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.

Grocery Deal of the Week, March 17

Here's a little savin' o' the green in honor of St. Patrick's Day:

Albertson's: 12-oz Steamfresh frozen veggies for 66 cents each after coupon, a savings of 75%. I'm going to miss Albertson's...they are too far away for me to justify going there anymore. I had a great savings week, nearly 70% off my entire purchase, thanks to a $5.00 off coupon for purchasing specific items on a previous shopping trip.

Safeway: Safeway coupon for 18 eggs for 97 cents, a savings of 77%.

So far, I am pleased by my post-layoff grocery shopping. By using our stockpiles as much as possible, I have chopped our grocery bills nearly in half.

Grocery Deal of the Week, February 24

It seems all I am posting lately is grocery deals of the week; I hope to rectify that soon. But, until then, let me tell you about today's grocery trip to Albertson's. I went specifically for a number of General Mills items that were on a great sale. Not only did I get them for more than 50% off with my coupons, but I also got a $10 coupon good for my next trip to Albertson's because I bought a combination of 10 items (Lucky Charms, Trix, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Betty Crocker brownie mix, and Betty Crocker cookie mix). I also picked up some Kleenex on a good Fred Meyer coupon. I paid $20, saved $24, and can use that $10 coupon next week. Sweet!

Grocery Deal of the Week, February 17

It was a good day at Safeway today. Got 5 packages of the super-lean beef (96/4), 4 of which were 5o% off, and 1 which was 2.99 (about 65% off). Right into the freezer they went.

I also got 4 18-oz boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats for 75 cents per box by combining the Safeway coupon (4 for $6) with two manufacturers' coupons ($1.50 off 2). That's a savings of 83%!

And, to cap it all off, I got 4 Hershey's Special Dark bars for the price of 1. They were on sale for buy 2, get 2 free, and I had a coupon for buy 1, get 1 free. So it worked out to buy 1, get 3 free.

These are just 3 small examples of how you can use coupons, sales, and clearance to bring down your total food bill. Overall this week, I saved 40%!

Grocery Deal of the Week, February 9

So, this week was the time that I made an exception to my Albertson's rule, which is: "Only buy things that are at least 50% off original price." This week, Albertson's had 4 coupons, each of which were good for doubling one coupon up to $1.00. I had several things on my list this week that I needed, but which were not necessarily on the greatest sale at either Albertson's or Safeway. So, I chose to buy them at Albertson's because I had coupons for them, and was able to double my savings that way.

If I were really following the Grocery Game principles, I should never have to buy something that is not at its rock-bottom price. But, every now and then I still do. So, using my Alby's double coupons made the best of things.

I just finished reading Shop Smart, Save More by Teri Gault, the founder of the Grocery Game. If you don't want to pay the small monthly fee or don't live in an area served by the Grocery Game, I really recommend that you read this. It teaches the ins and outs of the GG so you can do it on your own if you want to.

Grocery Deal of the Week, February 3

I haven't posted a grocery deal in a while, but this week I scored on Campbell's Chunky Soup, which was on sale at Safeway for 99 cents per can, limit 10. My new soup philosophy is to buy as much as possible when there are sales and coupons, no matter how much I have on hand because 1) it stores well for a long time, and 2) there is so much of the year when you just can't get soup coupons and it never seems to go on sale.

I had enough coupons that I went to two different Safeways and bought my limit twice. Considering how quickly this goes in my house (my boys have been known to have a can of the Sirloin Burger with Country Vegetables flavor for breakfast), this was a no-brainer. My cost per can was right around 82 cents, after the different coupon denominations.

Grocery Deal of the Week, January 12

Finally! Double coupons have arrived in Western Washington! Not sure for how long, and it is limited to the number that you can double. What am I blathering about? In this past week's flyer, Albertson's had two coupons that were good for doubling 3 coupons (up to $1.00) each. YES!!!!! I made darn sure to use all 6 possible coupons and ended up getting two boxes of Total Cinnamon Crunch and two boxes of Jolly Time popcorn for FREE!

The cashier didn't know how long this promotion would be going on, but you can bet that I'll wring every last dollar out of it!

Grocery Deal of the Week, December 9

So it's been a while since I posted. Busy. Trying to do the Christmas thing, with my heart just not in it (at least the shopping part). As the kids get older, the size of the packages gets smaller but the cost gets bigger. And of course very few of the things they have on their list ever go on sale.

I caught one good bargain this week, but got caught on another that wasn't such a good bargain after all.

Good: At Safeway, there was a super coupon for General Mills Cereals for 4 for $6.00. I also had two Internet coupons for 55 cents off and a coupon I got from General Mills (by writing them a letter) for $1.00 off. So, I got 4 boxes of cereal for 3.90, or 98 cents each. I wish I'd had a 4th coupon I could have used!

Not-so-good: On the Grocery Game list, they had Hormel Black Label Bacon listed at Albertson's. Alby's had it on sale for buy one, get one free. The GG list also said Fred Meyer had a coupon for 2 for $5.00 The way the GG list figured it, you could use the 2 for $5 coupon and then have them give you another $2.50 off to honor their buy one, get one free offer. However, I realized after getting home that the checker only took off 99 cents, the difference between the price for 2 on the Alby's BOGO and the Fred Meyer coupon. Still a good deal, as it was better than 50% off, but not the 79% savings the GG list had calculated. So, it pays to be alert and aware of how your particular store honors competitors' coupons.

Grocery Deal of the Week, November 24

I haven't even done my main grocery shopping for the week yet, but I know what my grocery deal is. You can't do better than free (well, at least I've never been able to find a way for the grocery store to pay me for an item). I don't normally buy Green Giant vegetables because they are too expensive, but I always cut their coupons in the event that they come on a good sale. Today was definitely that day. Albertson's had some varieties of their Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers on for a dollar per 12-oz bag. And, as luck would have it, I had seven (7!) $1.00 off coupons! WHOOOOO!

The cashier was skeptical that the computer would actually let me get them for free, but I told her it would be fine, and of course, the computer didn't even flinch once. I love it!

Grocery Deal of the Week, November 18

My grocery deal this week was 6 boxes of Pop Tarts for 45 cents each, a savings of 84%. Safeway had them on a Super Coupon for 3 for $3 and I had six 55 cents off coupons. Albertson's honors the Safeway coupons, so I got my limit (3) at both Alby's and Safeway. They aren't great nutrition, but as far as something quick for my boys to grab in the a.m. when they are running late, or in the afternoon when they are heading to swim practice, they are great to have.

The lady in line behind me at Albertson's yesterday was SO impressed when I saved $60 and only spent $29. I must admit I was feeling pretty good, too!

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.

Grocery Deal of the Week, October 14

This week's grocery deal was Pure Protein High Protein Bars (like Balance Bars) for 25 cents each after sale and coupon. I hadn't ever tried these bars before, but I decided to take a chance, considering I was getting 85% off. I've tried one, and it was definitely edible. I will probably take the 10 that I bought to work to stave off the "I-gotta-get-something-chocolate-from-the-vending-machine" feeling that I tend to get in the afternoons more often than not.

I've noticed that now that the boys are back in school, I'm doing my grocery shopping at different times, either at 8 a.m. or 3 or 4 p.m., and that neither time seems to be very good for scoring on those clearance meat markdowns. This summer, when we were busy with swim team in the mornings, I usually didn't get to the grocery store until about 11 a.m., which seemed to be the ideal time for snatching up those great buys. Just an observation, I don't know that I can put off my groceries until 11 a.m. during the school year, as I usually have a huge, long list of to-do items on my day off.

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!

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 16

Coupons, coupons, coupons! How I LOVE coupons!

I was going to write about the 3 more (!) boxes of Electrasol dishwasher powerball tablets that I got at Albertson's for approximately 83 cents per box, but then at Safeway today I came upon an even better deal. Safeway had Nature Valley Granola Bars (all varieties, even the trail mix and nut crunch varieties, which we love) on for 2 for $5.00, and I had 6 manufacturers' coupons for 50 cents off. So, I bought 6 boxes. Right there, I had already saved 50%. Then, because I had bought 5 or more participating items, I got an instant $5 off at checkout. Getting better! Then after I get home, I found that the Catalina machine had spit out a coupon good for $3.50 off my next shopping trip, courtesy of General Mills (who make Nature Valley Granola Bars). Even though I can't use the $3.50 until next time, it essentially made it so my 6 boxes of granola bars will cost about 58 cents each, or a savings of 85%. I love it when coupons and promotions work together!

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.

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.