Did you know that it is relatively easy to buy a cheap Thanksgiving turkey? The truth of the matter is that most grocery chains will sell you one (or more) as a loss leader special every Thanksgiving.

What is a loss leader? Loss leaders are those fantastic sales that lure you into the store to buy a product or item that is priced well below normal shelf prices. These are the deals they sell to you at below wholesale and are always a great value to consumers. Think prices at 50% or less off or more. Thanksgiving Day turkey is a solid bet for excellent pricing every year.

There are a few things you need to know, however, to get your very best deal on your Thanksgiving Day menu centerpiece. The turkey you eat at your feast may very well be more expensive than it should be if you shop too soon

You see, turkeys are filling the freezers and display cases in every major grocery chain as we speak. The sign may say that they are on sale, but in truth buying too early is for suckers. The prices will be higher until closer to the holiday.

Thanksgiving birds do not really go on sale until the week before Thanksgiving and return to higher than normal pricing the day after the holiday. To get your best pricing you should find out what day the grocery ad breaks in your local area the week just prior to the holiday. I shop the first day the ad comes out because these are the lowest prices of the year and offer the fewest out of stocks on all the rest the items on my list.

In my local area, the ads break the middle of the week, and the great holiday deals start the week prior to the holiday you will need to cook your holiday meal. If you want to get the best savings with the fewest hassles, go shopping on the first day the ad breaks and then stocks up. By the way, I also always buy an extra turkey and stick it in the freezer for later in the year. The price certainly is right and you can feed a family of 5 for about $5 or so for several days when you buy an extra turkey at Thanksgiving time.

You can save even more money by starting to collect some grocery coupons now. It is no mistake that grocery coupons come out just a few weeks before the holiday ad breaks. Grocery marketers know that coupons combined with lower than average sale pricing means that their products will literally fly off the shelves. Many times products may be had for free just by clipping a few coupons, or printing some online. It is relatively easy to get a coupon for everything in your shopping cart and save a lot of money in the process, especially with sale pricing this low.