How I Grocery Shop - What's a "Good Price?"

I have referred to a "good price" several times in this grocery shopping series so I thought I should specify what that means for me. I love to bargain shop but recognize that not everyone has the time or inclination to hunt the deals like I do. You may find that different prices than these are perfectly satisfactory for your family and that's great! You just do the best you can with what you have - the idea behind knowing a "good price" for you is so you can recognize when to buy.

Below are some of my "limits" on food items I typically buy. There are always exceptions like if I "must buy", but in general I try to stay below these prices. Keep in mind these are for standard size & not organic prices.

Cold cereal - $1.00/box
Yogurt - $.35/cup
Cheese - $2.00/lb (all types)
Lunchmeat - $2.00/lb
Olives - $1.00/can
Bread - $1.25/loaf
Macaroni & Cheese - $.50 regular & $1.00 organic
Milk - $2.00/gallon regular & $5.00/gallon organic
Pasta - $1.00/lb
Pasta Sauce - $1.00/jar
Meat - $2.00/lb (includes round steak, bacon, sausage, pork)
Chicken, boneless - $1.79/lb
Chicken, bone in - $1.29/lb
Chicken, whole - $.89/lb
Ground Beef - $1.79/lb
Sour Cream - $1.00/lb
Cream Cheese - $1.00/8 oz brick
Cottage Cheese - $1.50/lb
Eggs - $1.25/dozen
Most fruit - $1.00/lb
Salad dressing - $1.00/bottle
leafy lettuce - $1.29/head
cucumber & bell pepper- $.79/ea
tomato - $.99/lb
Flour - $2.00/5# bag
Sugar - $2.00/5# bag
Chocolate chips - $1.00/bag
Mayo - $2.00/full-size jar
Butter - $1.65/lb
Coffeemate (or similar) - $1.00/16 oz. or $2.00/32 oz.
Tea - $2.00/box
Coffee - $5.00/big can
Tortillas - $1.50/package
Tortilla chips - $1.00/bag

I rarely buy the following items so I don't know what a "good price" would accurately be. These are semi-educated guesses.

Soda - $.75 two liter, $2.50 12-pack
Juice - $1.00 bottle or frozen can
Ice cream - $2.00/half gallon
Frozen pizza (family size) - $2.50
Frozen pizza (individual) - $.75
Salsa - $2.00/jar

Do you have a "good price" limit on an item I haven't listed? I'm sure many of you readers have much more varied menus than I do and would be able to add to this list.

Katie

Fred Meyer Shopping

We were out of town for a weekend wedding, but I didn't want to miss the Fred Meyer sale on chicken breast that ended while we were gone. So I took all 3 girls shopping the day we left when I should have been home packing. Worse, I ended up spending $31 instead of the $13 or so I would have spent if I'd only purchased chicken. Somehow I feel like if I make the effort to shop with all 3 kids I should make it a 'worthwhile' shopping trip whereas when I'm all alone I can zip from store to store buying a few things and it's totally fine for me. Hm.

Here's what I bought for $31.47:

2 packages of Foster Farms chicken breasts - $.99/lb = $13.13 (If I have the budget I try to buy the biggest package so I get the sale price on more meat)
Red Baron Pizzas - $4.85, on sale 30% off is $3.39, MC ($1.50) = $1.89 each

Red Baron Slices - $3.99, on sale 30% off is $2.79, MC ($1.00) = $1.79

Lunchmeat 1 lb. - on sale for $3.50, SC ($.50), MC ($.55) = $2.45

2# cheese - $4.49 regular price (we were out)

3 gallons of organic milk - markdown to $1.00 each!

Hot Dog buns - $.50 regular price (kids asked for hot dogs for lunch)

Can of peanuts - $1.00 markdown (snacks for airplane)

2 oranges - $1.34

The big find was the organic milk for $1.00, of course. The dates on these milk were "sell by 6/7" and "use by 6/11." I put one in the fridge that we are already using and I put two in the freezer for later use. I don't like how the milk unfreezes for regular drinking, but it works great for cooking. I'll have to incorporate lots of milk in my menu plan the next few weeks - a treat since I often avoid recipes that use a lot of milk. Organic is so expensive.

I'm making a three week menu plan this time - I hope I can post that later today.

Katie

Champion Foods - Organic Mac'n'Cheese

I was at Champion Foods in Issaquah yesterday to pick up diapers and I found some other good deals I thought I'd share.

The diapers, of course, are a great price. There aren't a ton left and you have to go into the extra "room" in the back corner of the store to find them. I have been buying packages of 24 in size 4 and 5 for only $2.50. They are generic and not awesome for overnight, but they do the job well enough for me.



They also have tons of organic boxed macaroni & cheese right now for $1.00 a box. This is a great price on it's own, but you can get a case of 12 Back to Nature white cheddar/shells for only $10 which works out to $.83ish per box which is really excellent.

Champion has a lot of chips & snacks right now, too. They range in price from $.25 for snack size to $1.00 for full-size organic blue tortilla chips. I picked up a few bags of chips since we're always out and the price was right. Now I'm looking forward to some easy nacho lunches for our kiddos in the next couple of weeks.

Another great find for summer are the Cool Fruits popsicles. They are like otter pops but all natural with 99% juice. 14 pops are only $1.00 and these keep in the pantry until you're ready to pop them in the freezer. They have boxes of grape/cherry or apple/strawberry. We have had these before and love them. Moms keep in mind these are only 23 calories per pop so they're a good snack for you, too. Heads up that the grape flavored ones are yellowish from green grapes and your kids might not expect that from grape.

Other Champion staples I usually check for include spices (many for $1.00), pasta, dried fruit, teas ($2.00/box) and cupcake liners ($.90).

One of Champion's consistent suppliers is PCC so they usually have a great selection of organic and gluten free items. They also package many bulk grains, spices, pasta, dried fruits, and nuts. It's worth the trip to check them out.

Katie

Earth Day Deals

Normally I see lots of great deals around Earth Day for free reusable bags or great prices on a variety of all natural products. I haven't seen too much this year in the way of free bags, but lots of stores including Fred Meyer, Target, and Walgreens have natural cleaning & food products on sale. Also many plants and garden starts are on sale this week if you plan to garden this year.



Here are some specific deals:

• Fred Meyer has reusable shopping bags this week for $0.50 each with in-ad coupon, limit 2
• Safeway has a free reusable shopping bag with a purchase of $40 & in-ad coupon
• Walgreens has reusable shopping bags for 3/$1.00 with in-ad coupon, limit 6

I highly recommend reusable shopping bags. Obviously it is better for the environment, but it also gets you a discount at many stores from $.03 to $.10 per bag used. An added bonus in my home is that we no longer have a multiplying supply of those plastic bags that get shoved in the cupboard causing clutter and an eventual errand to recycle them at the grocery store.

Some other deals I liked:

• Walgreens is refilling ink cartridges for $1 with in-ad coupon on Thursday only.
• Walgreens online is reducing prices an additional 22% on some of their organic products through April 30. Product lines include Method, Yes to Carrots, Alba, Better Life, Renpure Organics, GreenWorks, and Eco Tools. Shipping is free when your purchase is $25. If you start your $25 Walgreens online shopping here you'll also get a $10 credit good for a future purchase.
• Target has Seventh Generation dish soap & Green Works all-purpose cleaner or wipes on sale for $2.49. You can print coupons for those products here and here, respectively.

Have you heard of any other good deals for Earth Day, this week? I'd love to hear about them.

Katie

Weekend Shopping

Here is a picture of my weekend shopping - I also bought garlic, tuna, cheese, and two cans of tomatoes at Fred Meyer that aren't pictured.

I found some unexpected great deals at TOP this week. I stopped in just for:

• oranges at $0.38/lb
• 5# bag of carrots for $2
• cucumbers were $0.69
• 3# bag of clementines for $3 since Joanna loves them

I normally don't find any markdowns at top, but decided to check for meat markdowns and found bone-in chicken breast on sale for only $0.99/lb. I decided to buy the smallest package I could find (over 3#) and use the chicken in a couple of meals. Then I noticed the organic milk (near the meat) was on sale for only $4.11/gallon. How did I miss this? Top's Full Circle organic line is all on sale for 25% off this week.

Additionally I saw many markdown stickers on products nearing their pull date. I have seen this very rarely at Top, so I was surprised and delighted. Normally Top will put up a shelf tag with a slightly lower price to clear out products close to their date, but not often with the neon stickers. And they were all over the place at the Redmond Top, including my organic milk. It had a $1 off sticker with a 'sell by' date 4 days out. Usually milk is good for about a week past the pulled date so I was really excited to get a gallon of organic milk for only $3.11. Markdown deals included:

• Gallon organic milk on sale for $4.11 (1.00 sticker markdown) = $3.11
• 1 lb lunchmeat ham usually 4.99, but shelf markdown to 2.49 (.55) = $1.96
• 2 Go-gurt usually $2.99, but shelf markdown to $1.99 (1.00 sticker markdown) ($.75/2) = $.62 each
• Oscar Meyer Chicken/Mozzarella Lunchable Sandwich sale price $1.25 ($.50 sticker markdown) ($1.00/1) = FREE + $.25 overage

There were also sticker markdowns on orange juice, biscuits, yoplait delights, Fiber One yogurt and other items, too. I am hoping this trend continues and I'll be sure to check out Top on a Saturday morning again to see if that's the best time to go. Fred Meyer does a ton of sticker markdowns on Saturday morning - I usually go around 9 so the bread guy has time to finish.

Speaking of Fred Meyer, the Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers cleaning products are still 30% and 40% off, respecively for another week. I bought a 32 oz bottle of Mrs. Meyers all purpose concentrated cleaner in lemon scent for $5.39. The directions indicate 1/4 cup to a gallon of water which works out to only 1 Tablespoon per quart/32 oz. I think this concentrated cleaner will last a long time and be well worth the $5.

Katie

Whole Foods Deals

From time to time I see Whole Foods Deals on another blog, the thrifty mama, but I haven't yet found a consistent source. Here is what I saw this for the week 4/15 to 4/22:

Reportedly Whole Foods gives a 10% discount if you buy a case, so consider buying in bulk for yourself or asking a friend if he/she wants to share.



Also, be sure to take your bags because Whole Foods refunds $.10 per bag which is the largest amount I've seen anywhere.

Here are some coupon deals to get you started:

Back To Nature Macaroni and Cheese $1
-$1/1 Back To Nature Product, exp. 4-30-10 (Mambo Sprouts Mailer)
=FREE after coupon!
Case discount price without coupons: $.90 per box!

Kettle Chips $2
-$1/2 Lays Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, exp. 4-20-10 (SS 03/21/10)
=$1.50 each when you buy 2!

Imagine Organic Soups $2
-$0.75/2 Imagine Product, exp. 4-30-10 (Mambo Sprouts Mailer)
-$1/1 printable HERE
=$1 after printable coupon!

Nutiva Organic Shelled Hempseed $6.49
-$2/1 from the Vitamin Angel’s coupon booklet
=$4.49 after coupon!

Snyder’s of Hanover Organic Pretzels 2/$4
-$1/1 Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Sticks, exp. 7-31 (SS 4/11/10)
=$1 each after coupon!

Other Deals:
Organic Kiwi 3/$1

So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir 32 oz. $3.99

Ground Chuck $3.49/lb

p.s. the "SS 3/21/10" means the coupon was in the Smart Source coupon insert on March 21, 2010. Other times you might see RP for Red Plum, another popular insert. These can come in your Sunday newspaper or with your Tuesday grocery ads it the mail, so keep your eyes peeled.

Happy Shopping!

Katie

Oatmeal Ideas?

We are officially out of our microwave instant oatmeal. This has been a staple item around here for years, but I'm ready to let it go provided I can come up with yummy alternatives my kids will still eat.



I already get up well before my kids so I can sure make oatmeal every morning, but does anyone out there have some ideas of things I can mix into it to make it more appealing to the kids? So far, all I can come up with is raisins & brown sugar or applesauce.

I'm sure making oatmeal from sratch will be much less expensive than the single-serve packets, and it will be simple to prepare this meal organically.

Thanks for your help!

====================

And here are two wonderful recipes for baked oatmeal from Brooke:

Baked Oatmeal-YUMMY VERSION


Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
2 large egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons milk
3 cups oatmeal (regular or quick)

Directions:
Melt butter.
Grease 1 1/2 quart baking dish and drop in eggs and beat well.
Add brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, no lumps.
Whisk in butter and both measures of milk, then add oats.
Stir well, and refrigerate overnight.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-45 min, or until set in the middle.
Serve hot with warm milk poured over.


Baked Oatmeal (Healthier but still Yummy Version)

Ingredients:
· 2 T butter
· ¼ cup applesauce
· 2 large egg
· ½ cup brown sugar
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
· 1 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup milk
· 2 tablespoons milk
· 3 cups oatmeal (regular or quick)
· Optional: 1 apple, peeled and diced and/ or ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Melt butter.
Grease 1 1/2 quart baking dish and drop in eggs and beat well.
Add brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, no lumps.
Whisk in butter, applesauce and both measures of milk, then add oats, apple and nuts.
Stir well, and refrigerate overnight.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-45 min, or until set in the middle.
Serve hot with warm milk poured over.

==================

See the comments for more ideas! Thanks everyone!

PCC Organic Milk

As I reported yesterday, I am out of grocery money so we are using the gift card a friend gave us to buy the basics. DH ran out for milk the other night and we were delighted to find that PCC has a great price on organic milk! He came home with two gallons totaling $8.78. He doesn't remember exactly, but DH thinks one gallon was $4.19 and the other $4.59. We got 2% and nonfat. This is the cheapest regular price on organic milk I've seen in this area.

Also, because of the budget I opted not to go to Albertson's to use the double coupons that came in the Sunday paper. Did you notice some more are in the weekly ad? There are three in the ad that should have arrived in your mailbox on Tuesday or Wednesday. These three are good until Saturday & I may try to use these on non-grocery items or if I can get groceries for free.

Katie
p.s. tomorrow will be my first post on gardening for this year!

Fred Meyer Organic Deals

I was pleased to see some good prices on organic items this week at Fred Meyer & wanted to pass the along. I generally won't pay more than $1/lb for fruit, so I was especially pleased with the fruit sales.

Organic Minneolas $0.99/lb - These are a cross between tangerine & grapfruit. They look like oranges with outie belly buttons.

Organic Fuji or Gala Apples $0.99/lb - yum! I love both of these varieties.

Pirate Booty or Smart Puffs are $2.00. Not the lowest price I've seen, but pretty good.

Also - in the new monthly coupon book (dated 2/3 - 3/2/10) there is a coupon for Earth's Best baby food for $0.68. Again, not the lowest price I've seen, but I thought I'd mention it.

Happy Shopping!

Katie