The turkey deals have been announced. The best deals in my local stores involve very large (for me, at least) purchases in order to qualify. At Fred Meyer, if I spend $150, I can get a 20-lb turkey for free. If I spend just $50, I can get a turkey for 49 cents per pound. WinCo also has a free turkey deal, with a minimum spend of $100. I will be sticking with Fred Meyer for my turkey, though. Here's why. Fred Meyer is a department store, much like Target, selling an extensive variety of non-food goods in addition to groceries, whereas WinCo is more limited in what they carry.
The last two afternoons, I have brainstormed all of the products that I could possibly buy at FM (and not overpay per item) and spend that $150. I actually don't buy a lot of food at Fred Meyer, because frankly, I can do better, price-wise on food items at many of the other stores and markets in my area. But I do buy household items at Fred Meyer, because their store-brands of household items are quite good. For example, I buy Fred Meyer's Everyday Living LED lightbulbs and Office Works copy paper -- both are house-branded, priced well, and have performed well for me.
So my list is comprised of almost exclusively non-food items that can be found at Fred Meyer and many other grocery stores. It occurred to me that some of you might also be considering whether or not you will be spending a substantial amount in order to qualify for a free or reduced-price turkey. I thought I'd share what I've come up with for bulking up my grocery list and snagging myself a free turkey.
I'll be buying my turkey (or rather, getting my free turkey) on this coming Tuesday, which happens to be another bonus 55+ shopping day at Fred Meyer. In putting together my shopping list, I have literally walked around my home and garage, opening drawers and cupboards and asked myself "is this something I would normally buy at Fred Meyer?" I discovered that there are quite a lot of non-food items that I buy over the course of a year, there, or in a similar store. Here's a list of items that I've come up with so far.
Bathroom
- bath tissue
- facial tissue
- hygiene supplies
- toothbrushes/paste/mouthwash/whitening strips
- personal items like lip balm, cosmetics, soap/body wash, shampoo/conditioner, hair color
- first aid, such as epsom salt, bandages, ointments, cotton or gauze balls/pads/swabs, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol
- OTC meds and supplements
- bathroom cleaners, sponges, toilet brushes, shower squeegees
- travel containers for vacations
- hair accessories, tools, and appliances
- razors
- baby supplies
Bedroom
- hangers
- moisture control products for the closet
General
- lightbulbs
- batteries
- cleaning solutions (hard surface and carpet/upholstery) and tools
- candles, matches, lighters, pressed logs, charcoal briquets, flashlights
Office
- copy paper
- tape -- duct, Scotch, packing
- pens, highlighters, Sharpies
- sticky notes
- file folders
- scissors, rulers
Kitchen
- dishwashing liquid
- dishwashing powder
- paper towels, waxed paper, plastic wrap, foil, baggies, napkins, coffee filters
- small kitchen tools/gadgets, like can/bottle openers, rubber spatulas, pancake turners, mixing/serving spoons
- storage and lunch containers, glass or plastic
- small electric appliances -- mixers, kettles, stick blenders
- bakeware, cutting boards, cooling racks
Garage
- motor oil, other car fluids
- chamois cloths
- gas cans
- ice scrapers for windshields
- bag of sand or kitty litter to keep in trunk for dealing with snow/ice
- spray paint, wall patch putty
- measuring tape
- snow shovel
- emergency auto supplies, like road flares
Holiday Specific
- holiday lights
- extension cords
- wrapping paper
- small gifts/stocking stuffers
Personal
- umbrella
- mittens
- socks
- shoe polish, shoe inserts
This isn't a list of everything I intend to buy, but simply a list of possibilities. Many of these items I buy at other stores, simply because they're less expensive at places like Dollar Tree, and I only need a basic level of quality for particular items. I left them on this list because they may be less expensive for you at the store with your best turkey-deal.
Do you know what? I am extremely close to that $150 threshold for a free turkey. It helps that I've spent extraordinarily little on things like lightbulbs, bandaids and tape, and just allowing us to run out of many of these items over the past 6 months. In addition, I'll be buying a couple of holiday gifts at FM, ones that turn out to be less expensive there compared to other stores. I need just a couple more items to reach that spending threshold. I'm looking for suggestions for my list, if you can think of anything else.
So, what else could I add to my list of possibilities?
