to complement any charcuterie selection, including nuts, crackers, dried or fresh fruit, and olives. 

It's not a bad idea to buy your turkey a few weeks in advance.

The sell-by dates for the turkeys usually fall after Thanksgiving, so you can purchase them relatively far in advance as long as you have the space in your refrigerator. 

If you shop at Costco a day or two before Thanksgiving, there's a chance the store may be sold out of your preferred size.

In my experience, the chain's turkeys can range from about 10 pounds to over 22.

If you're not cooking a whole turkey this year, you can also typically find precooked oven-browned turkey breast at Costco.  This is a great option for those who prefer white meat over dark. The turkey remains moist and juicy after getting warmed up in the oven.

It's also a great choice if you are serving ham, steak, or seafood as the main course, but would like to offer a small portion of traditional turkey. 

If turkey just isn't your thing, Costco offers a selection of alternative entrées to serve on Thanksgiving.

You can choose from a wide array of meats, such as rib-eye, prime rib, or a rack of lamb. 

Depending on the location and time of year, you may also find cold-water lobster tails. They can be poached in butter and served on their own or paired with steak for a classy Thanksgiving surf-and-turf.

Costco sells a variety of potatoes that you can use to make sides.

At any other time of the year, you may find it difficult to justify purchasing 6 ½ pounds of potatoes. However, during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, it just makes sense.

Costco offers a variety of options, including sweet potatoes, tiny mixed potatoes, and yellow potatoes. Use them to make plenty of your favorite mashed potatoes so guests can have seconds and take home leftovers.

I like to make a garlic mash or mashed sweet potatoes. 

I look for green beans in the refrigerator section.

I typically look for 2-pound bags of pre-snipped, washed, and ready-to-use green beans at Costco.

Once cooked, you can sauté the green beans in garlic, butter, and lemon and top them with Kirkland Signature Parmigiano-Reggiano or add them to a baking dish to make a casserole.

If I'm going with the latter, I also pick up a big bag of crispy onions at Costco to top my casserole with.

You can also find a number of premade side dishes at Costco.

If you're short on time and need to add a few more sides to your Thanksgiving spread, consider looking for premade dishes at Costco, such as scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese , or roasted Brussels sprouts.

These sides are also great for those who lack oven space, as they can be easily heated up in the microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer.

One year, I grabbed trays of Chef Hak's seasoned, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and cranberries.

Costco offers a nice selection of treats, but the nearly 4-pound pumpkin pie is iconic.

The Kirkland Signature pumpkin pie is delicious — and it can feed up to 12 people for under $10.

I like to top the individual slices with whipped cream. Leftover slices also freeze well.

It's quite a popular item around Thanksgiving, so I highly recommend getting to Costco early before it sells out. 

Whipped cream is an essential component of a proper Thanksgiving dessert.

Homemade whipped cream is superior, but these canisters can help you easily upgrade your pecan or pumpkin pie. 

If you decide to make the topper yourself, you can also find heavy whipping cream in Costco's refrigerator section.

Spruce up the house or surprise the Thanksgiving host with a beautiful bouquet.

Whether you're hosting Thanksgiving this year and want to dress up the house with seasonal decor or are attending as a guest and don't want to show up empty-handed, Costco is the place to go.

You can find beautiful bouquets of fresh-cut flowers for under $20, which is significantly less than what you'd probably pay at a local flower shop or online.

The retailer also tends to sell floral arrangements in decorative vases that can upgrade a Thanksgiving tablescape for under $25.

Costco offers a selection of elegant plastic plates and cutlery.

If you're looking for something a little more elevated than the run-of-the-mill paper plates you've been using for your backyard cookouts, then look no further than Costco.

Around this time of year, the chain typically offers a selection of elegant plastic plates and tableware that, at first glance, appears close to porcelain and silver.

In the past, I've seen Reflections cutlery sets with 160 pieces of heavyweight plastic silverware for under $11. I've also seen Kirkland Signature's elegant plastic plates priced at $10 for 50 dishes.

I give my guests to-go containers for leftovers.

Once everyone has eaten their fill, I like to provide take-home containers so my guests can continue to enjoy their Thanksgiving leftovers after they leave. 

I can usually find take-away containers for a reasonable price at Costco. One year, I snagged a 25-pack of 38-ounce Glad meal-prep containers for under $10.

This story was originally published on November 16, 2021, and most recently updated on November 26, 2025.