What to buy at Jewel-Osco during the Thanksgiving sale

The grocery stores will be crowded this week in the run-up to Thanksgiving. But that doesn't mean it's a week to stay out of the store if you're not hosting your family's holiday. Oh, no -- there are too many good deals to be had. Thanksgiving week is one of those times of year when you can stock up on beverages for low prices, and if your family likes the components of the average Thanksgiving meal -- turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, etc. -- this is a great time to stock up on them.

Should Jewel-Osco be your stock-up store? That depends. In general you'll find the lowest prices on most of these things at Aldi or a neighborhood grocery. But I will probably buy a turkey at Jewel for my freezer this week. There is a coupon in today's ad for $10 off a turkey when you spend $20 on other groceries, so I'll be looking for the tiniest, cheapest turkey I can find to use this coupon on. (See my turkey deals post for the turkey offers at other Chicago grocery stores this week.)

Here are some other things that are at relatively good prices at Jewel this week. If there is a coupon available for the item, I will list that too. My favorite deal is free Green Giant boxed vegetables, as part of the "buy 10, save $5" deal -- but it's only free if you have the right coupon! See below for details.

(A note about coupons: Avid couponers save their Sunday inserts, so they can go back and clip the necessary coupons when a sale comes up. I'll tell you the date the coupon appeared, and if you still have your inserts, you can dig them out and clip it. I'll also tell you where to find printable coupons online.)

3 DAY SALE - THURSDAY-SATURDAY ONLY

Butternut whole grain or white bread 99 cents

Kraft shredded or chunk cheese 4.5-8 oz. $1.88

Jewel sugar 4 lb. $1.99

4 lb. bag navel oranges $2.28

ALL WEEK

sweet potatoes 28 cents/lb. (beats Aldi which is selling a 3-lb. bag for $1.49)

Coke, 7-Up or Pepsi 12-pack cans, 6- or 8-pack bottles $2.50 each, must buy 4 

Pop note: Don't buy a 24-pack of Coke at Jewel this week -- it's $6.99. You're better off buyin the 4 12-packs for $10, but even if you only buy 2 12-packs, you'll pay $3 each, or $6 total -- 99 cents less than you'd pay for the same amount of pop in a 24-pack. It just goes to show that bigger packages are not always the best value.

Pepsi coupon: If you got an ad for any groceries in the Centrella chain, look for a manufacturer's coupon four packs of Pepsi products. I found one in the ad for Fair Share Foods, a store with locations in Oak Park and the on the West Side. Since it says "manufacturer's coupon," Jewel should accept it. This coupon would bring your price down to $2 per 12-pack, which is as good as you're likely to see for name-brand pop.

Coke coupon: At Dominick's you may find a coupon booklet called "Share Something Delicious," Presented by Campbell's Kitchen. It contains lots of good coupons including on for $1 off two Coke 8-packs. Get two of these booklets, and you can use two of these coupons, bringing the price for four Coke 8-packs down to $8.

Super Chill 1 L mixers 59 cents

8-inch pies $2.99

Green Giant canned vegetables 44 cents (There was a booklet available at Dominick's called "Thanksgiving $60 in savings." If you can still find it at your store, look for the coupon for $1 off 4 cans Green Giant peas, corn or beans.)

Arctic Shores frozen shrimp 2 lb. bag $9.99 ($4.99/lb.)

Birds Eye or Steamfresh frozen vegetables 10-16 oz. $1 Watch the price on this at the store; the ad shows what looks like the same exact package of Steamfresh for $2 on another page. (There's a coupon for a free bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh Lightly Sauced or Whole Grain blends when you buy 1 Steamfresh in the SmartSource newspaper insert from 10/24. There is also a coupon for $1 off 3 Birds Eye (not Steamfresh) vegetables in the 11/13 SmartSource.