Oh, the Deals You’ll Get!

Every so often, I stumble upon a cheap thrill I just have to share.  This one has me giddy.  I don’t know why; maybe it’s because the stinky weather has been a bit oppressive lately.  Anyway!

I was at my favorite BagNSave today, and I cruised through the prepped vegs compartment as usual.  There, calling my name, was a 12-oz. package of Dole fresh broccoli florets.  Mmmm.  Regular  $2.57, this one had an on-package coupon for $1.00 off, because the use by date is tomorrow.  Some weeks back, I’d gotten another Catalina checkout coupon for $1.00 off Dole fresh vegetables at BagNSave.  I held onto it for just such an occasion.

Cool!  A huge bag of already prepped broccoli (did I mention we love broccoli?), for .57!  Tonight we had some raw with ranch dressing (also obtained free from BagNSave), I’ll have some for lunch, and Friday I’ll steam the rest to have with dinner.

Now, that’s a cheap thrill!

2-27-08 GDAs

What’s a Good Deal on groceries this week?  Here are some of our picks for cheap groceries in Omaha.  (Of course, that’s a relative term.)

At BagNSave:  Pork ribs .99/# can be slow cooked (in a Crock Pot, perhaps), then browned under the broiler (or freeze a couple months and pray the weather will improve enough to grill outside by then).   Hillshire Farm smoked sausage is $2.47, and there’s a coupon out there — this can be stretched to two meals for four each.  Red or gold delicious apples at .99/# this time of year is a great price.  Strawberries are $2/16 oz., but I’m not getting them because they aren’t in season, and my guess is they’ll be flavorless.  Roberts’ 16 oz. sour cream is .89, and there are coupons.

At Baker’s:  STOCK UP ALERT!  Kroger cheese is a better deal this week than last week!  (How did that happen?!)  $1.50 for 8 oz. bars or shreds.  Wow!  Fast Fixin’ breaded chicken is $1/10 oz, which is the best I’ve ever seen it, if you must have commercial chicken nuggets.  Peter Pan peanut butter $1.  Also a really good deal, but not a cheap thrill: fresh-baked LaBrea Artisan Bread $2.79/loaf.

At Aldi:  In addition to their everyday cheap thrills, this week they have Reggano fresh pastas (including ravioli) $1.69/package.

At SuperSaver:  (These are for Council Bluffs, as the Nebraska stores’ ads aren’t online yet.)  Their 85% lean ground beef is just $1.88/#, and whole beef briskets are just $1.98/#.  Most of their advertised prices on meat look really reasonable, but the BEST looking deal is pork picnic roast for .88/#, which would be really good browned, slow cooked, then pulled for barbecue — do a big roast and sock a bunch away in the freezer.  Russets $1.44/#.  Select frozen vegs are .89 for the 20 oz. bonus packs!

I’m still waiting for No Frills to join the crowd and publish weekly specials on-line, and for SuperTarget to publish some incredible savings on basic food items.  Good luck shopping this week, and let us know your incredible grocery deals.

Local Grocery Basics

Whether it’s a weekly trip to replenish the kitchen cabinets, or a quick “omigish!” dash to get more milk, where you pick up your groceries can give you cheap thrills, or drain your wallet.

Omaha is lucky to have a variety of sources for food items, from the Big Boxes, to small neighborhood stores like Wohlner’s, and even the organic chains like Wild Oats. We have specialty meat markets like Stoysich, marvelous specialty bread stores like Great Harvest Bread, and fresh local produce on the corner lot. Most familiar to us are the Big Three grocery chains, and the Lesser Three discount grocery chains. The grocery market has changed quite a bit in Omaha in the past six or seven years, but looks like it’s stabilizing for a while.

You can find deals at all these places, along with some of the best quality food you’ve ever tasted. To regularly shop for savings, though, I have a weekly routine that takes me to where I consistently find that magic blend of quality and price.

Since I cook from scratch(ish) quite a bit, I look mostly for value in the basics: lean protein, whole grains, fresh produce (frozen or canned in winter), and, of course, milk. Not one outlet alone will suffice for me. I like the hunt more than that. And I like the thrill of getting an unexpected, incredible deal on a special treat, or even a staple item (like spaghetti for .25/lb.). Everyday savings add up fast. Here’s where I shop.

Bag N Save – BnS has friendly grocery clerks and stockers, which makes for a pleasant shopping experience, but also allows me to get more for my money. In a casual conversation with a stocker, I might learn that one variety of a product just isn’t selling well. I’ll keep my eye out for a manager’s special on that, and possibly combine it with a coupon. I also enjoy the personal relationships with these folks. BnS carries local discount brands like Our Family, and has a dollar aisle which often (but not always!) provides products at a great price. This store has some of the best fresh meats in the area, and they don’t sit around forever. Their prices on chicken beat the other places’ sale prices most weeks. You used to have to bag your own groceries at BnS (hence the name), but they changed all that when they had a shift in marketing. Now you have to ask if you want paper bags (which I do, because I reuse those much more than the plastic ones). Overall, of the Big Three, this provides the best value for food. Not much in the way of ambience, but I don’t want to pay for ambience in a grocery store.

Aldi – I do almost all my non-sale shopping at Aldi .  While most of their regular prices are rock-bottom cheap, they sometimes do have to move a product, and the deal is even sweeter. Again, becoming friendly with the clerks will provide information on when seasonal items are expected, why there has been no cauliflower in the produce area for months, and who the actual name-brand processor of that ham might be. I actually like the self-bagging and the store set-up. Aldi’s web site has some good info on where their products come from. I also adore The Aldi Queen and recommend you hit her site for some really neat info and recipes! If it’s not a loss-leader or clearance item at another store, I’ll probably get it at Aldi. But they don’t sell everything, so you’ll need to supplement your shopping at a conventional grocer.

Baker’s – Baker’s is now owned by Dillon’s, which is owned by Kroger. I am truly disappointed that the 132/Center location at Bakers Square closed last month. So I’ve regrettably found another doable location. I know on a certain day of the week, this store will mark down meats for fast sale. While I’m there, I scour the aisles for the tags that indicate discontinued, markdown items, and will check out the cooler case for fast-sale discounts on items like prepared foods (that’s the only way my kid gets Lunchables). We like certain Kroger brand products, and I keep an eye out for them. Loss leaders can be a bargain at Baker’s if you can combine them with coupons. Short-dated dairy is often a bargain at Baker’s, but must be used soon.

SuperTarget – No more local small Targets: they’re all going “Super.” That means they’re adding a grocery store and other amenities, which translates into savings. Clearance items are the real value here. It may be a short case of seasonal product, or a few short-expire products, but finding those little orange tags is like spotting diamonds on the ground. This is a great store to find full variety of cleaning products, seasonal items, and paper goods at incredible prices, and use Target coupons.

Before I head to these stores, I check out their weekly ads. I like to start my shopping before 8:30 am on Wednesday, and the grocery ads don’t arrive in my mailbox until 3:00 pm. So I make quick visits early in the morning to their sites when no one can see me.

Now, I have friends who make the rounds to all the stores, and I used to do that, too, when I had more time. And gas was cheaper! Seven years ago, when the grocery wars were happening, I lived within five minutes of five groceries, Kmart, Target and everything else I needed. I got groceries for free sometimes, with the double-coupon offers (which I was used to in another city). But now I’ve streamlined my grocery shopping to take advantage of my travel pattern and what I know to be a bargain.

Menu Planning Basics

I am often asked how I spend so little on groceries for my family of four.  I spend, on average, $60 per week for food for two adults and two boy-children.  For me, menu planning is the biggest saver of sanity and money.

How I menu plan suits me.  (Others have their ways that work for them.)  I start by keeping a good knowledge of what’s in my freezers and pantries.  When things get hectic (Christmastime, tax season) or it seems they’re haphazardly stuffed, I’ll make a written inventory to guide me through a few weeks.  This also saves money, because I don’t waste what’s in there, or buy too much before it can be used.  We have a blank calendar page on my computer, which I scanned in several years ago and print for each month.   I’ll fill in the dates and mark special occasions (campouts, soccer games and practices, known early or late dinners, birthdays). 

Two other essential tools I have are those freezers and pantries. I have the obligatory side freezer and closet pantry in the kitchen.   I also have an upright freezer and 5-shelf storage area in the basement.  I can find a deal, stash it away, and have my own mini-grocery to more effectively menu plan.  The variety of foods on hand, and the fact that they’ve been obtained at low cost, make me happy and my wallet heavier.

With variety and seasonality in mind, and the knowledge of what I already have, I’m ready to begin the fun. To me, it is fun.  It’s like a jigsaw puzzle!  I start with dinner main dishes for the days I know need to be easy (like Scout meeting nights, because time is tight), and plan Crock Pot meals, or heat-n-eat dishes.  After that, I decide if I want a roast, whole chicken or other large, leftover-producing main dish that week, and when.  I also plan to use the leftovers that week, or freeze them.  If I know I have something to use up in the freezer, I’ll try to plan that in. Usually, we have one or two meatless dinners per week, and vary the meat on the other nights so that we aren’t eating too much of one thing.

The side dishes get rotated: it’s unlikely I’ll have rice, or broccoli, twice in a row.  And seasonality will dictate veggie sides. I also try to vary the cuisine so we’re not having too much Mexican or Italian, for example.  Monotony is not a good thing in any family, particularly mine.  I’m lucky that my family enjoys plain vegetables.  Sure, we enjoy a fancy one now and then, but for the most part my “boys” like it simple, and that makes it easy for me.

Knowing what I want to serve, I pick out my recipes.  My favorite web site for this is RecipeZaar.  (Although I am a cookbook-phile, this site makes it really easy to find a suitable recipe that I don’t already know I have.  I also really enjoy the discussion forums.)  I try to use what I have on-hand, or that requires minimal purchases.  Low-cost does not have to mean boring.

Normally, I plan menus out two weeks at a time, and I’m flexible, when I have to be, sometimes, I guess. Usually, if I find a meat deal, I’ll repackage and throw it in the freezer, and it ends up on the menu in a couple of weeks. Often you will find on my menu calendar, “green veg,” which means we’re out of canned green beans (DH’s favorite), so I have to see what comes on sale, or not. But when I find frozen something that strikes my fancy, that’s a deal, I get a bunch of them, not just one. Remember when Steamfresh frozen vegs first came out? I clipped every coupon for those things, but didn’t use them right away. They went on sale, and BAM! I got about 8 bags for .25 each.

I also LOVE to cook, so to me, the creativity of making meals is a true cheap thrill!  Over many years, I have developed a system of finding grocery deals on a regular basis, based on where I will/won’t shop, what I will/won’t pay, and what I’m willing to use as experiment.  But the most effective means in my repertoire is menu planning.

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Please stay tuned as we bring you more and more information on great deals!  Thanks for visiting.  We hope you’ll stop by again soon.