Sixteen pounds, $15.84. The young man who loaded our Kroger pickup on Wednesday set the turkey in the back of the van like he was handing over a newborn and said, "That's a big one, ma'am." It is. It's also the cheapest pound of meat we'll buy all year, and the rest of Thanksgiving is built around it.
Here's where our Thanksgiving money has gone so far, where I bought each thing, what's still on the list for Monday, and the spots where I could have done better.
The turkey and the $25 catch
Kroger's price was 99 cents a pound with a $25 purchase, and I needed groceries anyway, so clearing the minimum was easy. The rest of that order was brine supplies, a canister of coffee and our usual fill-ins. The turkey went straight into the chest freezer, and it moves to the fridge tomorrow morning to thaw. A 16-pound frozen bird takes about four days in the fridge by the USDA's rule of thumb, which gets us to Wednesday night, when Matt puts it in the brine.
The brine is kosher salt, brown sugar, a bag of oranges, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns, plus rosemary from the raised bed. That came to $11.20, so the turkey and brine together are $27.04.
Already bought: $109.05
- Turkey and brine, $27.04. Kroger pickup.
- Cornbread dressing, $14.60. Aldi, earlier this month: cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, onions, celery, a loaf of white bread, chicken stock, sage and thyme. It's in the freezer in parts.
- Mashed potatoes and gravy base, $16.35. Ten pounds of russets and two blocks of cream cheese from Aldi, turkey wings and soup vegetables from Kroger. Also in the freezer.
- Rolls, $6.80. Aldi flour, yeast, milk and sugar. Three dozen, frozen.
- Paper goods, foil and pans, $22.76. A Walmart+ delivery: sturdy plates, napkins, cups, heavy-duty foil, foil pans and a stack of to-go containers for sending leftovers home.
- Smoker wood and charcoal, $21.50. Matt's department. Post oak splits and a bag of charcoal to get the fire going.
Still to buy on Monday: about $77
- Green bean casserole: frozen green beans, cream of mushroom soup and fried onions, about $9
- Cranberry sauce from a fresh bag of cranberries, an orange and sugar, about $3
- Appetizer tray: summer sausage, two cheeses, crackers, pickles, olives, baby carrots and grapes, about $25
- Sweet tea and lemonade: tea bags, lemons and sugar, about $14
- Whipped cream for Debbie's pies and small extras, about $6
- Butter, cream, stock and eggs to restock what the make-ahead sides borrowed from our regular fridge, about $20
If Monday goes as written, our share of Thanksgiving lands around $186 for fourteen people, about $13.30 a person. My target was $190.
Where I could have saved more
The appetizer tray. At about $25 it's the biggest single line after the turkey and brine, and it's the most optional thing on the menu. I'm keeping it because people arrive at noon, and a tray of summer sausage and cheese is what keeps them from hovering over the stove. But if I had to cut $15, I'd cut it here.
Paper goods. $22.76 is a lot to spend on things we throw away. We could borrow plates and run the dishwasher three times. I've decided I'm paying $22.76 not to wash fourteen place settings on Thanksgiving afternoon, and I'm at peace with that.
The gravy wings. Three pounds of turkey wings cost almost half what the whole turkey did. A make-ahead gravy base is worth it to me on the day, but gravy made from the turkey's own neck and giblets would have saved a few dollars, if I didn't mind making it at 1 p.m. with fourteen people in the house.
Bad timing on cash back. Our grocery cash-back card hit its yearly cap in October, so none of this November grocery spending earns the extra percentage it would have earned in September. That isn't a mistake exactly, just the calendar, but it's a few dollars I'd have had back if Thanksgiving came in the summer.
A few things went our way. I'm buying the restock butter at Kroger instead of Aldi because Kroger has it on a holiday sale this week. The pickup order earned fuel points that Matt will use on the truck. And I found two Ibotta offers that matched things on my list, which isn't much, since most rebates this time of year are for boxed stuffing and canned cranberry sauce. Cooking from scratch is cheaper, but the apps don't pay you for it.
The turkey moves to the fridge in the morning. Matt has measured the brining cooler twice already.
