Stock up on turkeys now before prices go up after holidays
Filed under: Bargains, Budgets, Food, Shopping
If you're looking for a way to save money at the grocery store, shopping for a Thanksgiving meal is a good way to find deals that you normally won't find the rest of the year.
Turkeys are historically less expensive in November and December than in other months, so now is the time to clean out your freezer to make room for as many turkeys as you can. And as a high-protein, low-fat food, it's a healthy meal.
And some Thanksgiving side dishes, such as cranberries, are cheaper now than they are the rest of the year.
Combatting the Rising Price of Food
While most food outlets are raising their prices to combat rising food prices, Wegmans supermarket chain is actually lowering prices, trying to keep customers buying.
Wegmans
There is evidence that shoppers are willing to buy more if the price is right. Sales of deep freezers are up more than 7 percent from last year as shoppers nationwide are re-embracing the deep freezer, stashing bulk-sized purchases as they work to combat rising food prices.
M. Spencer Green, AP
New freezer models, like this Frost Free Chest Freezer by Electrolux, are making it easier for people to organize and use bulk purchases, which save them money when shopping for food.
Electrolux
Stand-alone freezers retail for between $399 and $799, and new ones are energy efficient. This model from Electrolux won four of the European Commission's five energy efficiency awards, known as Energy+.
Electrolux
A Thanksgiving tradition at American tables, turkeys are promoted as sale items at supermarkets during the holiday season and are a "loss leader" to get people into stores. They figure that while you're there, you'll also pick up cranberries, pies, stuffing and other food to fill out the feast.
Despite that marketing technique, it's still smart to buy now at prices that typically only get that low in April. Last year, for example, the average price in the United States for a whole, frozen turkey in December was $1.01 per pound, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The high for the year was $1.24 per pound in October, followed by a drop to $1.11 per pound in November. Prices climb in the spring and summer.
Note that those prices are for frozen turkeys. Fresh turkeys are usually more expensive, about 10 to 20 cents per pound, because they are perishable and require special handling and merchandising. Coupons and sales also often promoted at grocery stores as ways to move frozen turkeys. And remember that store-brand turkeys can cost 20 cents less per pound that private labels, although if you've enjoyed a specific brand for years, you may want to pay the extra $3 for a turkey you've always liked.
And besides using coupons, look for in-store sales as supermarkets and food companies try to pull in customers. Ocean Spray, for example, is battling private labels by selling cans of cranberry sauce for about 99 cents, down from the $1.39 per can that they normally sell for the rest of the year. To boost sales of fresh cranberries, Ocean Spray is offering an instant $1 off coupon for fresh cranberries on its cranberry juice bottles.
This weekend at my house, more than a week before Thanksgiving, we're having turkey and all of the trimmings. We'll be out visiting friends on the actual holiday, and the day after Thanksgiving wouldn't feel right without some leftover turkey to pull out of the refrigerator.
Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job hunt at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-15-2008 @ 12:49AM
brian franklin jawad said...
little-did-we-no-i-m-wat-i-m-theif-wat-ever-u-want-2-call-me-my-self-and-i-winepress-project-treader-of-the-wine-i-will-c-u-in-the-press-and-all-of-the-world=WINEPRESS-PROJECT-BANKING-WITH-R-KIDZ-PROHOBITION
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 7:24AM
joncdodge said...
Sadly, When Money Is Tight, and Junk Food Beckons
http://www.curiousread.com/2008/11/money-is-tight-and-junk-food-beckons.html
JD
11-15-2008 @ 12:53AM
brian fjawad said...
wat-ever-bfj-i-will-c-u-in-hell
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 9:59AM
FB said...
I won't! Thanks to Jesus!!
WORRIED ABOUT TRAILER THEFT?? You need to:
http://www.carrythebigstick.com
11-15-2008 @ 2:02PM
LRR said...
Good Luck on your hunt for a new job.
Reply
11-15-2008 @ 2:12PM
pha-q said...
what?
Reply
11-15-2008 @ 7:49PM
CCM said...
Turkey is ablsolutely a budget friendly protein, which we serve year round. I also agree that stocking up now is a smart move. I bought and served a fzn whole turkey last week, as Stop and Shop had a limit of one turkey @ 69/lb. They again offered this special this week, and I made a point of making room in the chest freezer for this deal. I paid just under $14 for a slighly less than 20 lb bird. After serving my family of 6,I carve 1/2 of the breast immediately and reserve for sandwiches, cube the rest for turkey and gravy over a starch or for slivering down to make turkey tacos/"pulled pork" BBQ type sandiwch filling, and I reserve the scraps for soup. The carcass and pan drippings are combined and a large pot of stock is created for future soup, gravy, casserole base.
Reply
11-16-2008 @ 9:35PM
momd13 said...
I can't believe how many "stick in the mud" families miss the boat on turkeys and only buy one a year and make it for Thanksgiving. Seriously people!! I love all of the turkey leftovers, and even if all you make with it for dinner every other time you make it is a can of corn and instant mashed potatoes, a turkey is an awesome weekend dinner choice. I have made a whole turkey for dinner at least 3 or 4 times a year for all of my adult life. Yeah, it's healthier than most other meats, but darn, it's just plain delicious! and what other mean can you buy that cheap, and get that many meals from? Invest in a meat thermometer and DON'T OVERCOOK it because you'll dry it out. Happy Turkey Day everyone...
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11-18-2008 @ 7:27AM
Pat said...
I LOVE turkey. I used to never make turkey and the way I made chicken was ridiculous. I would dip in cream, then batter and fry it. So unnecessary. Chicken andTurkey are so good just baked with rosemary. I love leftover cold turkey with a little coarse salt dipped in good ole Gulden's mustard. I have definitely changed my eating habits a lot. I also have a salad most days with a little fitflax sprinkled on it.
I eat flax and drink water to help keep my skin looking young and it sped up my weight loss.
I strive to eat healthy and lead by example for my daughters. I eat flax every morning for health and weight loss reasons. I have the same breakfast now every day. I recently lost 30 pounds following the
weight watchers program http://www.weightwatchers.com and I now just
am more watchful every day of what I eat. I have a banana low fat yogurt with golden roasted flax for breakfast every day. It is filling, keeps me regular and tastes fabulous (kinda like sesame seeds). My Weight Watchers leader recommended fitflax to me and it definitely helped the last 10 pounds to melt off. It is low carb and low cal. It is a flax and chia blend and I think I read about it in O mag. They also listed a code to get 10% off. The site is http://www.fitflax.com and the code for 10% off is
HAPPY10
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 8:06AM
Tracey said...
Can you buy the fitflax in a store or is it only available online?? Thanks for any info.
11-18-2008 @ 9:14AM
Alex Mcmurtrie said...
Dear Pat:
I see that you are a health conscious person, if you like flax I
think you will flip when you learn about my product. It is a whole
raw food and it is a formula blend of chia seed that a scientist Dr. Wayne Coates has been developing over 20 years. It is the most
nutritionaly packed natural food on earth. Check it out at Milaman.Lifemax.net. Alex
11-18-2008 @ 7:33AM
Beth said...
Turkey is not only a great value, it is so versatile and healthy! And I love saving money in general. It is far more fun
to get an item with a $10 off code and free shipping than to pay full price. The you can buy two!!
I shop online to save money on gas, use less gas and not pay tax
most of the itme and use coupons. I shop at all my favorite stores
through an online website that gives me the unpublished codes at
about 300 stores (including Target, The Gap, Best Buy, Old Navy,
Drugstore.com, etc) as well as giving me between 5 and 50% back in
cash on my purchases. The site is http://www.fatcrumbs.com I am being
good to the environment and great to my wallet.
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 8:53AM
wers said...
how can one stack up on turkeys? the frig is not that big to clutter up with lots of turkeys, get real
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 11:53AM
1badmamawolf said...
cook, bone , and freeze
11-18-2008 @ 8:59AM
Kathy said...
Why are groceries stores allowed to raise their prices so hard when we are facing another depression? It is crazy the prices for just stables for the family! I'm spending close to 200 a week on groceries and barely feeding a family of 6. Everyone preachs about eating healthy- maybe they should make eating healthy affordable!!! a dozen of eggs are $2,00 plus, milk $4 dollars a gallon, get real! Goverment should monitor grocery chains & providers also!
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 7:28PM
CCM said...
Kathy-I feed a varied, healthy diet to a family of 6 (2 adults, 2 teens, 2 middle schoolers) on a budget of $400/month for food, plus $50 for non food items (cat supplies are tallied separately). Seriously-email me if interested, for some suggestions on how to cut back yet STILL provide healthy foods for your family. Today's fare:
bfst: hm French toast or oatmeal, OJ, coffee
lunch: DH-soup, sandwich, fruit; usually I pack hm soup or leftovers (today I was thrown a modest bday lunch by co-workers), one kid: Cesar salad w/ slivered, smoked turkey breast, apple, seltzer; other kids: roast chicken on large sesame rolls w/ cheese and mustard, choc pudding, apples, HM Koolaid. 2 kids also took baggies of Cheerios.
Dinner: HM beef stew w/ carrots/potatoes/onion/mushroom/green beans. Dinner rolls on the side.
11-19-2008 @ 10:08PM
Lou said...
Not a commercial, but . . . Trader Joe's has large grade A eggs for $1.19 per dozen and milk for almost $1.00 less per gallon than supermarket. The prices are out there, but it takes research and planning to get them.
11-19-2008 @ 11:15PM
Vana said...
Kathy...I am going to guess that you have never taken a class in micro-economics. Supply and demand dictate price unless you want to live in a socialist or communistic country. If you want everyone else to contribute for you, instead of earning the money you need to support your family, please move to one of the countries that offer that (i.e. Sweden or North Korea). Otherwise, please educate yourself on how a capitalistic society like America uses free economy and that supply and demand dictate the price in the marketplace. We do have social programs that try to help those who need it while trying (unsuccessfully) to discourage corruption but you don't sound like someone who wants that. You sound like you just don't understand. I hope you can educate yourself and understand that we have it better than any other country no matter how bad it may seem at the moment!
11-18-2008 @ 9:19AM
deniseatt said...
Why are grocery stores ALLOWED to raise their prices "so hard" Kathy? Because we have the free enterprise system in this country. The last thing this country is about and the last thing I would want is more government interference in my life. Why did you have such a large family anyway, if money is so tight?
Reply
11-18-2008 @ 9:35AM
Heather said...
I don't know why but your comment really burned my butt! "If money is tight why did you have a large family?" How dare you?