Happy Ad Wednesday

Happy Ad Wednesday New Year!

You might have noticed the scheduling here at Cheepie HQ hasn’t been the best.  I’ll admit there’s been a non-zero amount of holiday wreckage, holiday beverages, and post-mall listlessness. This is more distraction than one hopes for in writing a snarky blog about shopping for groceries. 

I did get that one tweet out about buying pregnancy tests at the dollar store out there, which was immediately favorited by some kind of #frugal twitter bot, so the week wasn’t without any success at all, if we’re sticking to (and by gum you know we are!) a very loose definition of success.

Helpfully, flaking out on things is one way to make New Year’s Resolutions a quick piece of work!  I apologize for not letting you guys know about this simple method for sorting out what needs doing in your life–letting your inner sloth go for a couple weeks usually makes it clear where your problem areas are, and the resolutions then just write themselves.  I’ll be having a long talk with my circadian rhythm, the people in this house that think elves pick up their clothes and dishes when they’re not buying bicycles for Santa, and the people that invented the Bota Box!

In Happy Ad Wednesday news, there are ads starting today running until next Tuesday. Randalls is of course out there boxing it up by starting their prices tomorrow,and for that I am not going to bother with them unless they are having some kind of fantabulous thing I need to let you know about.

We all know how likely that is.

So here we go with this weeks Cheepie Deals:

HEB:

extra large hass avocados                           $1.50/ea

H-E-B aged cheddar cheese, 10oz.            $2.47/ea  (this works to less than $4/lb, a stock-up price)

H-E-B ground turkey chub, 80/20, 16oz.      $1.99/ea

Fiesta:

Swift Premium bone-in pork shoulder                                   $1.69 (Fiesta limit)

Earl Campbell’s Hot Links, hot, mild or red  hot, 36 oz        $3.99/ea (Fiesta limit)

red seedless grapes                                                                  $1.99/lb

Sprouts:

Texas Red Grapefruit                              8/88c

avocados                                            48c/ea

organic blackberries, 5.6oz                $1.50/ea

organic kale                                        98c/ea

pineapples                                     $1.98/ea

apples, many varieties                         98c/lb

bscb, no enhancers or solutions         $1.99/lb

organic red delicious or gala apples    $1.50/lb

colby jack cheese      $3.99/lb

Sprouts has also got some juicing/raw food deals going on if you’re interested in those–their 25% off a certain section of products. $9.99 for 3lbs of honey seems pretty great.  Some people I know use honey in battling allergies, so this is a good chance to stock up for that reason as well.

HEB also has strip steaks, select grade, for $4.97. If you do normally purchase steaks from HEB, this is a good price for a cut that has very minimal waste.

If your holiday has somehow found you deficient in candy, Sprouts has gummi bears on sale in bulk for $1.99/lb. Or maybe your resolution is a new photo blog recording the many interesting situations our gummi friends can get into, and you need a pretty big stockpile.  This is your week!

Mail Report:

I couldn’t believe it, but the ads were in my box today, and then I realized the mailman had thrown me a juke and only delivered the HEB ad.  Well played, postal worker.  You got me back for that package of anvils I delivered to myself. This isn’t the end, my friend.

Happy Ad Wednesday!

Time should be a completely objective thing, and not slip away like a stick thrown into a creek.  But it isn’t, and thus this week’s Happy Ad Wednesday is more of a Thursday post than a Wednesday morning post. These things happen, and I want all you Cheepsters to know that my daughter’s play will be all the better for it.  Sometimes, even Grocery Theory has to wait.

I’ll run through things quickly, and save all my wisdom and wit for later on, in case you’re sitting home, wondering when to put a bra on and head out to the store.

NOTE: HEB closes at 8pm on the 24th, reopens on 26th.

Fiesta

chicken leg quarters, large bag                             69c/lb (Fiesta limit)

bonelesspork loin roast                                       $2.49/lb

Haas avocados                                                      77c/ea

Red or Golden Delicious apples                            77c/lb

pomegranates                                                    $1.99/ea

Randalls

Honeysuckle White Whole Turkey Breast, bone-in, frozen             99c/lb  (limit 4)

Safeway Smoked shank or rump half ham, bone-in                  $1.89/lb  (limit 1)

HEB

boston butt pork roast, whole, in bag                                        $1.47/lb

Smithfield Premium Shank Portion Ham                                    $1.57/lb

HCF Split Chicken Breasts                                                        $1.47/lb

blackberries, 6oz.                                                                       98c/ea

organic gala apples                                                                 $1.47/lb   (DD)

Pink Lady apples or Bosc pears                                                98c/lb   (DD)

Sprouts

Halos, 5lbs                                                                               $3.98/ea

pineapples                                                                                 98c/ea   (C15)

red mangos                                                                               98c/ea

red or green seedless grapes                                               $1.98/lb  (DD)

organic Gala or Fuji apples                                                   $1.48/lb  (DD)

BSCB                                                                                    $1.99/lb

organic celery                                                                         98c/ea

Sum up:

Halos at HEB, though they’re on sale everywhere.

Apples at Sprouts.

Turkey breast (Randalls), and pork loin (Fiesta) are both at stock up prices.

Berries are not a good buy this week anywhere. If they’re a staple, consider pomegranate or pineapple as a change of pace.

Happy shopping all, and I apologize for the late post!  Cheep Cheep!

Happy Ad Wednesday!

There is a lot of cheap citrus out there this week in the form of grapefruits and oranges.  The best deal is the California navel oranges at Sprouts, 20c/lb. If you want Texas oranges, Fiesta has juicing oranges (which is what they call oranges with thin peels and seeds these days; back in days of Yore, when Cheepie was young and dinosaurs roamed the earth, they were just ‘oranges’) for 38.8c/lb, provided you buy the 10lb sack.

Your call here, but you might as well get one or the other, because that’s cheap, and the Vitamin C can only help with the cedar fever that’s about to phlegm us all. What’s that? You’re not stuffy yet, and wondering how bad it might be, and facing down a neti pot you’d stowed away hoping never to see it again? Shut. It.

Once again, pork shoulders and picnics are at a stockable price. If you’ve got any intention of smoking pork in the next few months, tossing a shoulder (Randalls, $1.99/lb) or picnic (Fiesta, $1.79/lb) in the cart for the freezer is a sensible thing to do. If you’ve already got three turkeys in the freezer, because you went a little crazy, don’t worry. Picnics will be priced low for the month, because they are the perfect tamale filling.  If you need to cook a turkey to make room, hold tight, I’ll be posting ideas for those turkeys you might have stocked up on.

Apple Wars: I don’t know why we’re back here. But apple prices this week have me reconsidering how I organize this information. I don’t want you going to a whole different store for 50c. But I want you to know what’s there, and I want you to know organic prices, because apples are a DD fruit. Know that I’m working on a solution.

Apple Wars Sum Up: buy conventional apples at Fiesta; buy organic at Sprouts.

Sprouts:

California grown navel oranges                                    20c/lb

pineapples                                                                 $1.98/ea (C15)

Gala, Fuji granny smith or red delicious apples          98c/lb (DD)

organic Gala or Fuji apples                                       $1.48/lb  (DD)

organic curly kale or collard greens                             98c/ea  (DD)

organic baby peeled carrots, 1lb                               $1.50/ea

Wed only:

Halos,2lb sack                                                                  $1.98/ea

raspberries, 6oz.                                                                 98c/lb

Hass avocados                                                                   48c/lb (C15)

Fri-Sun only:

boneless skinless chicken thighs                                   $1.69/lb

jumbo Hass avocados                                                      98c/ea (C15)

R.W. Knudsen Just Cranberry Juice, 32 oz.                  $2.99/ea

25% off bulk items-bulk pices, bulk coffee and bulk bins!

Fiesta:

gala apples                                                                                     79c/lb (DD)

Libby’s brand canned corn, peas, or green beans, 14-15 oz        59c/ea

Fiesta All-purpose flour, 5 lb. sack                                              $1.49/ea

Texas juice oranges, 10lb. sack                                                  $3.88/ea

russet potatoes, 10lb sack                                                          $2.49/ea (DD)

chicken drumsticks, family pack                                                   79c/lb  (Fiesta limit)

assorted bone-in pork chops, family pack                                $1.59/lb (Fiesta limit)

sweet mandarines, 2lb. sack                                                     $1.99/ea (they spelled it)

 

Randalls:

gala, red or golden delicious                                                    99c/lb (DD)

Safeway spiral sliced half ham, bone-in                                $1.99/lb  (limit 1)

Safeway smoked shank or rump half ham                             $1.89/lb (limit 1)


CM:

honeycrisp apples                                                   97c/lb (DD)

blackberries, 6 oz.                                                $1.50/ea

15% off uncured and premium bacon

 

HEB:

assorted pork chops, bone-in, value pack           $1.97/lb (Fiesta is cheaper, but limit applies)

HCF chicken drumsticks or thighs, value pack          $1/lb     (see above)

boneless pork ribeye roast, whole in bag              $1.97/lb

blackberries, 6oz.                                                     97c/ea

bananas                                                                    39c/lb

Gala or Fuji apples                                                   98c/lb (DD) (Gala cheaper at Fiesta)

 

This week’s new word is buñuelos–Fiesta has cinnamon buñuelos, 10ct, for $2.99. I’m not sure what they are, but for 30c each I might go buy some. The photo looks a bit like the Magic Pop snacks, which in our house are called Bang Snacks because Central Market used to have that booth were a guy would make the Magic Pop snacks, and the noise made me jump out of my skin every time. I just don’t expect loud-ass noises when I’m rounding the corner from dairy to bread.

 

Mail Report:

Well hell’s bells, I got my flyers today, all in the correct number, and only about 2 hours after you’d think an ordinary postman might be home, kicking back, and posting to Postal Persons Anonymous about the dogs he hates on his route.

Shop well, stock up, and Cheep Cheep!

Happy Ad Wednesday!

We’re back on an even keel now, after the tumult that a holiday on a Thursday can cause.  I hope everyone ate well, had excellent sandwiches, and is ready to stock up on the things that stores will use to lure us in over the next month. 

Stand fast, though! Don’t start buying toys at the grocery store unless they were toys you were planning on getting (and even then, be sure about the price)! This is how they bamboozle you–they trick you into thinking that since you’re there, you might as well buy toys, but we all know you don’t buy toys at the grocery store. Stay focused. Do not be distracted by the…hey wait. Is that an end cap pyramid of Andes mints? I need those. And my kid is obsessed with Shopkins, and I need that loomy thing, right?

Here are this week’s deals. Kale, raspberries, and avocados are all at their best prices. Yes, I know stocking up on avocado doesn’t work, but you could just invite me over to eat guacamole for dinner. What, you don’t do that? Just me? That’s cool.

HEB:

Sanderson Farms whole chicken                                      97c/lb

HEB brand Easy Melt (Velveeta), 32oz                          $4.97/ea

California navel oranges, 8lb. sack                               $4.98/ea

organic gala or red delicious apples, 2 lbs.                  $2.98/ea (DD)

extra large Hass avocados                                              97c/ea  (C15)

cameo or jonagold apples                                               77c/lb  (DD)

organic celery                                                                     2/$3  (DD)

Sprouts:

Halos,2lb sack                                                                  $1.98/ea    (NOTE: last time, my kids ate maybe six out of this sack, despite loving Halos normally. Look at what you pick up, and make sure none are mushy or weird.)(Double NOTE: that advice could apply in other situations, as well.)

raspberries                                                                        98c/lb

Hass avocados                                                                 48c/lb (C15)

organic fuji or gala apples                                            $1.48/lb   (DD)

Fiesta:

Fiesta brand vegetable oil, 1 gal                                 $4.99/ea

drumsticks                                                                      88c/lb (Fiesta limit)

Randalls:

Nothing. Not a damn thing. There are some $5 Friday ok deals, but it’s not worth a trip this week.

CM:

organic kale:                                             87c/bunch (**DD**)(seriously, if you eat kale, eat it organic, and stock up now)

MAIL REPORT:

From now on, these posts are going to involve a Mail Report. Because I have nobody else to share this hilarity with. I got 14 Fiesta ads today, and 6 HEB ads. This, after months of either not receiving ads at all, or getting them Thursday at 7pm.  We are sooooo making paper mache masks of Chef Boyardee this week!

I know it’s just me and the other old people that really want to get their flyers on Tuesday in the mail like it’s been forever. It has often frustrated me that I haven’t gotten them on Tuesday, or even by Wednesday. Having a dozen of the same flyer is not helpful, and I’m now worried that the folks down the street a bit haven’t gotten theirs because I’ve got a weird rogue mailman throwing flyers about willy-nilly.

It’s not such a worry that I’ll start knocking on doors asking if people need their flyer. Yet. But if 50 HEB flyers are in my mailbox next week I’m recording video on the iphone and we’re hitting the streets, people.

Getting back in the swing of things feels good, and I hope you find things to stock up on. Cheep Cheep!

Crazy Ad Week

I’ve been online, waiting for the new ads to go live, but it seems everyone is in a turkey coma and giving new grocery ads a pass.  I can’t blame them, I’m pretty damn full myself, and not very sprightly.

I might never be sprightly, actually, but I’m certainly not after a double helping of stuffing. Sprightly people eat sprouts and lemon zest, I’m pretty sure, not potatoes of all sorts and turkey two ways and stuffing of the cornbread and otherwise kind, with gravy. Gravy is important, and might be the opposite of sprightly.

When the stores get themselves up, I’ll post ads. At this point, I’m not certain if they’ll wait until next Wednesday, or get them up tomorrow. Or, if it’s Randalls, post some nonsense that’ll be good for 18 hours over the weekend.  I think the Black Friday invention has even grocery stores bracing and not worrying about ads as much as not being the store on the news for people getting trampled.

I implore you all: Do Not Get Trampled For $10 Off A Thing.

Happy Ad Wednesday!

Turns out Sprouts, and HEB and CM just went ahead and made an ad that went from last Wednesday to Thanksgiving! So, this week is the same for them. But not Randalls or Fiesta, they’ve got their own nonsense going on.

I’m noting Fiesta below, but as usual, Randalls is loitering around the front of the store, muttering as you go by, saying things like, “Think you got a turkey yet? That’s not a turkey,” and ” You don’t think you’re getting past this weekend with a few more boxes of crackers, do you?”

Every other store has an ad that started last Wednesday and goes until Thursday. Randalls has that. Of course they have that, they’re not going to not follow along! But they  supplemented it by also having an ad that’s just for the 23rd to the 27th.  So two days ago there was surprise ad, and I didn’t know. It’s nearly entirely the same, but next year, I’ll be ready for this weird calendar situation, in the meantime, I’ll list what I’ve got and anything new I noticed.

CM: get those apples! HEB: get sweet potatoes and green beans.

Sprouts:

Granny Smith apples                               48c/lb (DD)

yellow onions                                            48c/lb (C15)

celery, cucumbers, green bell peppers    48c/lb  (DD)

organic celery                                          98c/ea (DD)

Imagine organic broth, 32oz box             $1.50/ea

french vanilla almond granola                   $1.99/lb

BSCB                                                         $1.88/lb

pineapples                                                $1.98/ea (C15)

Fiesta:

What the hell, Fiesta??? I don’t even know what this means. Maybe it’s traditional for them? Maybe there’s a fiesta at Fiesta, and they don’t have time for fussy things like listing ads on a weekly basis?  I do think the kicky font they chose is indicative of a less than fully dedicated weekly ad staff, and I worry they raided the jewelry counter, ordered a bunch of corn cups at the truck outside and made for the hills.

I may read too much into fonts, for someone using the font that was the default that went with this blog template.

Randalls:

russet potatoes                                                      $5/15 lbs (DD)

Blue Bell half gallons, selected varieties            $3.99/ea

Central Market:

organic gala or fuji apples                                            99c/lb  (DD)

HEB:

boston butt pork roast, bone-in                             $1.47/lb (whole in bag, limit 2)

Smithfield Premium shank portion ham                 $1.57/lb

sweet potatoes                                                         20c/lb  (C15)

green beans                                                              67c/lb.

All the ads being the same means the same turkey deals from last week hold. Also worth noting:

Central Market has fresh free-range turkey for $2.69/lb, non-gmo natural fresh turkey for $2.99/lb, and free range organic turkey for $3.99/lb.

Cranberries freeze well just as they are in the bag. They’re the indestructible fruit. They don’t have to just be cranberry sauce with turkey, they’re also good with pork loin, and cooked down and put on cream cheese for a simple spread, so having a few in the freezer is a handy thing.

Happy Thanksgiving, be well, and Cheep Cheep!

Happy Ad Wednesday

Here we are again! It’s another Wednesday, and another Wednesday closer to Thanksgiving, so lots of holiday staples are up for grabs.

Usually, I try to list only the very cheapest price point for an item. In the interest of saving us all gas and multiple trips, if prices are close on items for the next two weeks, I’ll be listing them.  We’re all trying to make our grocery dollar work as much as it can, and pennies on a can of pumpkin is not worth driving from store to store. If it is, to you? Get in touch, I feel like we have things in common!

Many of us are in stores more often this time of year, and many of us are spending more on food. I want you to pull up a Happy Ad Wednesday post and know that if you’re stopping to pick up milk, you can quickly check to see if there’s anything else in that store you want to grab, since you’re there anyway.

I want you to know when you walk into a store what they’ve got at the best discount that week, so you can make a choice about purchasing or stocking up. That’s the goal.

Notes: Pork is on sale again at HEB and Fiesta. The HEB boston butt is the milder, paler cut, and is what most people think of when they want to smoke a pork roast, or toss one in the crockpot. So if you want to stock up, hit HEB, that’s as low as it gets.

BLUE BELL! This is  the price I stock the freezer. I will likely buy a dozen, and it will last for about 4-5 months, if my husband doesn’t find it all (thank you pork butts, for hiding the ice cream in the deep freeze!).  Very occasionally over the past two years, Blue Bell is 2/$7, but I find the $3.99 price well worth stocking up at. Fiesta is ‘all rims’, which means all types, and Randalls is ‘selected varieties’, so some might be ruled out, though in the past I’ve never seen that come into play.

Happy Shopping Cheepsters!

HEB:

boston butt pork roast, bone-in                             $1.47/lb (whole in bag, limit 2)

Smithfield Premium shank portion ham                 $1.57/lb

sweet potatoes                                                         20c/lb  (C15)

green beans                                                              67c/lb

Sprouts:

8″ apple or pumpkin pies                                              $2.99/ea

granny smith apples                                                      48c/lb (DD)

avocados                                                                       48c/ea (C15)

celery, cucumber, green peppers                                48c/ea (DD)

pineapples                                                               $1.98/ea (C15)

BSCB                                                                        $1.88/lb

organic celery                                                              98c/ea (DD)

ending today:

blackberries, 5.6 oz.                                                         98c/ea

cranberries, 12 oz.                                                            98c/ea

acorn, butternut or spaghetti squash                                50c/lb

boneless skinless chicken thighs                                    $1.99/lb

bulk long or short grain brown rice                                       69c/lb

organic carrots, 5lb sack                                                    $2.98/ea

Fiesta:

Blue Bell half gallons, all rims                              $3.99/ea

pork picnic roast                                                  $1.49/lb (Fiesta limit)

red or golden delicious apples                              69c/lb (DD)

large avocados                                                      97c/ea (C15)

BSCB                                                                   $1.88/lb (Fiesta limit)

Randalls:

Blue Bell selected varieties                                      $3.99/ea

$5 Friday ONLY:   family size cheese pizza

$5 gets you a large pizza that will feed 3-6 kids and let you slap a movie in for them, while you catch up on Scandal (where IS my white hat?).

Central Market:

organic gala or fuji apples                                            99c/lb  (DD)

TURKEYS:

HEB: They still have the ‘Buy a 4.5lb HEB ham, get a 12lb Riverside turkey free’.  The free amount can also be put toward the purchase of a a larger turkey. I reiterate the statement from last week that the small hams are hard to find, as well as the turkeys close to the free weight. If you find differently, please let Cheepie know! I’d love to be more confident about sending people out for this deal.

Fiesta:  Jenni-O frozen Grade-A Turkeys 10-16lbs. average, 43c/lb. Limit one with $25 additional purchase. Additional purchases are $1.23/lb.

Randalls: Safeway or Honeysuckle Turkey, Grade A, frozen, 8-24lbs. 59c/lb with an additional $50 purchase, FREE with a $150 additional purchase.  Butterball frozen turkey, 10-28lb, $1.29/lb., limit 1 w/$50 purchase. Fresh Honeysuckle turkey, 10-24lb, $1.29/lb., limit 1.

Strange Holiday Aside:

Fiesta has ‘Traditional Panettone Bread, 24oz.’, NOT in a box. I might buy this just to see what it is, since I’ve never wanted to either bake it, or eat cake that’s been in a box for a while, where that ‘while’ might be ‘back when Chef Boyardee somehow invented Italian food’.

Happy Ad Wednesday!

Berries! I’ve managed to stock up on berries often enough recently that there’s a good stockpile for smoothies in the freezer. Of course, my kids are now freezing due to the polar vortex.  This week is another good chance, with berries on sale at Sprouts and HEB.  These are especially easy to store, just pop in a freezer bag and get as much air out as you can. They’ll be ready to use in a smoothie or cobbler just like a sack of frozen berries from the store.

Or your 7yo can thaw and smoosh them, and eat them with her hands. No? Just me, again? Okay.

Also this week, HEB has those pork picnics I described in last week’s ad post, a bit cheaper, with a limit of two.  If you’re thinking about that purchase, please check out my advice on this particular cut of meat here.

But don’t get mixed up and think that post is this week’s ad post, just because they look similar. No? Just me, still? Okay. I’m glad you didn’t wander CM looking for kale that one time.

Also! The 5lb sack of organic carrots is on sale again at Sprouts! Maybe this time I’ll make the carrot soup I wanted to make last time.

Randalls:

It’s their turn to be first on the rotation, but they’re just too late getting the new flyer up. A girl can only refresh so long! So I’ll note anything worth a trip tomorrow.

HEB:

raspberries or blackberries, 6 oz.                      97c/ea

organic gala or honeycrisp apples                  $1.47/lb (DD)

HEB organics celery hearts                              $1.50/ea

pork picnic roast                                                $1.27/lb  (limit 2)

vine tomatoes                                                      97c/lb

Sprouts:

blackberries, 5.6 oz.                                                         98c/ea

cranberries, 12 oz.                                                            98c/ea

green and red bell peppers, cucumbers                          50c/ea  (DD)

acorn, butternut or spaghetti squash                                50c/lb

boneless skinless chicken thighs                                    $1.99/lb

bulk long or short grain brown rice                                       69c/lb

organic carrots, 5lb sack                                                    $2.98/ea

ending today:

many apples (not honeycrisp)                                             88c/lb

organic kale                                                                         $1.48/bunch  (DD)

Fiesta:

chicken drumsticks, large sack (usually 10lbs or so)          69c/lb (Fiesta limit)

Yukon Gold potatoes, 5lb sack                                           $1.69/ea

A note on Fiesta! If you don’t usually go to one, it’s worth checking out around the holidays if you’ve got any European or Mexican holiday items you wish you could buy.  Not just the boxes of panettone, but British crackers, and all kinds of things show up there. It’s fun to check it all out.

The turkey deals have started. I didn’t really address them last week, but HEB has a good example this week.  They’ve got a free 12lb. turkey with a 4.5lb minimum purchase of an HEB brand ham deal this week. The ham is $4.99/lb, so that’s a minimum of $22.50 on the ham for a free frozen Riverside brand turkey.  I haven’t made an assessment this year yet, but in previous years, serious couponers are on this bargain the second it hits, and anything resembling a small ham disappears fast (yes, there are people vastly more serious about their deal shopping than I am! they have coupons, collect inserts and trade them, and follow folks like the HEB Bargain Hunter.)

I love turkey, and if I”m cooking one it’s going to be bigger than 12lbs.  I’m not going to sneeze at a free turkey, but I find just waiting for Randalls to put a turkey on sale for 69c/lb with a $50 purchase more straightforward than trying to find a small ham, and then find a turkey the right size to be free.  They will credit the cost of 12lbs toward a larger one, so if you’re a ham AND turkey family, you might be able to use this deal.

I’ll keep everyone posted about Turkey Deals as the next six weeks roll, because the deals vary from place to place.

Happy Ad Wednesday!

This week feels a bit slower to me. Fewer good deals on produce, apple wars winding down, not as many deals on meat.  I’m putting it down to the stores saving the big loss-leaders for further along in the ramp up to the holiday season.

Sprouts has a few really good deals running from Fri-Sun only, I’ve marked them below.

The pork picnic listed as a Fiesta limit deal is about as cheap as it gets, but it’s not what I usually think of as a ‘pork shoulder’, though I cook it the same way–If my husband doesn’t smoke it, it goes in the crockpot with a spice rub. The difference is that the skin is still on, and I’ll generally remove that as cooking breaks it down.  It’s also a porkier, almost darker meat.  I don’t know if it’s just the larger amount of bone, or the cut itself, but it has a stronger flavor, so keep that in mind if you’re considering purchasing it.

Fiesta

lemons                                                   6/$1

Lou-Ana vegetable oil, 48 oz.              $1.99

red or golden delicious apples             79c/lb (DD)

Jimmy Dean pork sausage, 16 oz        $2.99 ea

boneless skinless chicken breasts      $1.99 (Fiesta limit)

pork picnic roast                               $1.59/lb (Fiesta limit)

Randalls

boneless skinless chicken breasts                       $1.99/lb

Breyer’s ice cream, 1.5 qt.                                       $2.99

Honeysuckle or Safeway Frozen Turkey 8-24lb       59c/lb (with $50 additional purchase)

HEB

raspberries,  6oz.                                           98c/ea

pineapples                                                    99c/ea

honeycrisp apples                                        98c/lb  (DD)

Sprouts

green and red bell peppers, cucumbers (DD)                50c/ea

many apples (not honeycrisp)                                          88c/lb

organic kale                                                                      $1.48/bunch  (DD)

Fri-Sun ONLY:

clementines, 2lb. sack                                                     $1.98/ea

Sprouts boxed broth, 32 oz.                                             $1.50/ea

Mountain High yogurt, 32 oz.                                            $2/ea

also, there’s 30% off all seafood from the case for these three days

ending today!

  • blackberries, 5.6oz                                                          99c/ea
  • Sprouts brand organic apple juice, 1 gal                     $7.99/ea
  • rolled oats                                                                        69c/lb
  • mussels                                                                         $2.99/lb
  • drumsticks or whole chicken legs                                   99c/lb

That’s it for this week, Cheepsters!  Keep an eye on Facebook for on-the-spot deals, and follow me on twitter to keep up with the adventures of an Old Lady Tweeting.

Cheep Cheep!

Happy Ad Wednesday

This week was a challenge.

There are a lot of close prices, and not just in the ongoing Apple Wars arena–blackberries (99c/Sprouts, 97c/HEB and 5.6 oz v 6 oz), and potatoes (do we care about 33c vs. 25.8c/lb?) were both places I had to stop and think.  I’d initially planned on a straight-up cheapest wins, in Cheepie world.

But if it’s just a cent or two, I feel like you need to know that the other low price is there. If you’re only going to one store this week, I want you to know that the blackberries are on sale at HEB and Sprouts.  In other areas, I’m making a call. I waffled on the loin chops at Fiesta–that’s an okay price. Normally, I stock up on pork loin when it’s $1.99/lb. But I haven’t seen it at that price in a while, and while I’m happy to slice a whole loin into chops not everyone is, so I went ahead and listed it.

Then there was the pricing nonsense that is HEB/CM this week. They need to just make a call on kale and own it. This week HEB has organic kale for 97c/bunch, and non-organic for 98c/bunch. CM has organic kale for 88c/bunch. ‘Bunch’ is a terrible unit of measurement, and I am unhappy to have to deal with it at all.  It’s possible the organic bunches are very stemmy, or smaller than others, it’s possible they’re all the same. I don’t know! And the point of this is for me to steer you right! And I don’t like kale! But tomorrow I’ll go check on this situation, and likely crab at some produce staffers and report back. ALL FOR YOU.

AppleWars continue to be won by HEB with the Best Week Yet–organic Gala 88c/lb, and organic Honeycrisp, $1.48. This is a good bit cheaper than last week, and you can be certain I’m tracking this for next year, so I know when the real ‘lows’ are!

Here are my good buys for this week:

Sprouts

blackberries, 5.6oz                                                          99c/ea

green and red bell peppers, cucumbers (DD)                50c/ea

conventional apples, many varieties (DD)                                99c/lb

Sprouts brand organic apple juice, 1 gal                     $7.99/ea

rolled oats                                                                        69c/lb

mussels                                                                         $2.99/lb

drumsticks or whole chicken legs                                   99c/lb

ending this week:

jumbo pomegranates                                                       2 ea/ $4 (these are better at Fiesta now)

1lb strawberries (DD)                                                         $1.67/ea

Campari tomatoes, 1lb package                                         98c/ea

Honeycrisp apples (DD)                                                     $1.48/lb

organic Gala or Granny Smith apples                              $1.48/lb   (DD) These are cheaper at HEB now!)

organic celery                                                                     98c/ea  (DD)

organic carrots, 5lb sack                                                  $2.98/ea

Fiesta

chicken drumsticks and thighs (together in a pack)           99c/lb (Fiesta limit)

Swift Premium pork loin chops, boneless                          $2.29/lb (Fiesta limit)

Honeycrisp apples (DD)                                                          99c/lb

large pomegranates                                                          $1.49/ea

5lb sacks of russet potatoes (DD)                                       $1.29/ea

Randalls

Safeway brand bacon, 3 lb package                              $11.97/ea ($3.99/lb)

red and green bell peppers   (DD)                                        50c/ea (stock up on reds!)

Ritz crackers                                                                     $1.99/lb

Quaker Life Cereal, 13oz.                                                 3/$5 (Friday only)

Safeway brand 12-packs of soda and mixers                    3/$5 (Friday only)

large avocados (C15)                                                        $1/ea (but check! they have consistently terrible stock of avocados at my location)

HEB

blackberries, 6oz.                                                                 97c/ea

organic Gala apples  (DD)                                                  88c/lb

organic Bartlett pears                                                            88c/lb

organic Honeycrisp apples (DD)                                         $1.47/lb

Country Post brand drumsticks                                             $1/lb

CM

organic bunched kale     (DD)                                             87c/ea

This week, I thought about putting some of the Randalls ‘Just For U’ deals up, because the mailman brought my fliers today (thanks, you crazy pith-helmeted man!) and there were some good ones. Basically, you can fetch them online, or clip them out of your circular from the mail. Having to do that is contrary to my goal, which is just tell you which good food is on sale this week. I don’t want you to have to start clipping or signing up.

If you’re in Randalls on a usual basis, I suggest you sign up for the J4U, and pay attention to the mailer–there’s cheese for $3.25/lb, and pasta sauce for $1.25. If you’re not, well, you and I both know there aren’t enough deals there for you to sign up double extra nonsense.

But do get the club card and use that for the deals you can, or ask me for my number, and I’ll get gas points when you shop there. That has the added benefit of confusing their data, and I’m always a fan of chaos.

Check in tomorrow for a stocking-up post, and don’t forget Saturday’s dinner score post!  I’m very optimistic I’ll up last week’s score.