Thanksgiving at Costco used to be pretty simple. You grabbed a cart roughly the size of a canoe, filled it with pie and butter, and went home for a nap.
Now? It’s complicated. Costco has three coupon books running in November, and they overlap like a family seating chart nobody agreed to. The November coupon book ends Sunday, November 15. The December coupon book starts the very next morning and runs through December 20. And the Black Friday book (Costco calls it the Holiday Savings book) runs on top of both, in its own little date windows, right through Cyber Monday.
In plain English: the Boursin coupon expires eleven days before most of us would normally buy Boursin. So I went through all three books, pulled out the food and hosting deals that are worth your cart space, and sorted them by the week you need to be in the warehouse.
There’s no turkey coupon in any of the three books. What Costco discounts is the supporting cast: the cheese, the crackers, the broth, the foil, the appetizers, and dinner for the day after. That’s good news, because the supporting cast is where the Thanksgiving bill quietly gets out of hand.
Here’s the plan I’d follow. Trip one happens this week, before Sunday, November 15, for the pantry stuff and anything with a long fridge life. Trip two happens Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week for the fresh and frozen stuff.
Not Wednesday. Costco the day before Thanksgiving is a contact sport. And warehouses are closed on Thursday, November 26, so there is no “I’ll just run out in the morning” this year either.
One quick note before the list: prices vary by warehouse, and a few of these deals are online only.
$2.70 off – November coupon book – ends Sunday, Nov 15
Boursin was non-negotiable for this list. You get three 5.3 oz rounds: two Garlic & Fine Herbs and one Shallot & Chive (item #388467). When I checked, most warehouses had the pack at around $9 to $10, so figure roughly $7 after the coupon. A single round at the grocery store can run $5 or more, so this math works out nicely.
The easy move is to unwrap one, set it next to a sleeve of crackers, and walk away. If you want to look a little fancier, fill mushroom caps with it and bake them until they’re bubbly. And save one round for Friday. Boursin spread on a leftover turkey sandwich might be the best meal of the whole weekend.
The early deadline is less of a problem than it sounds. Boursin comes sealed in foil and keeps well in the fridge unopened. Check the date on the box, but buying it a week and a half ahead is usually fine.
If you only grab one thing from this list, make it this one.
$3.30 off – November coupon book – ends Sunday, Nov 15
The Boursin needs something to ride on, and the big 61.6 oz box of Ritz is $3.30 off. Crackers keep for months in the pantry, so this is a zero-risk early buy.
Ritz also has a second job. Crush a sleeve right in the wrapper, toss it with a little melted butter, and scatter it over the green bean casserole or a pan of mac and cheese. It makes the dish look like you tried harder than you did, which is the whole point of Thanksgiving.
One warning: an open sleeve on the counter while you cook will be empty before the first guest rings the doorbell, and nobody will admit to eating it. (It was me. It’s always me.)
$2.50 off – November coupon book – ends Sunday, Nov 15
Six 32 oz cartons sounds like a lot of broth until you count where it goes: the stuffing, the gravy, the bottom of the roasting pan, the mashed potatoes if you like them loose, and the soup somebody makes on Saturday out of the leftovers.
I’d pick the less sodium version for one reason: you stay in charge of the salt. Gravy reduces, and when regular broth reduces, it gets salty fast. Start low and season at the end.
Unopened cartons keep for a long time in the pantry, so buy now and forget about it until the big day.
$3.50 off – Black Friday book – ends Sunday, Nov 15 – warehouse and online
I’ll say it again because I mean it: Kirkland parchment is the most underappreciated item in the warehouse. Two rolls of 205 sq ft each. Line the sheet pans for roasted vegetables, the cookie sheets, the pan for the dinner rolls. Every sheet of parchment is one less pan you’re scrubbing at 9 PM while everyone else watches football.
It works in the air fryer too, with one rule. Never preheat the air fryer with a loose sheet of parchment inside. It can get pulled up into the heating element. Put the food on it first, cut it a little smaller than the basket, and poke a few holes for airflow.
Two rolls this size will get you through Thanksgiving, Christmas cookies, and a good chunk of next year.
$34.99 after $15 off – November coupon book – online only – ends Sunday, Nov 15
Two 8 oz bottles of the vanilla that bakers get weirdly passionate about. That works out to about $2.19 an ounce.
A word of caution for my fellow bourbon fans: “Madagascar Bourbon” is a type of vanilla bean, named for an island, not a distillery. I was briefly very excited and then very disappointed.
Still, this is the one to buy if you bake. Pumpkin pie, whipped cream, sugar cookies, and French toast on Black Friday morning all taste better with the good stuff. Pure vanilla extract keeps for years in a dark cupboard, so there’s no reason to wait. Just remember it’s online only, so give it time to ship.
$5.70 off – November coupon book – ends Sunday, Nov 15
Houseguests drink a lot of coffee. Houseguests who stayed up too late playing cards drink even more.
We’re mild coffee snobs in our house. Whole beans only, ground fresh every morning. My wife runs the grinder, and it’s basically my alarm clock. We’ve tried this blend and and it’s pretty good – not too strong, not too mild. A 32 oz bag of whole beans at $5.70 off is exactly the right kind of deal for a full house.
Whole beans hold their flavor longer than pre-ground, so buying two weeks early is no problem. Keep the bag sealed tight, and keep it away from the stove.
$5.99 – no coupon needed – Costco bakery
No coupon, and it doesn’t need one. A 12-inch, 58 oz pie for $5.99, which works out to about 10 cents an ounce. That’s the same $5.99 it has been for years, and I’m convinced the price is held up by the same force that keeps the hot dog at $1.50.
Is it the best pumpkin pie you will ever eat? We think so – and are ready to fight anyone who disagrees (or perhaps a more gentlemanly duel at 20 paces). Is it the best $5.99 you’ll spend all week? I’d say yes.
Pick it up Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. It also freezes well, so if you see a full table of them before that and panic, you’re allowed. Two tips: clear a flat spot in the car before you leave, because this box does not fit on your lap. And buy one more than you think you need. Somebody always “forgets” to bring dessert.
$6.50 off – Black Friday book – Nov 16 – 30 – warehouse and online
Two 18-inch rolls, 150 sq ft each (item #975). When I checked, it was running about $23, so roughly $16.50 after the coupon.
Heavy duty is the one you want on Thanksgiving. You tent the turkey with it, line the roasting pan with it, and wrap the plates of leftovers that go home with your relatives. The 18-inch width covers a big roasting pan in one sheet, which means no patchwork foil quilt over the bird.
If you’re a two-kinds-of-foil household, the Reynolds Everyday 2-pack of 250 sq ft rolls is $7 off in the November book. That one ends November 15, so it belongs on trip one.
$5 off – December coupon book – Nov 16 – Dec 20
Thirty-six mini crab cakes in a box (item #689121). When I checked, they usually ran about $21 to $23, so figure $16 to $18 after the coupon, or around 50 cents a crab cake.
Here’s why I’d buy them. The hour before Thanksgiving dinner is the most dangerous hour of the year. The turkey is resting, the gravy isn’t done, and hungry people start wandering into the kitchen to “help.” A tray of hot crab cakes keeps them in the living room. They bake in about 12 minutes, or you can do them in the air fryer.
Stir together some mayo, a squeeze of lemon, and a little sriracha, and you’ve got a dipping sauce in 30 seconds. This looks like an easy win.
$7.99 after $3 off – December coupon book – Nov 16 – Dec 20
Every family has one person who doesn’t like pumpkin pie. Sometimes it’s a teenager. Sometimes it’s an in-law. Either way, they’re going to mention it.
This is for them. Eight 3.5 oz cups for $7.99, which comes out to right around a dollar each. They live in the fridge until dessert, so there’s no oven space to fight over. I’d expect these to disappear faster than the pie does, which may say something about your family.
Also worth knowing: there’s a Dessert Italiano Tiramisu 6-pack at $7.99 after $2.80 off in the November book. That one ends November 15.
$5 off – December coupon book – Nov 16 – Dec 20
Twelve 9.3 oz bottles. Fever-Tree is the good ginger beer, the kind with an actual ginger bite.
I’m a bourbon guy, so here’s my Thanksgiving cocktail for people who don’t want to measure anything. Fill a glass with ice, pour in a shot of bourbon, top it off with ginger beer, and squeeze in some lime. That’s a Kentucky mule, and it pairs with pretty much every dish on the table.
It also works with no bourbon at all. Ginger beer over ice is a solid choice for the designated drivers, the kids, and the relative who is “taking it easy this year.”
$6 off – Black Friday book – Nov 16 – 30 – warehouse and online
If you’re a guest this year instead of the host, you need to bring something. Godiva in an 11.3 oz box is the classic “I put thought into this” gift, and $6 off makes it a better deal than anything at the grocery store checkout.
Feeding a crowd instead of impressing a host? The Ghirardelli Premium Assorted 21.4 oz bag is $4.20 off in the December book. More chocolate, less gold foil.
$4.50 off – December coupon book – Nov 16 – Dec 20
The 43.5 oz canister is $4.50 off, and I’m walking right past it.
This one is personal. As I mentioned, we’re whole bean people, and I don’t like canned, pre-ground coffee. Once it’s ground, the flavor starts fading, and a canister this size is going to sit open on the counter a lot longer than the guests stay.
If your crowd is a Folgers crowd, this is a great deal, and you can ignore me completely. Everyone else, spend the money on the San Francisco Bay whole bean deal on trip one.
$5 off – Black Friday book – Nov 27 – 30 – warehouse only
By Friday, nobody wants to cook. By Saturday, nobody wants another turkey sandwich either, no matter how much Boursin is on it.
This two-pack of 48 oz lasagnas is $5 off over Black Friday weekend, and it’s warehouse only. Bake one that weekend while everyone recovers on the couch. Put the second one in the freezer for some hectic night in December when you’re out of energy and out of ideas.
Also, if you’re already out shopping on Black Friday, you’ll be standing in a Costco anyway.
Trip one (ends Sunday, Nov 15):
Trip two (Nov 16 and later):
Two packs of Boursin (one never makes it to dinner), the parchment, and the Fever-Tree all go in this week. The pie comes home on Tuesday. I’m staying far away from the warehouse on Wednesday.
So tell me: what’s the one Costco item that shows up on your Thanksgiving table every single year? And has anyone ever made it through Costco the Wednesday before Thanksgiving without a cart collision?
Want the best Costco deals in your inbox three times a week? Subscribe to the Costco97 newsletter. It’s free, and we never sell your email.
