Can you believe that we only have twenty-three more days until Thanksgiving? I hope that yesterday’s post helped calm your nerves about the upcoming holidays.Today we are going to talk about the turkey and what kind of planning that should be going on this week.

Do you remember that little jewel I shared with you on Monday of last week from Ocean Spray? Here is what they suggest should take place this week when it comes to planning and organizing.

Week of November 8: Preparation

• Think Turkey. Decide if you’re going to use fresh or frozen and how big it needs to be to serve your guests. You might consider two smaller turkeys instead of one large bird. For instance, instead of one 20-pound stuffed turkey, cook two unstuffed small turkeys to cut cooking time.
• If you wish to use a fresh turkey, order it for pick-up on Wed., Nov. 26 – no earlier.
  Let your grocer keep it in their refrigerator.
• If ordering any pre-made food – pies or breads – determine what you need and order to pick-up on Wed., Nov. 26.
• Make sure you have all the necessary cookware and bakeware for your recipes, as well as china, serving utensils and silverware for your table. If not, borrow, rent, or buy them.
• Make sure silver is polished and linens are clean and pressed.

Now~where to buy your turkey? Right now, Aldi’s is completely stocked up on those young butterball turkeys and they are selling them for only $12.00! That is an awesome price. I usually purchase two instead of one huge turkey. I cook one for our guests, and the other I cook to use in leftover recipes that we will be having the following week.

If you like to wait closer to Thanksgiving to purchase your turkey, then you can get a really good deal at Kroger’s. They run a special a week before Thanksgiving on their frozen and fresh turkeys. Last year, I got two frozen turkey breasts for $4.00 each, so be sure and watch all those sale flyers from now until Thanksgiving.

The most expensive place to purchase your turkey is Wal-Mart. They very seldom ever run any sales on their turkeys, so make sure and look around now before you buy. Don’t be afraid to ask the manager when their turkeys will be going on sale. You will be sure and get a good deal if you begin planning and being strategic now!

Also~coupons! Start looking through those flyers for coupons on cranberry sauce, green beans, rolls, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin in the can~anything you think you might use for Thanksgiving. Start clipping those and laying them aside for when you plan on doing your shopping!