Costco Is Selling a Full Thanksgiving Meal Kit So You Don't Have to Do a Thing

Some people absolutely love hosting Thanksgiving and getting creative in the kitchen. But if you're someone who dreads Thanksgiving and the hours upon hours of preparation that tend to come with it, then you may be in luck. 

Costco is selling a Thanksgiving meal kit for $199.99 that's designed to feed a party of eight. You'll need to pre-order yours by Nov. 5, but it could be worth it for the time-related savings involved. And you may even find that Costco's Thanksgiving dinner kit saves you money, too.

When you're looking to outsource your Thanksgiving meal

Even if you're someone who likes to cook, being in charge of Thanksgiving isn't easy. There's a lot of pressure to throw together a massive feast, and you may not have the time or desire to spend an entire day preparing food. 

If you're not at all looking forward to a day of cooking, let Costco come to your rescue. For $199.99, you'll get the following:

• Five pounds of skin-on turkey breast
• A two-pound tray of stuffing
• A 1.5-pound trap for mashed potatoes with a side of gravy
• A 1.6-pound tray of macaroni and cheese 
• A two-pound pack of sweet corn
• A two-pound pack of green beans
• Cranberry relish
• 12 dinner rolls
• One pumpkin pie
• One apple pie

All of this food will ship frozen, and you can expect delivery to your home between Nov. 8 and 17. 

Will Costco's Thanksgiving meal kit save you money?

You probably won't save money by purchasing Costco's meal kit compared to buying ingredients for the above dishes at Costco, or even elsewhere. 

At your local grocery store, turkey might cost about $3.50 per pound. So a five-pound turkey might cost you just $17.50. 

A Costco pumpkin pie, meanwhile, is generally only $5.99 (though prices can vary). So right there, you're looking at $23.50 for 20% of your meal. 

The cost of the other items included in Costco's Thanksgiving dinner kit can vary based on how you prepare your sides. But macaroni and cheese, for example, can be an extremely inexpensive dish to prepare. A single box of Kraft might cost under $1.50, so even if you need five boxes, you're looking at $7.50 or less in total. (Of course, if you insist on making yours from scratch with high-end cheese, that's a different story.)

All told, you can probably throw together a Thanksgiving meal for eight for under $200 -- but not so much under. So the question you'll want to ask yourself is how much time you want to save.

Also, if you're so not looking forward to cooking to the point where you think you'll pay to cater your Thanksgiving dinner, then you're likely to put more than $200 on your credit card by going that route through a local restaurant or caterer. In that regard, Costco's offering could save you some money.

All told, Costco's Thanksgiving dinner kit may be worth considering if you're not excited to cook for the holiday this year. But chances are, this meal kit is going to be a popular item, which means it may sell out soon. If you are interested in ordering it, do so quickly so you don't miss out.