Happy Ad Wednesday!

Mothers Day is for Meat, apparently. Steaks are on sale all over town. I didn’t see any great deals on prime, so choose your favorite cut and pick a store, it’s probably on sale.

HEB has their chicken fajitas (breast or thigh) for $1.97/lb, and the club pack 80% ground chuck for 2.77/lb.  These are near-permanent prices, so I’m deciding not to list them all the time.

Highlights this week: mangos, avocados, strawberries, bacon and Oak Farms ice cream.

Happy shopping, Cheepsters!

 

Sprouts

avocados                                   33c/ea

green bell peppers                  50c/ea

celery                                           88c/ea

Honeycrisp apples                  $1.98/lb

bulk oats                                    50c/lb

bulk organic coffee                 $6.99/lb

Brown Cow yogurt cups          69c/ea

 

HEB

strawberries, 1lb                                                                 98c/ea

corn                                                                                         20c/ea

small mangos                                                                      33c/ea

pork loin roast                                                                   $1.99/lb

HEB or Honeysuckle ground turkey, 1lb                   $1.97/ea  (more grackle only)

HCF vegetable oil, 128oz                                                 $5/ea  (more grackle only)

Our American Favorite Chicken Nuggets, 2lb bag frozen                       $2.97/ea

 

Screen shot 2016-05-04 at 3.49.55 PM

                              Free Clamato? Combo Loco, indeed.

 

Randalls

Red Delicious apples                                                  99c/lb

pork loin chops, bone-in, value pack                 $1.79/lb

Safeway bacon, 3lbs                                                   $8.97/ea            

 

Fiesta

cucumber                                                33c/ea

green cabbage                                       39c/lb

cilantro                                                    33c/ea

seedless watermelons                       $2.99/ea

Ataulfo mangos                                                     25c/ea

strip or top sirloin steak, family pack          $3.97/lb (Fiesta limit)

boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh   $1.49/lb (Fiesta limit)

boneless half pork loin, cy-o-vac pack         $1.49/lb (Fiesta limit)

live crawfish                                                            $1.99/lb (30c off for whole sack)

Oak Farms ice cream, 1/2 gal                              $3.99/ea

 

Central Market

organic green pears                                               $1.27/lb

 

 

 

 

Weekly Flyer Links:

Frozen Food Recall!

There’s a recall of a huge number of brands of frozen foods for a lot of different stores. Brands I recognize are at Fiesta, Target, Walmart, and Randalls. I’m sure there are others.

Click  to read the list.  There are a lot of larger sizes (30lbs of frozen corn is a lotta corn), but there are also many in the 10-16oz size I know I’ve got in my freezer. Dammit.

Here’s the list of types of products:

Screen shot 2016-05-03 at 2.42.31 PM

That’s pretty much all the kinds of frozen stuff except mangos, right? You go, mango!

The risk is a listeria contamination.  It’s the same as the Blue Bell problem, and it is a risk mostly for the young, old, or immunocompromised. Given I did eventually toss my hoarded Blue Bell, I’ll certainly be checking my freezer and chucking any $1 bags of veggies.

From the link:

Screen shot 2016-05-03 at 2.44.34 PM

I think they need better copywriters. I’m an expert, because I have a blog and use the word ‘lotta’ correctly, and I’m pretty sure that first and third sentences need a ‘The’ to start ’em up.

I also think that it’s weird to note Listeria was not the cause of death.  I get it, maybe they were already sick, and the Listeria made that get worse faster, and they really died of what they already had.  But when it comes down to it, we all die because our heart stops, whatever else is going on, and the Listeria was present and a factor. Unless they cured the Listeria completely, and then the person died? Does that happen?

I’ll leave it as an exercise for the reader, because it’s a nice day out and I’m going to throw out some frozen food and then go sit in the sun and read my book.

Stay safe, Cheepsters!

Happy Ad Friday!

Weekend shoppers, I’m here! Have no fear!

Midweek shoppers, I totally let you down. I want to blame the opera, because that sounds super cultured and educated, but it was more I wanted to watch Blacklist and Scandal. I will try to grow up.

This will be a quick and dirty sum up of the best sales.  This weeks highlights: mangos, ground turkey, cantaloupes, grapes, chicken & pork butt.

 

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These showed up in the mail today, so apparently I was  supposed to be late this week.

Fiesta

Ataulfo mangos                                 33c/ea

medium crawfish                             $1.99/lb ($1.69/sack)

chicken drums & thighs                77c/lb  (Fiesta limit)

pork sirloin chops                           97c/lb (Fiesta limit)

bulk pinto beans                               33c/lb

Fiesta vegetable oil, 24oz.             99c/lb

Fiesta tomato sauce, 8oz can        20c/ea

Ole Carolina Bacon, 16oz pkg          $1.97/lb (Fiesta limit)

 

Sprouts

red seedless grapes                                  88c/lb

cantaloupes                                                88c/ea

bscb                                                              $1.69/lb

organic Russet potatoes, 5lb sack      $1.98/ea

colby jack cheese, bulk cut                   $2.99/lb

 

HEB

Gala apples                                                                               $1/lb

kiwi                                                                                             25c/ea

assorted pork chops                                                               $1.99/lb

HEB Natural ground turkey, 16oz, 80% lean, frozen    $1/lb

HCF split breasts                                                                      $1/lb

bone in pork butt                                                                      $1/lb

 

Randalls

bone in pork butt                                                                        99c/lb

ground beef, 80%                                                                       $2.49/lb

Hormel pork tenderloins, 1.15-2lbs                                   $5/ea

Blue Bell, selected varieties                                                      $3.99/ea (buy 2 or more)

 

 

Weekly Flyer Links:

Happy Ad Friday!

I’m in before the weekend and we’re just going to call it good.

I’m typing on my son’s laptop, which seems to have the mouse that a dragon might need,

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        It looks angry.

(along with a touchscreen that I seem to touch for NO REASON) so I’m ON FIRE with deals. But I’m not going all Scott Elder, so don’t worry on that score.  It’s not like Cheepie is in a nickle pickle or anything.

 

We’re inching toward the time where fruit gets dopey cheap and I start getting a bit hyper about corn (so far, I’ve seen 3/$1, but I know 6/$1 is coming so I don’t bother)(that’s still pretty cheap though)(If you make corn casserole invite me). The big BBQ meat cuts also start going on sale, so there’s stocking the freezer sales.  With luck, there will be another $1.99/lb brisket sale!

This week we’ve got blackberries for their rock-bottom price. They freeze dead easy and are great to make into smoothies, cobbler, or just cover them with sugar and tell the kids they’re a new kind of cereal.

Also cheap this week: tomatoes, cucumbers, cheddar cheese, cantaloupes and eggs. Potatoes and mangos are also at stock-up lows. Mango freezes well once you have it diced, and potatoes will keep if you keep them dark and cool.

Here’s the full list:

Sprouts

blackberries, 5.6oz                                        77c/ea

seedless watermelons                                 $2.88/ea

on the vine tomatoes                                   88c/ea

red, yellow or orange bell peppers          88c/ea

green beans                                                     88c/ea

thick sliced bacon (@meat counter)       $3.99/lb

mild cheddar cheese, bulk cut                  $2.99/lb

 

Fiesta

cantaloupe                                                    99c/ea

Ataulfo mangos                                           33c/lb

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You be you, Fiesta, come what may.

Russet potatoes, 5lb bag                            $1.69/ea

ground chuck                                              $2.29/lb (Fiesta limit)

pork shoulder roast                                  97c/lb (Fiesta limit)

chicken drumsticks, jumbo bag            59c/lb

live crawfish                                                $1.99/lb ($1.79/lb full sack)

Goya rice, 3lb.                                              99c/ea (limit 2)

Blue Bell, 1/2 gal                                          $3.99/ea (Fiesta limit)

 

HEB

cantaloupe                                                      97c/ea

hot house cucumbers                                  50c/ea

mangos                                                             50c/ea

blackberries, 6oz                                           88c/ea

kiwi                                                                    25c/ea

Campari tomatoes, 1lb                               $1.50/ea

HCF sliced bacon, 12oz                               $2.50/ea

Eckrich smoked sausage, 30-42oz          $5/ea

 

Randalls

dozen eggs                                                    99c/ea (must buy 2, limit 4)

assorted pork chops                                $1.69/lb

center cut pork loin chops                     $1.99/lb

 

Get out there and shop, Cheepsters!  Let me know if you find a great deal.

Weekly Flyer Links:

Happy Ad Wednesday!

Look at me, Cheepin’ on a Wednesday, just as God intended.  The God of Supermarket Deals is a lower-tier deity, it’s true, which is why I can get away with slacking occasionally.  It’s time for grapes and stone fruit, watermelons and cantaloupes to get cheap, though, so High Holy Season of Produce is here and it’s time to represent.

In this context, ‘represent’ means ‘find the great deals’.

I’d always meant to put some farmer’s market posts here, and maybe review the various markets around town.  In visiting the couple near me, I just never found anything I thought was a deal.  When JBG does their big summer tomato sale, I’ll go in on that if I’ve got the time to spend canning, because I like to pretend I’m an Italian grandmother sometimes.  I’ll also sometimes buy a ton of peaches to freeze/can because every few years I forget what a pain in the butt it is to peel peaches.

If you know some sneaky cheap farmer’s market finds, please share in the comments.

In the meantime, here’s this weeks list.  Stock up items this week are: pasta & tuna at Randalls (unless you already got tuna two weeks ago), spareribs and raisins at Sprouts, pasta sauce at Fiesta or Wheatsville. For produce, navel oranges and bananas are cheap at Sprouts, and big pineapples are on sale at Fiesta.

Happy shopping!

 

Randalls

Skinner pasta, 12oz                                                           29c/ea (must buy 4)

Chicken of the Sea tuna, 5oz                                          49c/ea (must buy 4)

Signature Farms, bone-in chicken parts                   88c/lb

Smithfield boneless pork loin halves, in bag          $1.49/lb

 

Sprouts

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Yes, it needs to be defrosted. Know what there’s room for? Cheap spare ribs!

jumbo navel oranges                             33c/b

bananas                                                      33c/lb

pork spare ribs                                          $1.49/lb

boneless skinless chicken thighs       $1.49/lb

bulk organic coffee                                  $6.99/lb

bulk Thompson seedless raisins          $1.99/lb

bulk rice                                                         50c/lb

 

Fiesta

large pineapples                                           $1.50/ea

Roma tomatoes                                            67c/ea

bscb, family pack                                         $1.69c/lb (Fiesta limit)

live crawfish                                                 $1.99/lb (sack), $2.19/lb (less than that)

Classico pasta sauce, 15-24oz                  $1.99/ea

Fiesta frozen vegetables, 14-16oz             88c/ea

 

 

HEB

tomatoes on the vine                                       77c/lb

blackberries, 6oz                                             $1.47/ea (more grackle only)

Gala apples, 3lb                                             $1.98/ea

kiwi                                                                      25c/ea

bscb, value pack                                             $1.99/ea

ground chuck, 80/20, club pack                 $2.97/lb

pork baby back ribs, in bag                          $2.97/lb

 

 

Whole Foods

4ct bag organic avocados                                  $2.98/ea (74.5c per avo.)

red, yellow or orange bell peppers                  $1.99/lb  (this is per lb, so you’ll have to look for light ones to get best price)

organic Bartlett pears                                         $1.69/lb

 

Trader Joe’s

TJ’s proscuitto, 4oz                                                 $3.99/ea

daffodils, 10 stems                                                   $1.49/ea

 

Wheatsville

organic artichokes                                                     89c/ea

Santa Cruz organic lemonade, 32oz                   $1.69/ea

Field Day organic pasta sauce, 26oz                   $2/ea

 

Weekly Flyer Links:

 

Plant Some Happy

Flowers for 50c. I can afford enough to survive my terrible gardening skills!

At HEB until Tuesday–get some and make it look like you know how to grow things.  It makes you feel good, and seem like a responsible person and not like someone that ate Cheetos dipped in hot sauce for lunch (No? Just me? Moving on then).

 

Screen shot 2016-03-23 at 11.36.27 AM

Look how cheery! You can be cheery!

Happy Ad Wednesday!

Berries! Daffodils!  Yes, it was Summer for a couple of days last week, but we’re back to Spring, which is my favorite season. Bluebonnets, everything turning green, & BBQ meat sales–all great Spring things!

This week asparagus, sausage, strawberries and mangos are all cheap.  Ham is cheap all over because it’s Easter, which is all about Jesus and ham.  Cheap citrus is gone, but a couple stores still have sacks of grapefruit if you want more.  

Also some big news:

celerymonth

So celery is less than a buck at Sprouts! Get out and celebrate National Celery Month!

HEB

asparagus                                                              97c/ea

kiwi fruit                                                                25c/ea

HEB chicken for fajitas, value pack             $1.97/ea

Eckrich smoked sausage, 30-42oz               $5/ea

ground chuck, 80%, club pack                        $2.97/lb

HEB fresh sausage                                              $2.97/lb

 

 

Randalls

Hormel spiral sliced ham                                  $1.59/lb

Smithfield shank ham                                        $1.39/lb

bscb                                                                         $1.77/lb

Land O Lakes Butter, 1lb                                      $1.88/ea (must buy 2)

Lucerne brick or shredded cheese, 2lb            $5.99/ea

 

Sprouts

green seedless grapes                                           99c/lb

strawberries, 1lb                                                    $1.50/ea

spiral sliced ham                                                   $1.59/lb

cucumbers                                                                 50c/ea

red bell peppers                                                       50c/ea

celery                                                                          88c/ea

Sprouts organic broth, 32oz                                $1.50/ea

Sprouts salsa, select varieties, 16oz                  $2/ea

Sprouts frozen vegetables, selected, 16oz       $1.25/ea

 

Fiesta

Roma tomatoes                                                               67c/lb

cantaloupes                                                                     $1.50/ea

beef brisket, whole                                                        $2.77/lb (Fiesta limit)

Smithfield ham, butt or shank, bone-in                $1.47/lb (Fiesta limit)

boneless chicken breast or thighs, value pack     $1.29/lb (Fiesta limit)

chicken leg quarters, jumbo bag                                49c/lb (usually about 10lbs)

Blue Bell half gallon                                                     $4.49/ea (limit 2)

 

 

Central Market

extra large Hass avocados                                     97c/ea

 

Wheatsville

R.W. Knudsen juice, 32oz, selected                   $2.39/ea

organic carrots, 2lb bag                                         $1.99/ea

 

Trader Joe’s

TJ’s proscuitto, 4oz                                                 $3.99/ea

daffodils, 10 stems                                                   $1.49/ea

 

Whole Foods

Ataulfo mangos                                                          50c/ea

conventional-organic strawberries, 1lb              $1.50-$3.33/ea (yes, the ad is confusing)

Screen shot 2016-03-23 at 11.19.58 AM

See? Confusing. They say it’s a GREAT DEAL, though.

 

 

 

Weekly Flyer Links

Cook-off, Curry-Style

I’m a member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, and we are hosting a cook off! It’s FREE to enter, so if you’ve been wanting to show off your way around a delicious curry, we’ve got you covered.

If you’d just like to eat, buy tickets now for $15, which is $5 off the door price.  An afternoon of food and fun!

cookoff

Tuna Recall!

Tuna has been on sale often in recent weeks. I know I’ve got about 20 cans in the pantry.  Both Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea have had recalls issued, so I wanted to let you Cheepsters know, just in case you didn’t see it elsewhere.  

Here are the codes and links to more info:

Screen shot 2016-03-22 at 12.45.43 PM

 

 

 

Happy Ad Wednesday!

Randalls is upping their ‘certain days’ game, continuing their effort to be the most complicated store to get a deal at. The card is a pain, but it’s there and I’m used to it now. The app is just plain irritating–making me use my poor old phone to get 50c off salad dressing doesn’t make me happy to be where I am!  A few months back they added limits, last week adding lower AND upper limits. Now, not only to they have Friday-only, but 3-day-only deals.  Even people like me, who live close and use them for convenience on certain products are going to wear out on this soon!

We’ve got stone fruit showing up cheap this week, with eggs, mangos and grapes making a decent showing.  In the meat department, pork and chicken are at normal lows,with nothing at a stock-the-freezer price. Asparagus is here, which means all the great spring deals are just getting started!

Note: Grapes are cheaper at Randalls. Organic apples are super cheap at Sprouts. Mangos are cheapest at Fiesta (though still cheap at HEB). Don’t buy these things elsewhere this week.

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            cutting through the chaos, for the Cheepsters!

HEB

red or black plums                                               97c/lb

Ataulfo mangos                                                     58c/ea

bscb                                                                         $1.99/lb

ground chuck, 80%, club pack                        $2.97/lb

HCF beef for fajitas                                             $2.97/lb

 

Fiesta

strawberries, 1lb                                                      $1.67/ea

Roma tomatoes                                                         67c/lb

Ataulfo mangos, large                                              50c/ea

boneless chicken tenders                                        $1.67/lb (Fiesta limit)

pork country ribs, blade steak                                $1.29/lb (Fiesta limit)

Old Orchard apple juice, 64oz                                 99c/ea (limit 2)                   

Fiesta chunk cheese, 16oz                                       $2.99/lb

El Molino corn tortillas, 4lb pkg                            $2/ea

 

Randalls

medium Hass avocados                                              50c

red or green seedless grapes                                   $1.49/lb

boneless pork loin                                                      $1.79/lb

chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5oz             49c/ea (limit 9)

Skinner pasta, 8-12oz                                                49c/ea (limit 9)

blue Bell ide cream, 1/2 gal                                       $4.88/ea (must buy 2 or more)

Signature Care supplements, selected                  B1G1

10 stem daffodils                                                           $1.99/ea

Fri/Sat/Sun

Lucerne eggs, dozen                                               $1.50/ea (limit 4)

Fri ONLY

Lucerne cheese, 32oz. shredded or block           $5 (remember, cheese freezes!)

Thomas English muffins                                          $1.25/ea

Thibodeaux crawfish tail meat, 12oz frozen        $5/ea

Sprouts

asparagus                                                                                 98c/lb

zucchini                                                                                    50c/lb

yellow nectarines                                                                   98c/lb

organic Pinata apples, 3lb bag                                           $2.50/ea

quick, rolled or steel cut oats                                              50c/lb

 

Happy shopping Cheepsters!  Let me know if you find other deals out there!

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