Now that November is here, the holidays and winter are both coming quickly! This means that November presents an opportunity to grab some great preparedness deals on items that will typically go on sale around this time.

Black Friday & Internet Deals

Look for Black Friday deals. If you dislike going to the store on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) participate online.  Many retailers have taken to offering deals on the internet even before the COVID pandemic struck. Take advantage of things like grills or smokers and tools and hardware. Look for gift sets of tools too. Often those go on sale and are packaged as gifts.

A trick I personally have learned is to look around at big box stores like Wal-Mart or Target. If you find something you like, go to that brand’s website, and subscribe to their email list to get an even deeper discount.  I did this when we bought our pressure canner. Going through LEM’s website and subscribing to emails saved us about 20%! You can always unsubscribe later after you take the deal. Try this with Christmas gifts too, especially if you are someone who likes to shop early.

Home Winterizing Items

You should also stock up on a few winterizing materials for your home. Having some way to stop drafts and seal in warmth will save you on heating costs, especially in light of the energy shortage we are facing. Look for things like weather stripping and duct tape.

Animal Care Items

Items like beekeeping supplies go on sale often in November.  Since it isn’t the season to start a new beehive, retailers often try to clear out what’s left so they can restock the shelves in the spring. Stock up on any rain boots or warmer weather boots you need to care for your animals too, as the stores will be clearing out that stuff to prepare for stocking the shelves with snow boots, mittens, and wool socks.

Seasonal Produce

Grab some seasonal produce! This time of year, we can pumpkin into a mush to use in pumpkin pie and we like to can pears and carrots. Some of the vegetables and fruits listed below are excellent in soups and holiday dishes too, so consider learning how to can those as well! November is typically considered “peak season” for:

• Avocadoes
• Cabbages
• Celery
• Cranberries
• Carrots
• Dill
• Huckleberries
• Lemons
• Tangerines
• Pineapple
• Pears
• Pumpkins
• Sweet potatoes
• Squash
• Turnips
• Yams

Food Storage & Baking Supplies

You should also shop for food storage items and baking supplies. These items are often readily available for purchase because it is the season for baking and having large family feasts.  Some stores even sell flour and sugar in bulk! Our local store does, and we stock up on the best quality sugar we can get to use for bee food. Another multi-use item is baking soda. It can be used to bake with, clean with, and even medicinally. Start by watching your local grocery ads. You may see bakeware on sale, but more than likely you’ll find discounted supplies to use for holiday dinners or deals on can openers to add to your prepper pantry. We have two can openers that are brand new that we keep with the canned goods we are storing in our prepper pantry.  It would be a disappointing experience to have a year’s worth of canned goods and be unable to easily open those cans to get to the food!

Watch for staples like flour and salt to be on sale, as well as more seasonal items like chocolate chips, canned pumpkin, and cranberry sauce. Our local grocery store even offers points that you can use toward the purchase of a turkey. The least we have saved on a turkey in the past four years was 50%. One year, I only paid $1 for a turkey after all my turkey bucks were calculated! Keep an eye out for stores near you that offer similar deals. You never know what you’ll find! And don’t forget the smaller turkeys can be used to make delicious soup and broth for the winter months.

What deals are you going to shop for this November? Share your ideas with Ready Nutrition readers below!