Have you been planning your Thanksgiving stock up shopping yet? I realize it is only mid October but I always plan ahead for the Thanksgiving sales and make a list of what I need to look for that usually go on sale.
Not only have I been thinking about what to buy but I have also been stashing my grocery money so that I have plenty when the sales start.
Last week at Aldi’s, I saw that they have their turkeys in the store already. I don’t remember what brand they were but I believe they were $ 1.29 a lb. Since I keep track of the prices that I paid last year, that is quite a hike in price.
Last year, I paid $ .48 a lb. for store brand turkeys at Top’s(which is pictured) and Wegman’s. I also paid $ .48 a lb. for a Shady Brook turkey. Butterball turkeys which are our favorite were $ .87 a lb. at Aldi’s.
So you can see that the price has risen as much $ .42 a lb. at Aldi’s for a name brand. I expect that the prices will be much higher this year on all turkeys. But even with them rising, it will be one of the cheapest meats that you can purchase and these kinds of prices on turkey only come around once a year.
How many I will buy this year will depend on how much freezer space I have. But I know that I can use turkey instead of chicken in many recipes so that will cut the cost of my meat for the year.
Besides turkeys, I always stock up on butter. Last year I paid $ 1.99 a lb and bought about 30 lbs. I will have to count how many I have left in the freezer and determine how many to buy this year. It will be interesting to see if the per pound price is higher.
I also need canned pumpkin since I am getting low. I paid $.89 a can for the ones I have right now.
I already stocked on the rolls of sausage when Aldi’s had them on sale a few weeks back for $ 1.49. I use them for breakfasts and for sausage stuffing to stuff the turkeys with. But they will probably go on sale in November also.
Also on my list is cream soups, herb dressing cubes, stove top stuffing, fresh cranberries, fresh potatoes, pickles and green olives, chicken broth and stock, fresh onions, celery, and frozen pies. I stocked on a few cranberry sauces too.
I use the cream soups in recipes all year. I get enough of the herb dressing cubes to stuff how ever many turkeys I buy. I freeze them until I use them. I stock on a few stove top stuffing because they will be cheap and I can use them to stuff chicken breasts and pork chops during the year.
We only use butter in this house for recipes and for some cooking and baking. Fresh cranberries go into the freezer to make quick breads and muffins.
Fresh potatoes are usually the cheapest price per pound in November. The pickles and olives, chicken broth and stock will be at rock bottom prices.
The celery and onions will also go on sale. I usually buy extra onions and celery and dice it up and freeze it to use for soups, fajitas, and for other recipes over the next year.
If you bake your own pies, the canned pie fillings will go on sale. But so will the frozen pies. It is a good time to stock on these items because they will be at some of their best prices of the year. I will buy a couple to stash in the freezer. If SF Cool Whip goes on sale, I will get some to put in the freezer. We use this on the pies and on SF jellos and puddings.
Other grocery items that will go on sale are all of your baking items, like sugars, flours, cocoa, chocolate chips, evaporated milk and condensed milk and eggs. I have plenty so I will not be purchasing them this year with the exception of eggs which I purchase regularly.
You will also find turkey gravy and gravy mixes on sale if you use those things.
Also be sure to remember to shop the beginning of November for marked down Halloween chocolate candies to bake with.
Lastly, the following items are usually on sale during the month also. They are clementines, cream cheese, nuts, bacon, and beef. Whether they will be good prices is yet to be seen. But I will be keeping my eyes open for these things too.
Is there anything that is not on my list that you buy at Thanksgiving sales because the prices are rock bottom? Please share with us in the comments!
12 replies on “Planning Our Thanksgiving Shopping”
Hi AD, this is Chris. This was a GREAT post, thanks so much for doing it. I am going to share it with my kids in case they want to stock up.
I stock up on many of the same things you do the last 2 mos of the year. I also stock up on the following: canned tomatoes and kidney beans for chili, canned beef and chicken broth in case I don't have time to make homemade or run out of bouillon cubes, and canned fruit in it's own juice and canned green beans in case there is not a good fruit sale that week. And we like canned green beans better than frozen. Some of the things you mentioned we don't use, like the gravy mixes. But I think you put together a very comprehensive list.
The only other thing I can think of to mention is that hams usually go on sale this time of year also. It will be interesting to see what the rock bottom prices are this year.
Hi Chris,
You are very welcome. Thanks for sharing the things you stock up on. Yes, the hams here usually go on sale for Christmas and New Year's.
It will be very interesting to see what the prices are.
I seriously think most items will not go on sale. At Easter Aldi's butter was $1.99 a lb with a limit of 2.
Hi Cheryl,
Time will tell!
I mostly buy the same things you do. Anytime I see a sale for things I use, I buy it. I like to dehydrate cranberries as snacks and to add to Stovetop Stuffing when it is not Thanksgiving and I want chicken and stuffing but not to have a lot of opened cranberry sauce. Craisins have oil and sugar, so I never buy those.
That is a great tip to dehydrate the cranberries! Thanks.
Appreciate the details – it's always useful to have a list. I noticed that whole chickens were very cheap at our local grocery store, so I was able to pick up a 6.5 lb chicken for under $4. We prefer chicken to turkey, and it will just be the four of us, so that size of chicken will likely work well with sides.
I keep my eye out for good deals on baking items over the holidays. Oh, and cranberries. My husband's favorite baked good (and, he doesn't eat much of that due to Keto) is cranberry muffins.
We haven't decided on a Thanksgiving meal yet. We sometimes do steak instead, but will likely have a roasted chicken at some point that week as well. Either way, we like them with pan sauteed brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, salad with savory nuts/goat cheese/thinly sliced pears, and an acorn squash dish. Oh, and cranberry martinis. Always. š The sides mix & match, but the martinis stay!
Yeah on your chicken. Yeah on sharing your menu! It give everyone including me ideas. So thanks! We love turkey which is why I buy many when they are cheap at Thanksgiving.
We love cranberry muffins. I am going to look for a Keto recipe.
I've been keeping my pantry stocked. I recently checked the items I'll need for the winter including the holidays. And I've been restocking as I use things, like cream soup. I just used the last 8 cups of homemade bone broth in chicken noodle soup last night, so will be making more this weekend.
Farmer does not like turkey that much so I may just get a turkey breast for the rest of us (3 adults). He prefers ham, so I will probably do both OR will do a chicken and a small ham. At Christmas we do Ham Balls or Prime Rib.
You covered all our staples as well. I will probably pull all the dry goods and make the list to check off of the frozen and fridge goods. The only things I can think of off the top of my head is whipped cream and french fried onions. I know I have cranberries in the freezer and will make a salad of those instead of canned sauce, since I'm the only one who will eat that.
And then I need to check on Christmas baking ingredients. I have 8# of butter in the freezer. At least 20# of flour. 10# of sugar. I probably need brown sugar. I think the pecans are ok in the freezer. I just need to make my list of goodies and check from those recipes.
One thing I do know I will be watching is Chex Mix ingredients. I watch for the local grocery's bulk foods section sale (25% off). I will get the mixed nuts then. I use only Wheat and Corn Chex and pretzel sticks, butter, nuts, W sauce and season salt. I will need the pretzels and cereal. I give gallon bags of that to the guys at my workplace. I find tins at the local thrift store and put the mix in ziplock bags & then into the tins. If I can find any on sale, I'll add chocolate or will add a jar of my homemade jam.
It'll be here before we know it!
Hi Kay,
That is the way to do it in the pantry. If I use something I am replacing it too.
That sounds like a plan for Thanksgiving. Hams should be on sale soon too. I have a ham in the fridge and may cook it in the next few weeks. I love prime rib! YUM!
Yes, I will be watching those too. I may buy them not on sale just so we have the ingredients. Last year when they went on sale, I went two days after the ad and all the ingredients were gone. I may make a trip to Walmart to get them all.
I love that you give the Chex mix as gifts. We just give it to our children. They must love it. Yes it will be here before you know it.
Our Thanksgiving in Canada was on the 12th of this month. I started planning my meal and purchasing items in the middle of September. Prices here for turkey were higher than last year as well.
God bless.
Hi Jackie,
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Thanks for letting us know that your turkeys were higher.