Thrills in Stores — It’s new to me!

Anyone tried these?  Ragu pasta sauce in a pouch, $1.99 (flyer price) for 13.5 oz.  Twice the price per ounce as their glass-jarred pasta sauces.  I must say, much more transportation-efficient, but where are the savings to the consumer?

Sometimes you get so used to looking for the best deal, you miss new opportunities.  Since I had some extra time today, I used a keener eye in areas I don’t usually hit.  I was pleasantly surprised:

At BagNSave, I was drawn to a pink bottle in the condiments section.  It was way on the top shelf, above the mustards.  Woeber’s Cranberry Horseradish.  Huh!  At $2.05 for 16 oz., which is 96 servings, this might actually be interesting to try.  I sometimes see this brand on sale, but don’t recall any coupons.  In my household, this would last a long time, since only one of us uses horseradish and likes cranberries.  It would also make an interesting condiment for a party.

Cruising the “Mexican” foods aisle, I found a viable substitute for a traditionally Italian ingredient.  Tiny pastas (acini de pepe, ditalini, etc.) that are used in soups can cost up to $2.00 for a 1-lb. box, and normally a recipe only calls for a small amount.  La Moderna makes tiny star-shaped pasta (as well as very tiny shells) for just .45 for 7 oz.  You won’t have to buy a big box to sit on the shelf, and you’ll save.

I will admit that while I love shopping at Aldi, it isn’t always the BEST deal.  Today they had Uncle Ben’s seasoned rice mixes on clearance for .99.  That’s a good deal for those, if you get them.  But then at BagNSave, I checked the price at $1.39; they go on sale for $1.09 at times, and recently there were $1/2 coupons circulating.  Without a sale price, you would be able to get them for .89, and on sale, for .59 each at BagNSave.  It pays to compare, even when you get settled into “the best” place for prices.

I also noticed that Birds Eye has frozen rice under its Steamfresh label.  I did not jot down the price, but remember that it was higher than the Kroger brand.  You really, really pay for convenience, and if you’re cooking in a plastic bag, you’re getting extra “stuff” in your food.  Please be careful, folks.

Can we talk cheese?  The prepackaged, sliced, dairy section cheeses are what have worked best for my family for sandwiches, especially since only one of us tends to use it regularly.  I buy on sale unless I absolutely have to get it immediately, and use coupons or do deals if I can.  Yesterday, I found the cheapest (store) brand of Swiss slices at $3.58 for 8 oz.  OUCH!  A name brand 1-lb. package was still $6.99.  Heading to the deli section, I found the SALE price of Swiss at $6.99/lb.  I joked with the counter gal that dairy cows don’t eat that much corn, and she said, “Yeah, and they don’t really work, either.”  Nice to know the grocery people have to pay increased costs for their food, too.  So now I’m thinking that a half-pound of sale strong deli cheese, sliced paper thin, might yield more servings than any other sliced cheese.  If it’s strong, a little goes a long way.  Anyhow, today I found 8-oz. packages of sliced Swiss at Aldi for $1.99, which is a bargain compared to the other alternatives.

One thing I have become increasingly disappointed in is chewing gum.  I decided to grab a pack to get me through the next week at work.  Every brand, every single pack, even if it didn’t say “sugar free,” contained aspartame.  Without getting on my soapbox about that ingredient, let me state that I do not knowingly or willingly ingest aspartame/Nutrasweet/Equal.  So now I have no gum.  Believe me, I’ll be writing to every company I can very soon!

Good luck in your endeavors to feed your family on a budget.  I’m developing my menus with less meat, eggs and cheese.  I find RecipeZaar to be my biggest help in finding recipes and in discussing these topics.  I am grateful I have a large freezer, and that my family is flexible enough to eat whole-grain spaghetti with extra-veg marinara when they really want steak.

3-26-08 GDAs

I’m still stuffed from Easter dinner!  My grocery list is relatively short this week, but some local deals may keep me in the stores for a little longer than originally planned.  I know: the longer you stay in the grocery store, the more you spend.  My consolation is that I’ll stick to the list, even though my list is a little longer now.

BagNSave:  Apparently, they now have a regular Friday flyer, but it doesn’t always come.  (Or maybe our mail people just don’t deliver it.)  So I’ve been missing some deals.  Like the in-ad coupon for Get $5 off your groceries when you buy 3 MaltOMeal cereals.  My kids love those (when they’re on sale and/or with coupon), and $5 will almost cover their cost.  A gallon of Tampico juice is $1.29; compare that to a half-gallon of juice made from frozen concentrate or in the carton, and this is a real deal for getting vitamin C into kids (and no, it’s not just sugar water).  Starting today, 84% ground chuck is 1.77/# (not the best deal ever, but a really good price).  Quaker cereals are $1.59, and better if you have coupons.  And pork sirloin roast or chops is $1.18/#, a very good deal.  I’ll be getting a little of the deli turkey for $3.99/#.  They were out of the frozen broccoli at two stores last week, so I got a rain check (and they still tried to get me to come in “in a few days,” right before the holiday weekend!), so I’ll be getting these on my regular trip.  They work great in casseroles.

Bakers:  There are a few deals in their weekly ad.  Gallons of milk for $2.50 each!  Boxes of mac n cheese are .19 each, and make excellent donation items.  Scouting for Food is just a couple of weeks away!  I still have a rain check to use, and found a matching coupon in a recent newspaper, so I’ll be heading in there at some point, but just for these deals and cruising the meat case.

Aldi:  As usual, I mainly shop at Aldi for my groceries.  The things they do carry are usually priced better than the other stores’ sales.  I don’t see any incredible deals I would buy in their online ad this week, but I know I can get several items there, and maybe even the milk will be cheaper (maybe!).  If you still haven’t checked out Aldi, you really should!

Ham it Up!

If you don’t yet have your Easter ham, consider this:

At Bag N Save, Farmland spiral cut glazed hams are $1.69 per pound.  There is a $2 off any Farmland ham (including spiral cut) coupon from a recent Sunday supplement.  If you get a 10-pound ham, that’d be only $14.90, or $1.49 per pound!

If you do have your Easter ham already, fret not.  Perhaps they will go on sale for even more next week.  Even if not, ham is good food, any week of the year, and this would still be a great deal for a very versatile protein:  already sliced for dinner and sandwiches, chunks for recipes, and the old ham bone for soup (we like DH’s Famous Hot Lava aka Split Pea Soup).

Have a blessed Easter!

3-12-08 GDAs

EDITED TO ADD:  In the Sunday paper (3/16) BagNSave ad has an incredible deal on Kraft products.  If you have manufacturer’s coupons, the deal is sweeter.  An in-ad coupon provides $5 off 5 participating products.  Cheese products are 3/$5 (that’s $1.67 each).  Buy 5, use the store coupon, and you’ll pay $3.75 for (5) 8-oz pkgs of cheese, which is $.75 each!  The shreds freeze very well, and are handy for many things.

Also in this ad, Betty Crocker angel food cake mix is just .95 – a real deal!

(more)

Here are some notable grocery sales in our area this week.  You’ll see hams of all sorts on sale this week and next, for Easter.  Turkeys are also a very good price.  After your feast, look for them to go at deep discount, but when they do, don’t delay in getting one for everyday meals (and recipes, and freezing in portions).  Spiral sliced is as low as $1.67/#, and bone-in uncut is as low as .88/# (both prices at BagNSave).  Corned beef is also going to be on sale, points being cheapest (and fattiest), and as low as $1.17/#).

Please be careful buying your eggs this week.  Just because they’re “for sale” doesn’t mean they’re “on sale” at a discount price.  $2.79/18 is $1.86/dozen, and that isn’t a deal.

Bag N Save:  Secondary Deal of the Week — Land-O-Lakes gallon milk just $2.29 each, limit 2!!!  Bone-in chicken breasts are just .88/# this week!  “But you’ll pay for bone,” you say?  After cooking, use the bones to make a nice stock (and freeze some), and you’re getting more for your money.  Our Family cream of mushroom soup is .49/can, which is nice to have on hand for a quick fix.  $2.00 in-ad coupon off Norbest turkey.  If you have Betty Crocker coupons, their pouch mixes are just .77 each.  And their frozen foods ad is still in play through March 22.

Baker’s:   If you can’t use gallons of milk, Baker’s brand half gallons are $1.25 each ($2.50/gallon).  General Mills cereals are 4/$10 with Buy 4 Save $4 (you must buy 4 for the price).  Mama Lupe food products are $1, but not all of them are the best deal.  All the pretty springtime plants and flowers will be out in the floral department, but remember that they aren’t food.

Super Saver:  Deal of the Week — Leaf lettuces are only .87 per head, which is the best price since last fall!!!  Center cut pork chops are just $1.98/#, and that’s a good deal for that kind of chop.  Cabbage is .24/# — and it bears stating this is the only cabbage deal I see this week in flyers.  Granny Smith apples just .76/#.  Westpac frozen veg blends just .77 each (14-16 oz.) is a great deal. 

Aldi:  We still like everyday low prices at Aldi, and their regulars are less than many of the ones you see in the sale flyers this week (which is why not all the “deals” are listed above).  Ham prices are usually really good here, so I’ll try to report back on the current shelf tag.  Eggs are usually reasonable (whatever that is these days!).

Happy shopping!

‘Tis a Sad, Sad Day

I’ve been reviewing my price list for groceries I buy often enough to matter.  *SIGH!*  It has come to my attention that the price of chocolate has risen 30% in the past 6 months.  The wailing is me.

I’ve been a chocoholic for years.  I’m talking the good stuff: dark European chocolate with about 99% butterfat, that melts as it crosses the threshold of your lips.  But today I hung the black wreath at the door for that sweet elixir of Life.  When my trifle weekly indulgence (which was beginning to last longer than a week, actually) skyrockets that much, I have to revisit Euphoria. 

Nah, don’t even waste your breath suggesting cheaper candies pretending to be Chocolate.  And just as you cannot expect any other kind of addict to quit cold turkey without repercussions, don’t expect me to just, y’know, stop it.  Yes, you may toss Tootsie Rolls at me while passing, and that may fool my hormones just enough to let you by.  But that’s not real Chocolate; soon my body will revolt, and it won’t be pretty.

As much as I hate to do it, as much as every fiber in my being screams, “Are you NUTS?!” I have to cut back.  Drastically.  I’m overdue, I suppose.  This is going to be a really big shift in my behavior, and I think tax season is not the best time for this.  Okay, I can do this, right?  After all, it’s just a little sacrifice, and others have sacrificed much more.  They got through the Depression, didn’t they?

Help?