Stock up on Grocery Bargains Now

Save by Stocking Up on Thanksgiving Grocery Bargains

Stephanie Nelson

November 2005

The holiday season is in full swing, and most of us are busy with the fun and excitement of shopping, celebrating and socializing with family and friends. So in case you have been too busy to notice, I want to let you know that this is also the best time of year to stock up on great grocery deals!

Statistics show that the most grocery coupons are issued during the holiday months of November, December and in January (for New Year’s budget resolutions). In fact, manufacturers issue twice as many coupons at this time of year than in the summertime.

On top of that, grocery stores compete for our business by offering rock bottom deals on common holiday meal items, baking ingredients, and frozen foods. By paying attention to sales, combining them with coupons, and stocking up on great deals now, you can really save. You’ll have more to spend on holiday gifts!

Some examples of deals to stock up on now include frozen turkeys (which will last a full year in the freezer), ham, bottled juices, baking ingredients, cake mixes, cookie mixes, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, canned fruits, canned cooking soups and more. Check the “Grocery Deals by State” section of www.couponmom.com to find the best deals at your store each week.

At this time of year the grocery coupon circulars are filled with coupons for these items. You can view the coupons available in your Sunday paper in the “Virtual Coupon Organizer” section at www.couponmom.com. The printable coupon sites also have many coupons that will match these grocery bargains.

Of course, this is also the “food drive season,” when most grocery stores, churches, schools and other places of worship have convenient collection bins for non-perishable food donations. Charities receive as much as 80% of their annual food donations during November and December food drives. Take advantage of some of the grocery deals to help your neighbors, too.

If you have limited pantry space, you can get creative by using some of your best grocery deals to make holiday gifts for neighbors, friends, co-workers and family members. Examples of inexpensive, thoughtful gifts include:

Homemade baking mixes, layered in jars or plastic storage bags. Simply layer the dry ingredients for your favorite cookie or muffin mix, and attach a recipe card with instructions to add the wet ingredients, the baking temperature and baking time. Write the recipe for the mix with colorful markers on a simple card, tied to the package with a ribbon. Buy baking ingredients at rock bottom prices like flour, sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, oatmeal, and nuts. You can find many good homemade mix recipes for cookies, soups, cocoa mix and more at www.frugalhomemaker.com. Look for the “gift mixes” link on the left side.
Of course, you can bake muffins, cookies and breads as gifts. Take advantage of canned pumpkin on sale in clearance bins after Thanksgiving to make muffins, frosted bars, cookies, breads and even pumpkin soup for dinner. Freeze muffins and breads for easy breakfasts and snacks for the kids—pumpkin is very high in vitamins.
For an easy, very inexpensive idea to use canned pumpkin and cake mix bargains, try this recipe: Combine one box of cake mix (German Chocolate or Spice Cake Mix or any one you might like) and one 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin. Mix until well blended. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake per instructions on cake mix box. Very easy, delicious, and will stay moist for days.

Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom As Seen On:

Stock up on Grocery Bargains Now

Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
As Seen On: