Wes and I read about how high Turkey prices have gotten, so I was pleased today to see that Baker's here in Omaha has 2 different kinds of Turkeys on sale right now. One kind is $.68/lb the other is $.98/lb. I just saw this on a TV ad so I have to do some more research to see what the difference in the birds are, but I am super happy to see the prices falling back down to less than a dollar a pound!!

Also, I heard (have not yet verified) that BagNSave advertised in yesterday's Sunday World-Herald (Which I have not read yet) that they have Our Family brand Grade A Premium Turkey, .33/lb (with $25 additional purchase-that excludes the price of the turkey). This deal should be good through 11/24/10

I have to admit something...I am NOT a frugal Thanksgiving cook. I, in fact, go a bit crazy for Thanksgiving, even when I am just cooking for my family of 6 (2 adults, 4 kids ages 2-7). But, over the last 2 years, while I have been cooking for our family and friends on a budget, I have tried to cut down a bit. Just so you know where I am coming from, let me tell you that in the past, I have taken my mom's Thanksgiving menu and made it all plus a few additions I have added along the years (keep in mind ALL items are made from scratch including the cranberry sauce). So, (prepare for overload and shock) here is my mom's menu Plus my additions (I will denote those with *):

• Turkey
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sage "American" Stuffing/dressing
• "Greek" Dressing
• Cranberry Dressing
• Cranberry sauce
• Orange-Cranberry Relish/Sauce
• Gravy
• XiaXia's Rolls
• Yams/Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
• Ambrosia
• Jello Salad
• Olive/Pickle/cheese appetizer tray
• Cheese Ball with crackers
• Hot Apple Cider
• Christmas Pudding
• Cranberry Cookies
• Pies-1-2 Pumpkin, the whatever else I feel up to making (Apple, Cherry, cream pies, mince meat)
• Pecan Pie*
• Ham/pickle/cream cheese roll ups*
• Green Bean Casserole*

Ok-I realize that for a family of 6 this is a bit crazy, but I feel like it is not much of a holiday if I am missing anything. However, I am realistic, so I have cut it down a bit, and there are a few things I no longer do from scratch.  So here is the menu as I have streamlined it over the years and which items I no longer make from scratch.  Also, some of the items I make throughout the weeks before and after instead of all on one day (like the desserts).  (Highlit items I still make. Bolded means I have cut it from the menu, and I will put comments next the the items):

• Turkey
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sage "American" Stuffing/dressing (I actually no longer make this from scratch though-we found that our little family likes Stove Top just as well and it is far easier!!)
• "Greek" Dressing (I actually LOVE this, but it is the hardest/most time consuming thing on the menu and I found I am usually the only one to eat it, so I cut it out-it also has expensive ingredients that are not as easy to find here in Omaha as they were to find growing up in Utah).
• Cranberry Dressing (I just cut down to 1 dressing)
• Cranberry sauce ( I just like the one with Orange better so I only make one)
• Orange-Cranberry Relish/Sauce
• Gravy
• XiaXia's Rolls (Admitedly I do not always do these from my XiaXia's recipe/from scratch. Sometimes I opt for pillsbury ones or premade to save time, but I always regret it!)
• Yams/Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
• Ambrosia (Yes I realize this is both Bolded and highlit-It remains on my menu, but sometimes I don't get to it or have room in the fridge, so it is an iffy one)
• Jello Salad (As with the Ambrosia, this one is one I often end up skipping, and when I do make it, I rarely make the full Jello salad recipe-often it ends up being just jello made by the kids, and that is perfect for our family!)
• Olive/Pickle/cheese appetizer tray (This one really depends on sale prices. I like to have it for people to snack on all day while we cook, but if these items do not go on a great sale leading up to the holiday, they are cut out!)
• Cheese Ball with crackers
• Christmas Pudding (I save this for Christmas if I make it at all-my family is not big fans)
• Cranberry Cookies  (I always make these but usually not right on Thanksgiving-it is part of the Thanksgiving week treats though)
• Pies-1-2 Pumpkin, then whatever else I feel up to making (Apple, Cherry, cream pies, mince meat)
• Pecan Pie*
• Ham/pickle/cream cheese roll ups*
• Green Bean Casserole*

Have you heard of Mist8? According to their website "Mist8 is a revolutionary new all-purpose cleaning spray that tackles the 8 most grueling home cleaning tasks for you."

If you want to try it out go here and fill out the form to request your free sample!

Thanks That Freebie Site.

Lots of places have begun to release their Black Friday ads. As I mentioned in my previous Black Friday post, make sure to double check your local ads on Thanksgiving to make sure what you are looking for is part of your local ad as sometimes they vary regionally and sometimes the early released ads are not exactly the same as the final ads.

That being said, I want to tell you about a website I found and love! It is Black-friday.net. Here are a few reasons I particularly like this Black Friday site:

• They have listed all the Black Friday ads that have been released.
• You can search the lists by store or by item.
• You can sign up for email alerts for when new ads are released.
• You can make yourself a list on their site of the items you are interested in (which is an easier way to make the list I talked about in my previous post).

As an FYI-they have just released the WalMart ad and the Toys R Us ad is already up-those are usually 2 of my favorites and I am going to go look through them in just a minute here!

The Pillsbury gieaway ends on 11/17-just a couple days left to enter!!

Remember to enter BOTH of my giveaways (the BabyCenter one would make a GREAT baby shower gift) There are still LOW entries.

You can enter to win this fun giveaway that includes yummy Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls as well as Scrapbooking items meant for a family fun Sunday brunch! Go here to check it out and to enter!! This giveaway ends this week and has 48 entries right now!!!

AND this next giveaway is perfect for the expecting/new mom OR for a baby shower gift! You can enter to win this fantastic prize package that includes two new BabyCenter parenting books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby), a package of Seventh Generation diapers, a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly and a BabyCenter bib!!! This giveaway ends on 11/27 (my baby sister's 22 birthday). Go here to check it out and to enter As of this post there are 30 entries-the chances are good.

Remember to enter BOTH of my giveaways (the BabyCenter one would make a GREAT baby shower gift) There are still LOW entries.

You can enter to win this fun giveaway that includes yummy Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls as well as Scrapbooking items meant for a family fun Sunday brunch! Go here to check it out and to enter!! This giveaway ends next week and has 38 entries right now!!!

AND this next giveaway is perfect for the expecting/new mom OR for a baby shower gift! You can enter to win this fantastic prize package that includes two new BabyCenter parenting books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby), a package of Seventh Generation diapers, a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly and a BabyCenter bib!!! This giveaway ends on 11/27 (my baby sister's 22 birthday). Go here to check it out and to enter As of this post there are 19 entries-the chances are good.

Remember, as with EVERY Friday, today is Mega Swag Bucks day! That means more chances to earn more Swag Bucks! So, makes sure to use Swag Bucks for all your searching needs today!

If you have not joined yet, click on my referral link here and start earning Swag Bucks with me! This is a GREAT time to join-with Mega Swagbucks going on today!! As an FYI, I have gotten $130 in Amazon Gift cards so far and I have enough to get another $5 with 55 Swagbucks left. (450=$5 Amazon card).

If you are new to Swagbucks, please read my explaination of Swagbucks here. And my explaination of the changes to Swagbucks here.

Houseparty.com is a site that I am completely loving!! On this site, you apply to host various parties, and if chosen for a party, you get a party pack supplied to you for your party.

And...Boo-yeah!! Thanks to House Party and Gerber (which BTW you should go like on Facebook by clicking this link) I get to have one heck of a party next Saturday, November 20th!

I applied and was accepted to host a Gerber Generation Celebration Party. You may remember that I got to host a Arnolds/Oroweat Sandwich Thins Revolution party in February, and a Bic Soleil® Spread the Sunshine House Party in May. They were both a lot of fun, and I plan on this one being even better!

This time I am inviting families to come over and eat some healthy food, talk about the healthy foods in the Gerber Generation and have some festive Thanksgiving crafts for the older kids. I have to tell you I am AMAZED by they items they are sending me for this party!! Check it out:

House Party is sending me a FREE party pack that includes:

For hosts (me):
• Welcome banner
• Napkins, plates, cups and balloons
• Product samples representing stages of the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™ Nutrition System (for display):
• Display sign with breastfeeding resources
• 1 can of GERBER® GOOD START® Infant Formula
• 1 can of GERBER® DHA & Probiotic Rice Cereal
• 1 can of GERBER® DHA & Probiotic Oatmeal Cereal
• 1 package of GERBER® GRADUATES® Puffs
• 1 GRADUATES® for Preschoolers Healthy Meals Entrée
• 1 sampler box GERBER® GRADUATES® for Preschoolers Cereal Twists

For hosts and 15 guests:
• Insulated Gerber® lunch tote
• VIP product coupons
• Gerber® bib
• Breastfeeding Basics Booklet
• Nutrition Guide (*may arrive in a separate package)
• 1 2-pack of GERBER® SmartNourish™ 2nd FOODS® Purees
• 1 4-pack of GERBER® Infant Yogurt Blends
• 1 4-pack of GRADUATES® Yogurt Blends Snacks
• 1 GRADUATES® Smart Sips™ Dairy Beverage


If you live in Omaha or will be in Omaha next week, I would LOVE for you to come to this fantastic party and leave with some GREAT Gerber products and information!! You can check out my party site here, and shoot me and email if you would like to come (beckeesdeals@gmail.com ).

If you too would like to host parties like this with prize packs provided, you should go apply for some of the exciting upcoming events. Check them out at Houseparty.com. I would LOVE to attend some of your house parties!! :)

I have so much good stuff in my email today that I hardly know where to begin! I guess I will just get a move on and try to get as much useful information out to you as I can before preschool drop off!

I want to start out by talking a little bit about "Black Friday" shopping. I have, for YEARS, been a huge Black Friday Shopper and usually have done all my shopping for Christmas on Black Friday (well I do end up getting a stocking stuffer or 2 after). Last year my husband had to work on Black Friday, but I got in a few REALLY early morning deals before he left. This year he works Black Friday again, so I may or may not go out. Honestly, I got all my Christmas shopping for this year done by mid-January as I shopped all the after Christmas clearance and used coupons and got some MAJOR deals. So, I am basically done anyway.

However, my sister has decided to try the Black Friday shopping this year for the first time and has asked me to write up some tips and tricks to Black Friday shopping. I cannot possibly say all I want in one post, so I will just post a few Black Friday tips at a time.

Today I want to tell you how I have historically done Black Friday. When my newspaper comes on Thanksgiving morning, I am like a kid in a candy store! I sit down on my bed with the Macy's parade playing and the food already cooking in the kitchen and I whip out the ads. I go through and circle the GREAT deals I would LOVE to get in each ad-taking special note of the doorbusters. I write a list of each store, what doorbusters I would love to have and what time that store opens for their doorbuster sales. BEFORE Thanksgiving, I sit down with my husband and we write up a list of who we need to buy for and what we think we might want to get them.

So, after checking the ads, I compare the 2 lists and prioritize-are there specific items from my list of gifts I am looking for that are great deals somewhere on sale? What Doorbusters do I really want and are the at a place that usually has a ton of the items (like Walmart usually does here) or a place that limits the number to the first 25 (like Nebraska Furniture Mart)? Basically I look at what my odds are of getting what I want at the stores.

Once I have prioritized and listed which items I actually want to get and at which store they will be sold, then I look at the times the stores open in the morning and write up a plan of action as to where to go first, second, etc.

This has been my beloved tradition for many, MANY years. However, the last couple years have made my tradition a bit easier for a couple reasons. One is that last year at least, Walmart pricematched ALL the ads-even doorbusters! I went to one store! (The obvious downfall to that is that it is extra busy there and the more people that figure out they can price match the doorbusters, the less likely you are to get that item there.)

Second, and more important as far as convenience (especially when hubby is working and I am NOT going to take 4 kids to shop in those crowds for their own Christmas presents) is that LOTS of places have ONLINE doorbusters as well, and there is a growing "Cyber Monday" where online deals are often amazing as well.

Also, one more tip I will mention is that every year there are websites that leak the Black Friday deals and doorbusters before they are released. You can check those out, but be aware that you will still need to check your local ads when they come out to make sure what you are looking for and expecting is really on the local ad!

What questions do you have about Black Friday Shopping? Or what tips can you share with other Beckees Deals readers? I would LOVE to hear what your take on Black Friday is! Please comment or email me with questions or comments! (email is beckeesdeals@gmail.com)

Remember to enter BOTH of my giveaways (the BabyCenter one would make a GREAT baby shower gift)

You can enter to win this fun giveaway that includes yummy Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls as well as Scrapbooking items meant for a family fun Sunday brunch! Go here to check it out and to enter!! This giveaway ends next week and has around 20 entries right now!!!

AND this next giveaway is perfect for the expecting/new mom OR for a baby shower gift! You can enter to win this fantastic prize package that includes two new BabyCenter parenting books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby), a package of Seventh Generation diapers, a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly and a BabyCenter bib!!! This giveaway ends on 11/27 (my baby sister's 22 birthday). Go here to check it out and to enter As of this post there are NO entries-the chances are good.