What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[Sally PB]

I'll have to look at our local Meijer for their loss leader turkey. I checked a week or so ago, and it was still $2.89 a pound (or something like that).

 

[saysfaa]

Yep, it changed price today.

Walmart started two weeks ago or earlier. They have it $0.89 a pound. We have the second one from Walmart in the oven. We ate all the first one, including all the gravy it could make. This one is for gravy makings to freeze for Thanksgiving. And one from Meijer is in the freezer; it might be for Thanksgiving or sometimes an employer of someone in the family gives turkeys to employees this time of year.

 

[TooCheep]

Everyone's Thanksgiving meal is different, but the Aldi package is a good common denominator. You can always add extras to make your ideal holiday dinner.

I checked Kroger and Meijer (a regional superstore), but neither had a Thanksgiving package deal listed.

 

[fuzzi]

Cranberries are $3.50 a bag, wow.

In my freezer I still have a bag from last year. I also have a turkey, and bulk sausage for the stuffing. Last November my DH was ailing and so we skipped the holiday meals.

 

[FrostRanger]

It is not really complete, though. One would still want eggs

I think there are an abundance of people here who would love to offload more than you know what to do with give you some eggs. Speaking of which would you like some eggs?

 

[Smokerbill]

Cranberries are $3.50 a bag, wow.

Wait a while and the price will come down, especially right after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope, anyway.

Last year I got them for $1.50 a bag. Ended up making spicy cranberry salsa with them.

 

[Molpet]

I think there are an abundance of people here who would love to offload more than you know what to do with give you some eggs. Speaking of which would you like some eggs?

Me me me
I have over 30 hens and 2 eggs every few days

 

[FrostRanger]

We are simplifying Thanksgiving dinner this year and I'm still not used to all the sticker shocks.

I hope you don't mind if I think it through here.

Turkey at Meijer is 99 cents a pound. $15 for $15 pounds

Russet potatoes are $3.99 for 10 pounds.
(We would prefer yellow potatoes but use russet sometimes)

Stovetop Stuffing is $2.29 for 6 ounces. Aldi has 3 boxes (alternate brand) in the deal. $6.90.

Pumpkin, canned $1.19 for 15 ounces

Condensed milk $1.50 for 12 ounces

Chicken broth, $1.59 for 32 ounces (was on sale last week, I got some but don't remember the price).

Carrots, baby, $1.45 for 1 pound
Or not baby, $3.59 for 3 pounds

Onions, $3.79 for three pounds.
These were on sale last week too, half price if I remember right.

Celery, $2.39

Green beans, $0.80 per can. Aldi deal has 2 cans. $1.60.

I add up about $36 $40 for the parts of the Aldi's meal that I would use, even if not for Thanksgiving. Or a little less because more of these things will go on sale before Thanksgiving. I assume these would add up to less at Aldi than at Meijer even if they were bought individually rather than parts of a package.

The parts I would not use even if they were free (lol, or am trying not to eat. Like the mini marshmallows) are the: Rolls, gravy mixes, whipped dairy topping, mini marshmallows, shells and cheese, condensed soup, French's fried onions, cranberries, pie crust, thyme, sage, rosemary, poultry seasoning.

So, a really great deal for someone who would use more of the items.

It is not really complete, though. One would still want eggs, sugar, and spices for the pumpkin pie. Butter for the stuffing, potatoes, and bread. Milk for the green bean casserole. Sugar, maybe other things, for the cranberries. I can see why they didn't include them but someone who hasn't done the cooking yet might want a heads up.

Even for a very simple Thanksgiving dinner, I would add: squash, sweet potatoes (simply baked, served with butter, salt, pepper, gravy as options), apple pie, and a salad.

It seems that they just lowered the prices on the items in question rather than have them in an actual bundle. You can just buy what you need from the sale and ignore what you don't

 

[mapel walnut]

Can you give some examples? Not sure exactly what you mean by tour pets. Why can't you make food at home?

Yes, I have chickens. Currently a flock of 11.

I meant your pets and many elements of pet food but it ends up being cheaper to mix in some commercial food for vitamins minerals and such. Trust me I've done the math enough times. For my chickens they get 1/3store food with some other stuff including barley and corn with most of our table scraps and a few other things including cat food when they are sick or it's cold

 

[gtaus]

I meant your pets and many elements of pet food but it ends up being cheaper to mix in some commercial food for vitamins minerals and such.

That makes sense. Years ago, I looked into mixing my own chicken feed to see if that would save me any money. Unless you can buy in bulk and/or have a number of sources for inexpensive grains, I calculated that I could not save any money mixing my own chicken feed. Also, with only 10 chickens, I'm not going to be buying pallets of grain at a discount to save a little money mixing a bag of chicken feed. No way could I use that much bulk grain before it went bad. Also, I know they mix in % of calcium and vitamins which might be hard to match.

We feed all our table scraps to our chickens. That is not a replacement for the commercial feed, but it's a nice supplement as a treat. Also, I converted my entire chicken run into a composting system. My chickens are outside all day scratching and pecking in the compost litter looking for tasty bugs and juicy worms in the compost.

My feed bill is about half in the summer compared to winter. I thought it was because they were digging in the compost all day finding good stuff to eat. But someone mentioned that the warmer weather might have more effect because the chickens need to eat more in the winter to keep warm. In any case, my feed bill is half in the summer months.

BTW, did you know it is against the law to feed table scraps and leftovers to your chickens in England? Check this out...

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Feeding table scraps to chickens in England is illegal because it poses a serious risk of spreading animal diseases like Foot and Mouth disease and Avian Flu. The law applies to all poultry keepers, even in private households.

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Disease Prevention Is the Core Reason​

• The ban was introduced after the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the early 2000s, which devastated UK agriculture.
• Kitchen waste, even from vegan households, can carry pathogens or cross-contamination from meat products.
• The UK government enforces a strict “swill feeding” ban to prevent disease transmission between species British Hen Welfare Trust serengetikitchen.com.

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What the Law Says​

• APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) guidance prohibits feeding any kitchen or catering waste to farm animals—including chickens.
• This includes:
  • Cooked leftovers
  • Fruit and vegetable peelings
  • Scraps from restaurants or households
• The law applies regardless of diet (vegan, vegetarian, etc.) British Hen Welfare Trust keepingchickens.uk.

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Why It Matters​

• Diseases like African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, and Avian Influenza can spread rapidly through contaminated food.
• Even smallholders and backyard chicken keepers are subject to the same rules.
• Violations can lead to investigations and penalties by Trading Standards or APHA GOV.UK.

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What You Can Feed Legally​

• Commercial poultry feed
• Fresh produce that hasn’t entered your kitchen (e.g., garden-grown vegetables)
• Grains and seeds purchased for animal use

Sources:
British Hen Welfare TrustBritish Hen Welfare Trust
serengetikitchen.comSerengeti Kitchen
GOV.UKGOV.UK – APHA
keepingchickens.ukKeepingChickens.uk