Low-country store deals

Store deals for this week:

Kroger:  sales started on Sunday, runs till Saturday, customer card needed for deals

Hamburger Helper 10/10 (nice for quick meals)

Kroger saltines 10/10

Campbells soup 10/10

Kroger tuna 5 oz .69

Progresso soup 10/10

Rice/Pasa Roni 10/10 (an ok deal, comes on sale for better price occasionally)

arm and hammer deodorant 10/10 (great price for this brand of deodorant)

Publix:  sales run Thursday to Wednesday

Hellman’s Mayo B1G1 (5.37)

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing B1G1 (3.69)

Vlasic stackers dills B1G1 (2.89)--good price

Quaker Instant oatmeal B1G1 (3.99--an ok price for flavored oatmeal)

Quaker Instant grits B1G1 (2.87)

Kelloggs cereal B1G1 (4.55)

Bertolli pasta sauce B1G1 (2.97)

Kraft velveeta B1G1 (4.53)

$50 gas card for $40 with a $25 grocery purchase

Piggly Wiggly:  sales run Wednesday to Tuesday

chicken breast fillets B1G1

Bi-Lo:  sales run Wednesday to Tuesday

B1G1 deals this week, including:  birds eye frozen veggies, SH canned mushrooms, SH stuffing mix, SH mac & cheese, smart balance spread

SH cereal 2/4

Food Lion:  sales run Wednesday to Tuesday

Ragu pasta sauce B1G1

Muellers pasta B1G1

campbells chicken noodle/tomato soup 5/3

Grocery Shopping Tips:  

--Basically the more you can stock up when things are on sale, the less over-time you will be spending on groceries.  Stock up ONLY on things your family will eat and be able to use before the items go bad.

--Know what the prices of products are at your favorite stores, so when you get the ads, you can compare the price.  Compare prices with Sams club, online prices, etc.  Stock up when the sale price is less than the cheapest price elsewhere.

--Write (or type) the prices down so you have them available.  Prices of produce can change quickly, but in general expect price changes every month or two on produce items that are seasonal.  Other products, the prices do change (and sometimes by quite a bit), but usually they stay close to the same price over a period of months.  As you keep a price list--both of regular prices and of sale prices, you’ll be able to see patterns in sales and prices--when things are cheapest, how often things come on sale, etc.  

--Sales ads:  some things are drastically on sale--called “loss leaders”--to get you in the store, other things aren’t necessarily marked down in price, they are simply “for sale” so just because it is in the ad does not mean it is on sale or even a good price.  Remember a bargain is only such if you can and will actually use the item, it still costs money, but less than full-price.

--Meats & produce:  set a per pound price that you are comfortable with paying and find deals that are at or below that price.  Example:  meats $2/lb or less; produce depends on the type, but in general $1.50/lb or less.  For some more examples of produce see this post.

--Cereals, breads:  set a price per unit (box, ounce, loaf) that you are willing to pay and then find the deals that are at or below that price.  Example:  cereal--$2/box or less; loaf of bread--$1.50/loaf or less.

--Menu Shop:  In a previous post I mentioned how to save on grocery bills by making menus, see that post here.  But in general, when making a menu follow these steps:

• First:  what perishables do you have on hand that need to be used
• Second:  what sales are available
• Third:  Food Storage items to rotate into meals
• Fourth:  Special Occasions--birthdays, holidays, potlucks, etc.

--Using coupons?  For some things combining a coupon with the sale price at pharmacies and stores is a great deal.  Buy one get one free sales are a great way to use coupons!  So are stores that offer double coupons:  Kroger and some other stores offer double coupons up to 50 cents.  (ex.  if you have a 50 cent off coupon on a cereal, you get the 50 cents then Kroger takes off another 50 cents automatically--yeah!)  Not always is the product with a coupon the cheapest option, but combined with sales or with double coupon deals, often the price of the brand product is much nearer or even less than the generic brands.