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Happy Ad Saturday!

Here we are in the citrus season. So many cheap mandarins!  I made tiny pomanders with mandarins and cloves, it’s a simple holiday decoration I do every year.  I’ll get to the list! I’ll be getting avocadoes, Haloes, and sugar. 

Are you baking cookies? Do you make a holiday meal? I’d love to hear about what your holiday food traditions are. I just learned about a baked cheese appetizer from a friend, and I am so excited to try a new way to eat too much cheese!

 

Fiesta

  • limes                                                                                  15/99c
  • russet potatoes, 5lb.                                                       $1.49/ea 

 

HEB

  • Bosc pears                                                                88c/lb
  • Gold potatoes, 5lbs                                                 $2/ea
  • Fuji apples                                                               88c/lb
  • Duncan Hines classic cake mix                           88c/ea

 

Sprouts

  • Haas avocados, limit 12                                                  33c/ea
  • Cuties mandarins, 2lbs                                                  $1.98/ea
  • organic celery                                                                   $1.48/ea
  • Sprouts frozen vegetables, 16oz, selected var.          $1.67/ea

 

Central Market

  • organic Granny Smith and Gala apples                              $1.68/lb

 

Randalls

  • large pineapples                                                              $1.50/ea
  • Halos clementines, 5lbs                                                 $4.99/lb
  • Hormel Cure 81 ham OR Signature Select hams      $1.49/lb
  • Signature Select sugar, 4lb                                            $1.49/lb
  • Libby’s canned corn, cream corn                                  50c/ea
  • Libby’s canned green beans, broth                               50c/ea

Friday ONLY:

  • Refreshe mixers (tonic, soda, seltzer) 2L                    50c/ea (limit 10)
  • Campbells Chunky Soup, select varieties                   $1/ea (must buy 5)
  • Hillshire Farm Lil’l Smokies, 24oz                                $5 ea (limit 4)

 

Links to the weekly ads:

Weekly Ad Roundup!

A bit late, but I was distracted by trying to decide if I needed the AC or the heat on recently.  I also had to laugh at the corner store trying to sell three sticks of firewood for $5.99.  Are they magic sticks?  

It got cold, so I wanted to cook a bunch, then it got warm and I didn’t. So now I have this big list of food I want to make but not until it’s cold. And I have a list of Thanksgiving things I want to make.  And then there’s a list of things I want to make next month.  I may have a list problem. Happily, that works in your favor, because here’s your list of grocery deals!  Check out the turkey list after the individual stores.

HEB

  • sweet potatoes                                                            14c/lb
  • McIntosh or Granny Smith apples                         87c/lb
  • Boston butt pork roast                                              $1/lb (limit 2)

 

Randalls

  • Libby’s canned green beans, corn, peas               44c/ea (must buy 6)
  • Blue Bell half gallons                                                $4.99/ea (must buy 2)

 

Central Market

  • organic Granny Smith or Fuji apples                  $1.27/lb
  • fresh wild jumbo sea scallops U/10 ct                 $14.99/lb

                                                   (a splurge yes, but it’s $12/lb off!)

Fiesta

  • russet potatoes, 5lbs.                                          $1.50/ea
  • split chicken breasts, family pack                      87c/lb
  • Betty Crocker cake mix                                          $1/ea
  • Fiesta frozen vegetables, 16oz                           89c/ea

 

Sprouts

  • raspberries or blueberries, 6oz                     $1.67/lb
  • large pomegranates                                              $2/ea
  • Hass avocados                                                      50c/ea
  • red or black seedless grapes                              98c/lb
  • organic celery                                                    $1.48/lb
  • Cuties brand mandarins, 5lb box                   $3.98/ea

 

Turkey Situations

HEB

  • HEB fresh turkey, 10-24 lbs.                                        $1.48/lb
  • Free Riverside frozen turkey up to 12lbs. (or credit on a larger turkey) with purchase of an HEB bone-in or boneless spiral cut ham.

Randalls

  • Free frozen Honeysuckle White or Signature Farms turkey with $100 purchase, or 49c/lb with $25 purchase
  • Butterball frozen turkeys, 10lbs & up                          99c/lb
  • Honeysuckle White fresh turkeys, 10lbs & up         $1.49/lb
  • Butterball fresh turkeys, 10lbs U up                          $1.99/lb

Central Market

  • Mary’s free-range non-gmo natural fresh turkey     $2.49/lb
  • Mary’s free-range certified organic fresh turkey      $3.49/lb
  • Mary’s Heritage fresh turkey                                         $6.49/lb

Sprouts

  • fresh natural turkeys                                                     $1.49/lb (limit 4)
  • fresh organic free-range turkeys                                 $2.99/lb (limit 4)

Fiesta

  • Jenni-O frozen turkey, 12-20 lbs.                                      47c/lb

Fiesta also has everything for making tamales ‘on sale’. I don’t think these prices are much lower than the usual for most of the basics, but if you want a whole pork leg, this is a good price.tamalephoto

Links to the weekly ads:

Weekly Ad Roundup

It’s certainly Turkey Time, y’all.  At the end, I’ve listed this ad week’s turkey deals. I always get one to make now and one for the freezer. Sometimes I get one extra because I love turkey.  I have an old cookbook called Simple Fare that was the first cookbook I bought for myself that had a section called ‘Dine a Dozen on a Shoestring’ and the basis for the meal was a turkey.  I still agree with the author that a turkey is an excellent way to feed a crowd, despite turning more often to a pork shoulder these days.

Remember, getting those ‘free’ turkeys in reasonable sizes is a trick.  People like me are stocking up and the middle-of-the-road sizes that fit in an ordinary roasting pan.  Stopping by the butcher counter to ask when they restock can give you a fighting chance.

Happy shopping!

Sprouts

  • avocados                                                                                   50c/ea
  • green bell peppers                                                                  50c/ea
  • organic red seedless grapes                                                 $1.98/lb
  • organic Gala or Fuji apples, 2lbs                                        $2.98/ea
  • russet potatoes, 5lb                                                                $1.88/ea
  • bulk spices                                                                               35% off
  • organic bulk coffee                                                                $7.99/lb

HEB

  • Autumn Glory or Smitten apples                                            97c/lb
  • Boston Butt pork roast                                                                $1/lb
  • HCF bone-in split chicken breasts                                           $1/lb

 

Randalls

  • Hass avocados, 6ct bag                                                        $2.94/ea
  • boneless skinless chicken breasts                                     $1.69/ea
  • red, yellow, or orange bell peppers                                    99c/ea
  • Barilla pasta, 12-16oz.                                                            88c/ea (buy 4, mix & match)
  • Lucerne cream cheese, 8oz.                                                  88c/ea (buy 4, mix & match)
  • granulated sugar, 4lbs.                                                           99c/ea (until Monday, limit 2)
  • all-purpose flour, 5lbs.                                                           99c/ea (until Monday, limit 2)

 

Fiesta

  • avocados, small                                   5/97c (note, these often have large pits)
  • white onions                                        29c/lb

 

Turkey Time

Sprouts:

organic fresh turkeys                        $2.99/lb  (limit 4)

fresh whole turkeys                           $1.49/lb

Fiesta:

Jennie-O frozen turkey, 10-20lbs.               47c/lb

HEB:

Free frozen 12lb RiverSide turkey (up to 12lbs) when you buy a HEB Half/Whole ham, or spiral sliced ham.  They will also credit 12lbs toward a larger turkey.

Randalls:

Butterball frozen turkeys                  99c/lb

Free frozen turkey with $100 purchase. With a $25 purchase, turkey is 49c/lb. The price of turkey doesn’t count toward total, limit 1.

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Hey, Circular Editor: this is a lot, and the font is supertiny. Do better.

 

 

Last Chance Tuesday

Here’s a quick list in case you’re stopping by a store today! Full list for the next ad week will post tomorrow. Cheepie on a roll!

Sprouts

  • large pomegranates                                 $1.67/ea
  • red seedless grapes                                     88c/lb
  • Cento canned tomatoes, 28oz.                   $2/ea

 

HEB

  • Gala apples                                                   87c/lb
  • Bosc/Bartlett pears                                      87c/lb

 

Randalls

  • raspberries or blackberries,6oz           $1.50/ea
  • Hass avocados, 6ct bag                           $2.94/ea (49c/avocado, but LOOK at them all!)
  • boneless skinless chicken breast          $1.49/lb (only at butcher counter)

 

Fiesta

  • Persian limes                                               20/$1
  • large avocados                                            87c/ea
  • large pomegranate                                 $1.50/ea
  • bone-in chicken breast, family pack      79c/lb
  • Fiesta large eggs, dozen                            79c/ea

 

Ten months later…

Well. I certainly had plans for Cheepie this year, demonstrated by the last post.  Look at that lovely list of ideas.  I still like ’em all, but have managed to accomplish exactly zero of them! Not even my weekly lists.  I have been posting on Facebook and Instagram more often, but not here.  2019 has been a year of refocusing, and I think I’m finally ready to get back to my small contribution to the internet.

IMG_1728

That’s my planner, and while it’s now full-up after a scheduling session, very little of the time blocked off is anything I’d choose–it’s mostly stuff for other people. This blog has always been one of the things I do just because I like to, so this week I’m making time for it.  Hopefully every week, but we’ll start with this one step.

So, what have I been doing lately on the budget-friendly front?

  • I’ve been on a push to eat what we’ve got in the freezer, always a way to trim a bit from the grocery budget.
  • I’ve made a lot of soup stock, turning it into gumbo (leftover chicken & leftover sausage), carrot ginger soup (Sprouts had that 3lb bag of organic carrots on sale) and something we’ll just call ‘Need to Eat This Up Now with noodles’ soup.
  • The kids eat a lot of granola, so I started making it.  Teen Boy is fond of it on yogurt and Tiny prefers bars. Tiny also wants all granola to have chocolate chips, and I’ve found that I can use the tiny chips and that way use less and make the bag last longer.
  • The day-old bread rack is one of my favorite things.  I made a breakfast bread pudding with bacon and cheese and a marble rye.  I was out of crackers, and a sourdough made a ton of little toasts to eat with dip when friends came over.  A cheese focaccia can be sliced in half and turned into a pizza in no time.

I’ll post a couple last-minute deals you can catch tomorrow later on tonight. In the meantime, I hope you’re glad to see me posting!  Cheep cheep!

Last Minute Ad Roundup

Yes, these are only good for tomorrow and Wednesday, but I’ve got some time, and maybe you do too!  Hours for tomorrow are normal at all four stores I’ve listed.

Don’t forget the black eyed peas for luck, and the greens for wealth! I know I need all the help I can get.  Evidence: this gift from a friend. It’s a rock to help bring me wealth. It has a manual. Which I am totally going to read.

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So here’s the short list for this week. Happy Shopping, and Happy New Year!

HEB

HEB Prime 1 brisket                                   $2.99/lb

seasoned chicken drumsticks or thighs    99c/lb

 

Randalls

avocado, 6 ct                      $2.34/ea

pork butt roast                   $1.69/lb

 

Screen shot 2018-12-31 at 6.43.20 PM

Yes, a splurge, but it’s so good!

 

Sprouts

mandarins, 2lb bag                      $1.88/ea

organic Fuji or Gala apples         $1.48/lb

Chameleon Cold brew, 32 oz       $6.99/ea

 

 

 

Fiesta

red seedless grapes                        99c/lbScreen shot 2018-12-31 at 6.44.35 PM

red mangoes                                   50c/ea

chicken drumsticks, large bag     37c/lb

 

 

 

Weekly Flier Links:

Sprouts Coupon

You know me, I don’t do the coupons. But if you’re not on the mailing list, you will miss this, so I’m sharing. 

I just called, and it’s perfectly fine to use on items that are on sale this week, or on a Manager’s Special, or on the clearance rack (!), according to the person I spoke to at South Lamar.  So if you need to stock up on something they’ve got on sale, bonus time!

I’m really hoping to get the ad roundup posted this week–I know I’ve been slacking.  Hopefully you know how to boil water and didn’t need me there to tell you to not freak out and buy eleventy million cans of LaCroix because you forgot how to work a pot, and I’ll give you a list of stuff to buy and cook with a minimum of SFW (Scary Flood Water).

Screen shot 2018-10-24 at 6.51.20 PM

You should just be able to show this on your phone and get the discount, so find some great deals and get the extra discount! Cheep cheep!

$5 Friday

Randall’s has been doing $5 Friday specials for years now. Usually I don’t bring them up because they’re not stupendous. This week I decided to, mostly because I’ve been wanting to make shrimp and grits.

This week’s that I might stop by for:

That’s about as cheap as shrimp get that aren’t in a can. Let me know if you’ve got a shrimp and grits recipe you think I should use.

Those pork tenderloins are in 24 oz. packages, which makes for $3.33/lb, not too shabby. They had a wide variety of flavors at the Randalls I was in.

The Cornish hens, well, They seem like they’d be fun, but I never do end up buying them. If you do, tell me how they turn out!

Happy shopping, Cheepsters!

Happy Ad Wednesday!

If you haven’t spontaneously combusted, congratulations! That’s really all I’m hoping for these days. That, and that the kids not burn themselves on the seat belts. Again.

Grocery sales are in full summer mode–watermelons, peaches and tomatoes, oh my!  It’s no time for turning on the oven, or even leaving a burner on for very long, so grab a propane tank refill and shop the sales and grill up dinner.  

It’s kind of a weird week, CM has the cheapest strawberries, Sprouts has organic apples for 99c/lb, and HEB is back to the different meat specials for more grackle/less grackle stores. My stock up items this week are: blueberries (if they’re pints, a LOT, they freeze fine), bacon, watermelon (also can freeze for blended drinks)(I’m saying blended drinks because someone once wanted to throw down about ‘aqua fresca’ v. ‘agua fresa’  and I don’t have that kind of time), dried cranberries and country pork ribs.

Happy shopping, Cheepsters!

HEB

red seedless grapes                                                      87c/lb

Screen shot 2018-07-25 at 6.32.31 PM

clip from the ad! it says PINT

Ball Park hot dogs, regular or bun length               99c/ea

blueberries, pint                                                            87c/ea  (my guess is this is an error, and they mean the 6oz containers)

HCF split chicken breasts                                                   $1/lb (more grackle only!)

HCF hickory smoked bacon, 12oz                             $2.50/ea (more grackle only!)

HEB Prime 1 ribeye steaks, bone in                           $9.99/lb (less grackle only!)

 

Sprouts

seedless watermelon                                                   $1.99/ea

vine ripe tomatoes                                                          67c/lb

yellow or orange bell peppers                                     88c/ea

organic Granny Smith apples                                      98c/ea

organic carrots, 5lbs                                                    $2.50/ea

dried cranberries                                                         $2.99/lb

boneless skinless chicken thighs                                 $1.67/lb

         

Screen shot 2018-07-25 at 6.01.19 PM

I can’t be the only one that is laughing at this. You do you, Fiesta, I love you.

Fiesta

cucumbers                                                                        33c/ea

peaches, plums, nectarines                                           97c/lb

chicken leg quarters, large bag (~10lbs)                     47c/lb

country style pork ribs, family pack                          $1.27/lb

sliced beef shank                                                             $1.77/lb

Fiesta shredded cheese, 8oz                                          $1.50/ea

Fiesta dry beans, black or pinto, 16oz                          67c/ea

 

Randalls

General Mills cereals, selected varieties                 $1.88/ea (must buy 4)

Fri only

      mangoes, 10ct case                                                     $2.50/ea

      Cornish hen, 2-pk                                                       $5/ea

Fri-Sun only

      pork loin half, sliced                                                   99c/lb

      Lucerne butter, 1lb                                                     $1.99/ea (limit 4)

 

Central Market

strawberries, 1lb.                                                           $1.47/ea

organic Russet potatoes                                                 87c/lb

 

Weekly Flier Links:

NOTE: Poco Loco is gone because I didn’t get a flyer in the mail, and their website thinks it’s May.  If they update, so will I.

 

Cheep Date Night

Snacks are my favorite meals. I picture heaven as an endless sea of passed appetizers.  I remember exactly when I realized snacks could be meals.  I was watching Mermaids (a movie with Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci. You’re welcome.) and Cher played the mom.  Making dinner consisted of playing some music and a heapload of snacks on the table.  It struck me that when I grew up I could skip meals and just live on snacks, and it seemed glorious.

Having date night at a happy hour is kind of like that. You get to order all the things, instead of having to pick one big thing.  It’s expected that you will adventure a little–maybe order beets even though you think they taste like jelled dirt. When you’re only committing to a few bites you can give things a try.  I’m pretty certain this is how we all wound up eating roasted brussels sprouts.IMG-3443

So when AFBA sent out the invite to Happy Hour at III Forks, I was pretty motivated to get there, as you can imagine.  I even put on a dress! And real shoes! And I was glad I did.  III Forks is everything a traditional steakhouse should be. Lots of wood, dim lighting, quiet booths, large bar, great staff.  They’d set up several trays for us to sample: lamb meatballs, crab cakes, Blue Point oysters, caprese salad skewers, tenderloin skewers & stuffed mushrooms.  It was all lovely, with the perfectly cooked beef and the oysters being the stars of the show.  I haven’t had such great oysters in a long time!

How does this work as a Cheep date? Because you don’t have to be a food blogger to enjoy their usual happy hour, which is every Monday-Friday from 4-7pm.  $5 martinis, and $1 oysters are a nice way to while away an hour or so.

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So pretty it makes you smile.

If you needed something more substantial, or with less gin, they also have half price glasses of select wines, champagnes, and sparkling wines, which you could pair with an Angus burger (half off as well, making it $8.50!). 

They also have sliders for $5 on the Bar Bites menu, but I didn’t get a look at them, so am not sure if they’re a good deal. Short rib on a blue cheese biscuit is intriguing, though.

Many thanks to III Forks for hosting, and the volunteers at AFBA who make these fun events happen.