Cash & Carry

Yesterday, I had the day off work so I decided to do some things that I haven't had time for lately, or haven't ever done. One of the places I went was Cash & Carry, which I had never been to before, despite being in the same town for 15 years. If you aren't familiar with C&C, it is essentially for foodservice industries, but is open to the public with no membership fee. My friend Soozcat calls it Poor Man's Costco. You won't find the breadth of products that you find at Costco, but the prices are amazing!! I was totally blown away. I can't believe I never went there before today!

Here's my haul:

• 18 oz black pepper for $11.35
• 2.2 lb Knorr chicken bouillon for $6.79
• Franz English muffins (10) for $3.57
• Seattle Baking Co. French bread for $2.59
• Two 48-oz. bottles Hershey's syrup for $4.04 each (I resisted temptation and did not get the #10 can)
• 64 oz. Heinz ketchup for $4.63
• 29 oz. Montreal Steak seasoning (best stuff on the planet!) for $8.48.

The bread and muffins were an impulse buy, and probably not the greatest deal, though they were name-brand bakery goods. The spices were a great buy, as was the Hershey's syrup. I had thought the ketchup was a good deal, but I actually bought that same size bottle at Safeway last week for less ($4.19).

The steal of the day, however, was the chicken bouillon powder. I bought the Herb-Ox bouillon last week at Safeway for $3.29 for 4.0 ounces. I'd say 2.2 lb for $6.79 is the better deal! Now, I haven't checked the ingredients to see how similar these products are, but quite honestly bouillon is bouillon. You use the same amount of both brands (1 teaspoon per cup of water). I actually use it quite a bit, as I always put some bouillon in the water when I cook rice. I ran out recently, and fixed plain white rice without adding any bouillon and my kids refused to eat it.

I didn't explore their freezer, meat, dairy, or produce sections very well, as I wasn't going to be going straight home and didn't have a way to keep things cold while I was out, but from what I saw, there are amazing deals to be had there, too.

A Great Time to Buy Meat

The week after Christmas, when I went to the grocery store, I hit a jackpot in the clearance meat department. I picked up nine 1-lb packages of 94% lean ground beef for $1.99 each (a savings of $3.50 per package), and seven 1-lb packages of ground buffalo for $1.99 each (an unbelievable savings of $5.00 per package). I unashamedly took all the marked-down packages of each that I could find and filled my freezer.

Clearance meat is one of my favorite ways to save. It doesn't take advanced math skills to figure out why. I think saving 68% speaks for itself. The trick is knowing what time of day, as well as what time of year, your particular grocery store marks down their meat. Since going back to work, my grocery shopping time has switched from 8 or 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. I have definitely seen less in the clearance section when shopping in the afternoon. On the shopping trip where I scored all the meat after Christmas, it was about 10 a.m., which is probably the ideal time at my particular grocery store.

Historically, I have been able to get great meat deals the week after major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I suspect this is because we are buying turkey, ham, and other holiday trimmings and not our usual everyday groceries.

Frozen Grapes: Nature's Little Popsicles

I'm back! I've been incredibly busy the past couple of weeks. Both my boys swim on a summer league team, and we've been in championships mode. My 13-year-old swam at Division Champs on 7/18/09 and took 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in his races. Our pool hosts the Division Champs, and yours truly is the meet coordinator. Then, my 16-year-old swam at League Champs on 7/20/09, where he took 2nd (out of swimmers from 26 different teams) in the backstroke, setting a club record. (Brag time is now over.) It's taken me almost a week to get caught back up on everything.

This is kind of a silly tip, but it's a perfect one for summertime, and hopefully, it helps to get me back into the habit of posting more regularly.

We love grapes. I especially love them when they are firm and plump. I hate it when some of the grapes fall off and start getting soft and shriveled. So, the other day, I tossed all the remaining grapes into the freezer. Even the shriveled grapes became plump and yummy again. Eat them straight from the freezer, or allow to thaw for a minute or two. Not only is this a very nice cool treat on a hot summer afternoon, but it saves you from tossing grapes that would otherwise be wasted.

Puget Sound Grocery Guide

Last night on Evening Magazine, I saw a story about a woman after my own heart when it comes to shopping grocery sales and using coupons. She's much better at it than I am, though. The story mentioned her website, the Puget Sound Grocery Guide (PSGG), so of course, today I went to check it out.

It works essentially like the Grocery Game which I already subscribe to. PSGG has weekly shopping lists of the best buys linked up with the applicable coupons for Albertson's, Fred Meyer, and Rite Aid. There is no list for Safeway. You can try the PSGG for free for 4 weeks, and the regular price is $1/week thereafter.

Because I have already decided Albertson's is too far away to shop at regularly, am not in the habit of shopping at Fred Meyer, and absolutely refuse on principle to shop at Rite Aid, I doubt I will subscribe, but for those of you who do shop at these stores, I think the PSGG would be worth a try.

Albertson's to Discontinue Accepting Competitors' Coupons

I went down to Albertson's today as part of my weekly shopping routine and was told by the cashier that I know well that as of next week, Albertson's will not be accepting competitors' coupons. I was really disappointed to hear that, as I have really benefitted from being able to show up with coupons from Fred Meyer or Safeway and have them be accepted. In fact, that was one of the primary attractions of shopping at Albertson's at all. The cashier said they looked at all the competitors' coupons that they honored last week, and it cost the company 3 MILLION dollars. OK, that's a good reason for them to stop the practice.

The result, for me, is that after next week (I have a raincheck for frozen chicken breasts and a $5 coupon good for my next visit), I likely won't keep up the Grocery Game membership for Albertson's, and will stop going there. Albertson's was close to where I worked, so it was convenient to swing by there on my way home on Mondays, but now that I am not working, it is a bit out of my way. If I want something on a Fred Meyer coupon, there's a Fred Meyer very close to my usual Safeway.

Playing the Grocery Game during a Layoff

For a long time I have been a devotee of the Grocery Game. I have used its principles to amass a pretty impressive stockpile of food, cleaning items, and toiletries. In fact, my stockpile runneth over--I'm literally running out of places to store food. Now, it's time to scale back what I spend each week at the grocery store, and focus on using that stockpile, and only adding to the stockpile when there's a too-good-to-pass-up deal.

And just what is my definition of a deal that is too good to pass up? Meat that is 50% off or more, for one. This week's example: combining a store Super Coupon with a Manufacturer's Coupon to get a 24-oz box of Frosted Mini Wheats for 29 cents. I had two store coupons, and Albertson's will honor competitors' store coupons, so I got my limit (1 box, sadly) at both Alby's and Safeway. Ditto the store coupon for a free 2L bottle of 7-Up products, one at Alby's and one at Safeway. Free is always within my budget.

But, in general, today I did not stock up just for the sake of stocking up, like I normally would do. I stuck to the basics that we needed for the week--copious amounts of milk (for those darn teen/tween boys of ours!), produce, dairy, bread, tomato sauce, etc., and spent about half what I would usually spend each week.

Getting Back to Frugal Business

Wow, with Christmas and being snowbound for more than a week, things have really gotten away from me, but now that the snow is melting away and the hubby is back at work, it's time to get back into gear. I'm not looking forward to my next heating bill, as we were all at home running the heat at our standard 67 degrees during the very bitter cold and the snowstorms (vs. being at work or school--the kids missed FIVE days--with our furnace set at 63 while we were gone). The snowstorms also forced me to do my grocery shopping at a store that I don't normally shop at, but which was easier to get to (no hills), and boy, did I notice the difference. Talk about sticker shock! I can't wait to get back to Albertson's and Safeway tomorrow.

I'm pleased to report that we spent about $30 less on Christmas this year than we did last year (hey, it's better than spending more). I did a ton of shopping, especially for my hubby, on amazon.com this year. One thing I learned about that is if you see a good sale price on amazon, you have to grab it right then and there, or risk the price going up next time you are out on the website.

I'm finding the after-Christmas sales to be good, and I hope you are too. I've picked up lots of wrapping paper, gift tags, gift bags, wrapping paper, ornaments, small gifts for next year, etc., at prices 50-75% off normal. My best bargain so far has been 6 strings of 25 C9 outdoor lights (red and white ceramic lights) and 12 packages of 4 green C9 replacement bulbs for $19.37 after tax.

Look for more posts from me in the new year as we all try to make our way for as little money as possible in the new economic environment.

Happy New Year!

Double Coupons--I'm SO Jealous!

A good friend in Arizona e-mailed me with this awesome shopping feat:

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping, coupons in hand. My nearest grocery store was having a Veteran’s Day sale… and were doubling coupons up to $1.00 (they usually double only up to $.50). I bought 3 packages of Lifesaver Gummy treats for 25 cents each. I got five bottles of Vive Pro Shampoo for 50 cents each. The Vive Shampoo was regularly $4.99 each… on sale for $2.50, with my $1.00 coupons doubled to $2.00… 50 cents!!!

I can't tell you how much I would L-O-V-E it if any stores around here offered double coupons. I hope that those of you who can double your coupons take full advantage of it. I had a pretty boring shopping trip yesterday, nothing much to crow about.

Grocery Deal of the Week, November 4

Today, there was nothing really exciting on my grocery list, so I was planning to write about how sometimes even if something is not 50% off or more, it is a good deal. Case in point: Milk at Safeway is 2 gallons for $5.75. This week, Fred Meyer had a coupon (which Albertson's would honor) for 10 1/2 gallons of milk for $10. Albertson's regular price for milk (I thought) was $1.89, which would have made this not a good enough deal for me to get at Albertson's had I stuck to my "more than 50% off" rule for shopping there. But, since it made the milk $2.00/gallon, I got it anyway, because that was cheaper than the price per gallon at Safeway. When I actually got to Albertson's, I found that the regular price was $2.09/half gallon, so it conformed to my rule anyway.

The real deal today was at Safeway. I went shopping a little later in the morning than I have been with the boys back in school, and I hit their clearance meat section just in time. I got 6 packages of 96% lean ground beef for 50% off, a package of thin-sliced round steak for 50% off, and five packages of ground bison for 56% off ($2.69 marked down from $6.19). You all know how expensive even hamburger is these days, so I was happy to snatch up all I could get. And, if you haven't tried bison before, you are missing out. It is so flavorful! We love it, but because it is usually so expensive, we have to wait until I can score some on clearance.

When Is It a Good Deal?

A fellow Frugalite (is that a word?--it is now, I guess) posted a question on one of my other posts, asking:

Okay, so the advice I want from a more experiences frugal shopper than myself is: what do you consider to be good prices? I mean, obviously 4 cents or 9 cents or something I could pay with in pennies is a good deal, but is shampoo only a good deal if it's under a dollar? How about canned vegetables? Ground beef / chicken? Socks?

I know this is a seemingly impossible task, but I wish I knew what all the "normal" prices of things were so that I could know when I was beating them.I think 2 lb blocks of medium cheddar cheese at $3.99 each at QFC is good though. I'm less sure about good prices for soup, vegetables, chili, yogurt, and lots of other things.

I don't know if I have "the answer" for this question, but that won't stop me from weighing in. It is very hard to keep track of what all the normal prices are for things. That is one of the reasons I use The Grocery Game for planning my shopping. That said, I know that not everyone can shop at the stores for which the Grocery Game publishes shopping lists. There's also a book sold on the website that teaches people how to do the calculating for themselves. This is not a plug for the book. I've not read it. I'm just saying it is there if anyone wants to try it out.

I think for everything, a "good" price is relative. The more you shop, the more you get a feel for what's "normal," and when a sale is really good. Also, you have to recognize what a true bargain is for you. If you swear by a shampoo that you can only get at a salon for $10/ bottle, then no matter how cheap a grocery store shampoo is, it won't be a deal for you.

My rule of thumb is that for most things, especially items with long shelf lives, I try to wait until they are at least 50% off. This makes buying the things that we use all the time and I purchase weekly (milk and produce, for example), which I can't hold out until they're 50% off, a little less painful.

I think it's outrageous that I sometimes have to pay $4.49/lb for 96% lean hamburger. Not to date myself, but I can remember getting hamburger for 99 cents/lb (granted, it was probably not 96% lean, but you get the picture). So, when I can find it for around $3 or less, I am snatching it up and freezing it.

It's funny that the question asked specifically about socks. I had just bought some for my boys the day before, as all their pairs were threadbare. They are both very picky when it comes to socks. Both like the short socks, one only will wear Gold Toe brand, the other wants "whatever is comfiest." So, I just went to Fred Meyer and bought the socks, not really paying attention to what they cost. Luckily, I chose some Champion socks for my oldest, and they were buy 2 packs get 1 free, so that saved me a little. I also think socks are one of those things where it doesn't pay to buy the cheapest brands, at least not when we are talking about very active boys. I find the good brands, like Gold Toe and Champion, will last 18 months to 2 years, whereas some cheaper store brands (even Old Navy) last much less time.

I hope this answered the question, at least a little bit. Shopping and deal-hunting is definitely a game, kind of hunting and gathering for the 21st century.

Grocery Deal of the Week, October 7

I should have titled this post "The Grocery Deal that Got Away," or "Why We Should ALWAYS Cut Those Coupons."

In the Albertson's list for this week, the Grocery Game had Suave shampoo and conditioner listed. Using a Fred Meyer coupon (Alby's takes competitors' coupons), they were 79 cents each, limit 4. The GG list said to use the coupon that was $1.50 off 2 that came in the Red Plum insert on September 21. So, I eagerly thumbed through my coupon file (I really ought to take a picture of it someday), only to come up empty. I had not cut those coupons back on September 21, probably because I knew that I had probably a dozen or more bottles of Suave shampoo and conditioner in my bathroom storage. BUT, because I didn't have the coupons (actually, I had one Catalina [cash register receipt] coupon for 75 cents off), I missed getting 4 bottles for 4 CENTS each. Now, I don't care how much shampoo and conditioner I have stacked up around the house, if I can get shampoo/conditioner for 4 cents, I'm gonna want to get it.

But, alas, I could only get one at 4 cents. I did buy the other 3 at 79 cents, because that was still better than 50% off.

So, the moral of the story--and I say this for my benefit as much (or more) than for anyone else--ALWAYS cut the coupons of the products you buy. It doesn't matter how many coupons you have crammed in your organizer. It doesn't matter how much of the product(s) you already have stockpiled, the worst thing you can do while shopping to increase your stockpile is to not have the coupons that you need. Let this be a cautionary tale unto you!

Things I Only Buy On Sale, Part 1

There are certain things that I only buy when they are on sale. Here's some of the grocery items that are only on my list when there are deals to be had:

• Soda—has to be at least half-price. I've cut down on buying soda in general; my hubby and I have decided that even diet sodas are bad for watching weight, and I keep a little bit of root beer on hand for an occasional treat for the boys.
• Breakfast cereal—$1/box or less. Cereal goes on sale here frequently, thankfully.
• Butter and margarine—both of these freeze wonderfully (Imperial margarine seems to freeze the best). I have two entire rows in the door of my freezer of nothing but butter and margarine. I can't remember the last time I paid full price for it.
• Granola bars and fruit snacks—another category that I won't buy unless I can get it for at least half price.
• Ice cream—Safeway puts their Select brand on all the time. I don't bother with the national brands anymore, as they have really shrunk their carton sizes lately.
• Dishwasher detergent—anyone who has read about my grocery deals lately know that I have been scoring some great deals on diswasher detergent.

I'd love to hear some of the things you only buy on sale, and how often those deals tend to come up. In a future post, I plan to list some of the non-grocery items I only buy when they are on sale.

Grocery Deal of the Week, September 23

Well, I was kind of thwarted in my grocery shopping this week. I was hoping to get some Quaker Simple Harvest hot cereal for $1.00/box after sale and coupon, but Albertson's was completely out. That would have been an 80% savings. So I did the next best thing and got a raincheck. That is one cardinal rule of smart grocery shopping--if an item you want is not in stock, get a raincheck, and be sure to specify how many you want.

My boys love Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger soup, so we are all very happy that it is soup coupon time of year again. Albertson's had all their chunky soup on sale, so I unabashedly cleaned them out of about 16 cans of the sirloin burger plus a few more, for a savings of 63% on each can. Soup is one of those great staples that you can really stock up on because of the long shelf life. My goal this fall is to not let any of my soup coupons go to waste, even if I think I have too much soup already because come spring and summer when those coupons can't be found and soup just doesn't go on sale, I'll still have a stockpile. Don't ask me where I'll store it all!

Grocery Deal of the Week, September 8

This week's grocery deal was definitely Electrasol dishwasher gel pacs and tablets. They were on sale for 3 for $10, and I had five coupons for $2.25 off a package, bringing them down to $1.08 each. That's just over 5 cents per individual gel pac and just over 4 cents per individual tablet. Definitely an affordable way to wash my dishes.

My hubby gives me a hard time about all the dishwashing detergent we have, but, hey, it's not like the stuff ever expires. And, we definitely have more than a year's supply on hand!

I have to also acknowledge the deal that got away. On the Albertson's Grocery Game list, they had Zone Perfect Nutrition bars for free after the sale and the $1.00 off coupon in yesterday's paper. Even though those aren't normally something I'd buy, for free, I was willing to give them a try and I made a mental note to cut those coupons out. Well, of course, they didn't get cut out and got recycled instead. Oh well! Next time.

Grocery Deal of the Week, September 1

Two grocery deals this week, both with essentially equal savings percentages.

My first grocery deal was planned from the Grocery Game list I use each week. I got 6 boxes of Hamburger Helper for 75 cents each, or a savings of 73%. We don't use HH very often; however, my boys will often make up a box for lunch when they are at home during the day. As our school district just called for a strike (meaning school won't start tomorrow), they will be home during the day for a while. I think I'll fry up some hamburger and freeze it so all they have to do is thaw the browned hamburger and add it to the HH.

My second grocery deal was something I stumbled on at Safeway. They had the small boxes of chocolate and banana cream Safeway brand instant pudding mix on clearance for 23 cents each, or 75% off. I unashamedly took all of the boxes of chocolate (8) and 6 boxes of banana cream. Not only are these a nice, cheap treat, but I also use the small boxes of pudding to make cake frosting (1 small box pudding, 1 envelope Dream Whip, 1 1/2 cups milk, use a mixer to whip until creamy, spread on cake, refrigerate---YUM!).

Always keep your eyes open when you are shopping, and learn to spot a good deal when you see one! Happy shopping.

Another Use for Stale Bread

In response to my post on making French toast out of bread that is getting stale, a friend asked if I had any ideas for using up stale hamburger buns. That's a problem at my house, as even with 4 of us, we rarely go through 8 buns at a time. You can approach this from two angles:

1. When you buy hamburger buns, divide them into zip-top bags and freeze. If you normally use 4 per meal, put 4 in a bag. Only thaw as many as you need at one time.
2. Toast them on a cookie sheet in a low oven (about 250 degrees) for about 10-15 minutes. Allow to air-dry, then break into small pieces and use your food processor to pulverize them into bread crumbs. Store in an airtight container and use in recipes that call for plain bread crumbs.

Yes, I know, hamburger buns are pretty cheap, but neither idea is all that difficult. And, to me, saving is saving!

Keeping Track of Your Stockpiles

For a long time, I've been keeping track of what meat is in my freezer so I have the information at hand while planning menus and grocery lists. See above for a picture of my grocery planner/inventory lists. Just recently (this week) I decided to make an inventory of everything in my pantry, garage storage, both freezers, and toiletries.

I have one page for each category: roasts/steaks, prepared meats (like hot dogs, hamburger buns), ground meat (hamburger, turkey, vegetarian crumbles), fish/poultry. I list each item individually. For example, on the ground meat page, if I have 8 packages of hamburger in the freezer, I write “hamburger” 8 times, and then cross off one instance of “hamburger” every time I use a package. When I buy more hamburger, I add to the bottom of the list.

I've now added some new pages: toiletries, pantry/garge (nonfood), pantry /garage (food), cereal (has its own page), extra freezer, etc. I find that as I am stockpiling and having to store my stocks in a variety of places in the house and the garage, that I am losing track of what I have, and consequently, what I might need when things go on sale.

By having lists of everything I have, I can look very quickly to see that I already have 18 cans of chicken broth, and that I might want to pass on the sale that is coming up. Or that I seem to have way more Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch than anything else, so not to buy those flavors for a while. Equally important is I can now more easily make sure we use things before they go out of date. When I was doing the inventory on my “spare” freezer (part of my refrigerator in the garage), I had to toss FIVE packages of Van De Kamps fish portions that were more than a year past date.

I hope this makes sense and that you aren't all laughing yourself silly. What can I say, I'm definitely Type A! But, I think this will help me keep tabs on what I have on hand, so that I can shop even smarter.

Grocery Deal of the Week, August 26

Well, aside from getting three more free loaves of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth bread again (I think I am finally out of those coupons, darn it!), I think my best grocery deal this week was a bottle of Softsoap for 65 cents, a savings of 72%. I had my best overall percentage saved at Safeway this week, 46% (spent $74.56, saved $63.89). Not quite sure how I managed that, aside from being able to stick mostly to sale items. I was extremely shocked to get out of Safeway for less than $100; usually, I am closer to $150. Prior to starting the Grocery Game, I used to say that if I didn't spend at least $200 on a shopping trip, I probably forgot something. But, with my freezer almost bursting with all the sale meat I got last week, and my pantry literally overflowing with deals, there was really not much I needed to buy beyond produce and a few other essentials.

Grocery Deal of the Week, August 19

It's grocery deal time once again! The coupon insert this week had a coupon good for a free loaf of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth bread ($3.89 value), so I used 1 coupon at Albertson's and 2 at Safeway. Can't beat free. My oldest son is in charge of providing the sacrament bread at church this month (one loaf per week), so great timing on the freebies.

I was really excited to cruise by Safeway's clearance meat bin today to find hamburger for a screaming deal. I got 8 packages (about 1.25 lb each), some 96% lean/4% fat, and some 90%/10%, for $1.99 apiece. Regular price on these packages ranged from $6.11 to $7.04. On the 8 packages, I saved $36.37 and spent $15.92, a savings of 70%. Throw 'em in the freezer, and we are good to go!

I regularly check the meat markdowns for things I can take home and pop right into the freezer. I scored on some ground buffalo a few weeks ago, also $1.99 for a package that would normally have cost about $8.00. I find that the best time to find a wide selection of marked down packages is mid-morning, around 10 a.m. or so.

Grocery Deal of the Week, August 12

This week, I had a personal best for overall savings in one grocery trip. At Albertson's, I spent $18.80 and saved $47.80, a savings of 72%. I got 3 boxes of Cocoa Puffs Combos, 10 Lean Cuisine frozen pizzas, and 2 10-packs of Papermate pens. The pens were my best item of the week; they were originally $2.79 and I got them for 25 cents a package, for a 91% savings. We go through those things like water during the school year. In addition to the sale prices, I had a $2.00 off Catalina coupon (the kind you get at the checkout stand) for the Lean Cuisines, and 3 coupons for 75 cents off the Cocoa Puffs. I also, somehow, qualified for a Mega Event savings of $5.00. Being out of town last week, I didn't get their sale flyer so I have no idea what that was all about. I'll take it, though!

This is why I spend the extra $5.00 every 8 weeks to get the Grocery Game for Albertson's in addition to Safeway (where I do the bulk of my shopping).

What I really need to do now is go through the pantry, the freezers, and my storage areas in the garage and make an inventory to be sure I know what all I have. I've got groceries stuffed in a lot of places, thanks to all these great deals. I also need to do the same thing for toiletries...I just picked up 8 bottles of Suave shampoos and conditioners (which the boys use) at Safefway for 49 cents apiece and realized I really had nowhere to put them.