The turkey is the priciest menu item on Thanksgiving.
ATLANTA - Thanksgiving is such a nice time to bring family together. But it's not free. A big meal for family costs money.
Think about this: If you could manage to get your turkey for free, you are cutting the cost of the meal about in half. According to the Farm Bureau's latest figures, a classic Thanksgiving meal costs about $50. Honestly, for me, that feels conservative, but I think we may overdo it. The big ticket item is the turkey. It can be half of that fifty bucks. But, again, what if you could get a free one?
This is where that loyalty card comes in handy. Be on the look-out for free turkey offers. Often you have to spend,say, $100 or something, but the grocer is counting on you coming in and spending that and more. And, it's only a deal if you already planned to spend a hundred dollars. Also, start checking sales inserts for free offers there, too.
Buy one get one free offers, or BOGOs, will pop up soon. Do you need two turkeys? No, but sometimes you can make that other one a ham. And that you can eat over Christmas. Or take two turkeys. Freeze the other one and eat it later. You can eat turkey others times of the year, you know.
Also, check your local food bank. Around the holidays they get so much free food, like frozen turkeys. If they get too many - and they do - sometimes they give them away after the holidays. If your family get-together is not actually on Thanksgiving Day this may work for you.
2 MORE WAYS TO GET A FREE TURKEY
1. Enter contests for free giveaways.
2. Check Craiglist. Folks often have a turkey they got from work they won't eat.