Most purchases made at a Rite Aid drugstore from Nov. 22 to Dec. 24 qualify for the rebate. The biggest exception is prescriptions and prescription co-pays, but it is pretty easy to earn at least $5 back on the Gift of Savings promotions.

This is what you do: you go to RiteAid.com and set up your account. Then as you shop at Rite Aid during the next few weeks, log in and type the code that is on your receipt into the computer. That’s it. At the end of the rebate period, click on “send my check.” Yes, it really is that simple, and individual products can still qualify for their own rebate offers.

Now for those of you who like scenarios: I currently have a $10 Fall Gift of Savings rebate check and a $3.99 Rite Aid Single Check Rebate in my coupon box. I just haven’t had reason to get anything at Rite Aid since those rebate checks arrived a week or so ago.

But we are at Rite Aid quite a bit. That’s where almost all of our prescriptions are handled and it’s the closest drugstore to where I work.

So here’s what I will do during the next few weeks:

• Check the weekly sales fliers to see what holiday items are on special. For example, in the sales flier for Nov. 22-28, I’m interested in the boxed greeting card sale (buy one get two free), Russell Stover sale (buy one get one free) and the stocking stuffer candies (two for $1). These are typical purchases for me during the Christmas season. Obviously, I need to get my shopping list in order ASAP so I’m buying the amounts I need.
• If there are over-the-counter medications that we need to restock, I check my coupon box and match those to the sales. There are a lot of coupons in circulation right now for vitamins, pain relievers and cold medicines. Families who have access to Flexible Spending Accounts can then photocopy their applicable receipts to follow up on reimbursement procedures, but my family’s FSA funds are depleted for the year.
• Look up the Single Check Rebate catalog on line or at the store to see if there are any other deals I want to take advantage of. I try to keep the current rebate catalog with my weekly fliers. Depending on the final price, I sometimes follow up on the dishwasher soap deals. Families with little ones can also find diapers and infant formula in the November rebate book.
• Use my recently issued rebates and any applicable coupons to pay for those purchases so the out-of-pocket cost is as low as possible.
• Type in my receipts when I get home.
• After the rebate time is done, go to my account and click on “send my check.”

Yes, you can do mail submissions for Rite Aid rebates. But you then have to pay for the stamp and I’ve had a mail-in rebate for another store that was miscalculated. If you are reading a blog, you’ve got access to a computer. Do your rebate filing on line.

KitchenAid has a flier in today’s edition of The Monroe Evening News promoting cash back deals on many of its popular items.

Go to KitchenAid.com/gift for the details if you don’t have a flier in your newspaper.

TV Tango has the list.

Thanks to my co-worker Michelle at Pop Culture Checklist for the heads up!

The concept started with a holiday tradition by one family that was featured in a 1982 Woman’s Day article. That article is the genesis behind giving101.org, which is a national charity referral and campaign site.

I think this idea would go over well with my local readers in Monroe, Mich., because community service is a significant part of the local culture. The pageant queens really do attend dozens of charity events every year, many of the local college scholarship applications expect students to list their community service hours, nearly all the civic and social clubs have at least one fundraiser or volunteer campaign going at any given time, and schools frequently have projects taking place such as canned food drives or greeting card projects for veterans.

If you’d like to start a charity gift custom among your friends and family in lieu of exchanging more traditional gifts, here are some tips:

• Treat this as a teachable moment. When my daughter was in grade school, a family friend gave her a $20 bill — but it wasn’t hers to keep. The friend gave her the money when I was in the same room and explained he wanted the money to go to “the poor box” at our church. (This friend knew we were a church-going family and he was a minister for another congregation.) So at the next opportunity, I showed my daughter exactly in our church where the “poor box” was stationed. When she dropped the funds, I told her about the various efforts that the money goes to.
• Put as much thought into selecting the cause or charity gift as you would a traditional gift. If this is a Christmas charity gift, don’t look at the causes YOU believe in. You want to support the causes the RECEIVER believes in. Maybe you have some clue from current or previous charity efforts such as a pageant platform, a Boy Scout Eagle project, a Girl Scout Gold Award project, a fraternity’s designated charity or a civic club’s outreach efforts. Otherwise, look to their interests for clues: An eco-friendly friend, for example, would enjoy a donation to a “green” charity in his or her name. And a book lover would appreciate a donation made to the Friends of the Library.
• Don’t pull a surprise switch. If a charity gift is above and beyond the usual gift exchange, that’s one thing. But if this donation will be in lieu of gifts, you’ll want to discuss the concept among the friends and family before everyone goes crazy shopping for retail gifts. The person you are gifting also might give you a suggestion as to which charity or philanthropy they would like to support.

So it would be smart for you to count up now how many cans of pumpkin you will need for Thanksgiving and Christmas treats, and buy the cans when you see them rather than waiting until baking day. The Detroit Free Press has checked in with some grocery stores in the region to see what the local supplies are like.

In the meantime, the Libby’s site is suggesting other options for holiday treats such as strawberry cheesecake pie.

Homeless and needy families in the Flat Rock, Mich., area can get a free turkey supper with all the fixings Tuesday at the Flat Rock Family Cafe.

The meals will be served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the restaurant, 27517 Telegraph Rd., Flat Rock. It’s the 25th year that the Steve and Susan Stylianou family has offered the free meals for the less fortunate at Thanksgiving.

Campfire Bar-B-Q Grille Restaurant will host its 26th annual Thanksgiving Day Feast on Nov. 26.

It will offer free Thanksgiving dinners to seniors 62 and older and the less fortunate. Others will incur charges of $8.99 for adults and $6.99 for children 12 and younger.

The restaurant, 1035 Dexter St., Milan, Mich., will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day to serve dinners.

Meals will include turkey or ham with mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, a tossed salad and the choice of pumpkin or sweet potato pie.

Because more than 300 meals were served last year, those planning to attend are encouraged to make reservations by calling (734) 439-8889.

A snippet:

After you’ve set your bottom-line figure, go to about.com and type in “holiday gift spending budget worksheet” and “holiday spending worksheet.” Use the gift worksheet to list each recipient and a spending limit. Keep the list with you when you shop. If you go over budget on one person, cut back on another.

The newspaper sales flier cycle for stores in the Monroe, Mich., area is Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Click back a few posts to find my Saturday sales flier notices, the Monday ones will be posted Monday afternoon.

There is a HUGE stack of coupons in the Sunday papers today. You will want to clip and sort your coupons before you go grocery shopping because a lot of coupon matches are possible either from this week’s coupon packets or previous weeks’ coupon packets.

If you find good prices on grocery products you frequently use, stock up. Holiday food does not have to be eaten on the holiday. Many of the foods Americans typically eat at Thanksgiving also carry over well to Christmas or are everyday foods anyway.

And you already know that Black Friday is not the only day to find deals at the department and specialty stores. We’ve been seeing Christmas gift promotions for the past two weeks.

Here are some of the deals I found in my Sunday newspapers today. All are from The Monroe Evening News in Monroe, Mich., except where I note Detroit Free Press. (I get both of those newspapers on home delivery).

Grocery, discount and drug stores

• SuperKmart in Southgate and Taylor (Free Press ad) Green Giant canned veggies 59 cents limit six. Stove Top stuffing 99 cents. Frozen turkey 59 cents a pound with additional $25 purchase. Kraft cheese singles two for $4. Gold Medal flour two for $5. Skippy peanut butter two for $4. 10 for $10 sale on Betty Crocker cake mix, Cool Whip, Carnation evaporated milk.
• Kmart in Monroe has a 10-piece turkey roaster set on mail-in rebate. Proctor-Silex electric knife for $12.99. Assorted pieces of Essential Home by Wilton bakeware at $3.99. Hickory Farms food gift sets 40 percent off. All sewing machines on sale. Boxed greeting cards 16 count at $3.99. Boys dress shirts $8. Boys jeans $12. Bagged holiday chocolates three for $7.
• Kroger in Monroe, Milan and Dundee (sale starts Monday) will have frozen turkey at 49 cents a pound with $10 additional purchase. Buy one get one free Bob Evans roll sausage. The 10 for $10 sale includes Dole pineapple and mandarin oranges, Tennessee Pride sausage gravy and Heinz gravy in a jar. Fresh cranberries $1.99 a bag. Del Monte canned veggies three for $2. Selected Mattel toys $4.99. Baker’s Secret pans $3 each.
• Meijer has $8 off hen turkeys or $14 off tom turkeys with additional $20 purchase. Milk is $1.75 a gallon. Campbell’s cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup 58 cents. California navel oranges 4 pound bag two for $4. Sugerdale whole boneless ham $1.69 a pound. Edy’s ice cream $2.49. Brook’s chili beans 99 cents. Del Monte canned veggies 69 cents. Rice, wheat or corn Chex cereal $2.50. 72-piece dinnerware set $59.99. Anchor Horning cake dome $16.99. Peanuts Christmas pageant nativity is $12.99. Sales on assorted winter boots.
• CVS Pharmacy has Pepsi 12-packs at four for $10. Russell Stover chocolates are $4.88 a box. Charmin at $5.49 for 9 large rolls. Spend $15 on selected Christmas candy get $5 Extra Care Bucks back – the participating items include ribbon candy, Whitman’s Sampler and Ferrero Rocher. Skippy peanut butter and Ragu three for $5 – these qualify for another Extra Care Bucks offer. Gifts under $15 include a bathrobe and slippers set.
• Target has Starbucks coffee bags for $6.89. Three-tray buffet server $27. Heinz homestyle gravy 79 cents a jar. Del Monte canned veggies 45 cents each. Turkey fryer $49. 6-foot folding table $32. So In Style Barbie $20. Girls and boys holiday sweaters $12. Gingerbread house kit $8. Chinet plates $4.74 a pack.
• Big Lots has cotton thermal sets mens and ladies $10 a set. Extra large foil roasters $1 each. Popcorn tins $5. Holiday damask table linens include a tablecloth for $6. Roll-away twin bed for $99.99.
• GFS Marketplace flier has a coupon for $5 off $50 minimum purchase. Featured items include 3 pounds whipped sweet potatoes for $6.99, 5 pounds cranberry orange relish for $11.99, and a turkey shaped butter for $2.99. Whole hen turkey is 59 cents a pound with minimum $15 purchase. Cheesecakes $9.99, limit two.
• Aldi is showcasing a “thanksgiving feast for under $30.” Specific items include Butterball turkey at 99 cents a pound. Stuffing mix is 89 cents, cream of mushroom soup is 59 cents, cranberry sauce is 79 cents. Appleton spiral sliced ham is $1.49 a pound. Oven roasting bags two pack for $1.49.
• Walgreens has 12-pack Pepsi products three for $11. Coupons in flier for cranberry sauce, French fried onions, Royal gelatin, Ajax, Bounty and 2-liter pops. Peeps are three packs for $2. Ziploc bags $1.99 a box. Excedrin is two for $5.
• Family Dollar (flier inside one of the coupon packets) Jergens lotion at $3, assorted Lysol cleaning products $2 each, Jell-O no bake cheesecake $2.

Department and specialty stores

• Toys R Us has buy one get one $20 off on selected video games. Imaginarium Lego play table at $124.99. All Playmobil pirate sets 25 percent off. Twilight New Moon figures $13.99 each and Barbie collector Twilight dolls $19.99 each.
• JCPenney (Free Press ad) Assorted women’s sweaters 30 to 50 percent off. Juniors sweater jackets $29.99. Gifts under $10 include colorful socks and sterling silver earrings. Chris Madden Harvest accessories, glassware and table linens 60 percent off.
• Sears has 20 percent off Kenmore appliances and 10 percent off other brand appliances through Nov. 20. Coats and fleece for the family are 50 percent off. All kids boots on sale. All kids’ dresswear on sale. All Kenmore and Cuisinart cookware on sale.
• ABC Warehouse (Free Press ad) “Black Friday markdowns now” on a 50-inch plasma TV. Wooden 15-in-1 game center $12.88. Triple buffet server is $39.99. 5-quart deep fryer is $49.99. Gifts under $5 include a portable wet and dry vac and mini optical travel mouse. Gifts under $10 include a crank powered lantern and 9-piece electric haircutting set.
• Best Buy has a doorbuster special Tuesday Nov. 17 on a Star Trek Blu-Ray and DVD – check your store listings for actual times. Assorted TVs on sale. 10 percent off appliances. Holiday videos as low as $12.99. Assorted holiday music CDs for $7.99 to $11.99.
• Kohl’s sale today and Monday include assorted women’s sweaters 30 to 60 percent off and all boots for the family 40 to 55 percent off. Other items in sales flier include men’s ties, boys sweaters and boys jeans.
• Menards has foil roasters at 75 cents each. Hamilton Beach slow cooker at $14.99. Assorted ceramic cookware at $6.99 each. All Stanley hand tools and safety equipment 25 percent off. Cool mist humidifier at $19.95.
• Dunham’s Sports has an outhouse blind at $29.99. Assorted other hunting gear on sale. Men’s NCAA fleece zip hood or pants $19.99.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods has sales on assorted hunting rifles and outdoor clothing. A roadtrip grill LXE is on sale for $159.98. Men’s or women’s NCAA fleece hoodie for $14.98.
• Durocher’s Electronics, Appliances and Furniture in Monroe has deals on an Energy Star dishwasher for $227 and a rebate on Frigidaire Affinity front load washer and dryer pair.