weekly ad

Happy Ad Wednesday!

CHEESE!  Cheese is one of those things I spend a lot of time thinking about.

Not only how to eat it (melted? spread? baked? fried?), but how to buy it.  Sliced, shredded, bricks, sticks? The general basic price I think of as my max per pound is $4. Get higher than that, and I’m ignoring you, whether you’re shredded, fancy, or Brie.  Well, maybe not you St. André. You’re special.

This week? This week Sprouts has cheddar cheese for $1.99 per pound, which has not happened in a few years.

mmmmMMMmmmm

mmmmMMMmmmm

Cheese freezes well, as long as you’re not planning on using it for pretty slices since it becomes a bit crumbly.  At this price, I’m going to be buying quite a lot.

Fiesta’s got Blue Bell for $3.99 again. Limit 2, but you can go every day! I would write more about this, but I’m still too excited about the cheese.

And finally, hams are already being marked down at the Randalls near me, as you know if you’re following me on Facebook. A cryovacked ham will freeze just fine (despite it just having been thawed by the store), and you can eat it later if you’re already all hammed up.

Randalls–see note below about dates

Gold Medal Flour,5 lb                                 $1.99/ea

C&H Cane Sugar, 4 lb                                $1.99/ea

Sprouts (last week’s ad still in effect on Wednesday!)

red seedless grapes                                          98c/lb (DD)Screen shot 2015-03-31 at 11.33.04 PM

pineapples                                                         98c/ea (C15)

mangoes                                                           48c/ea (C15)

red bell peppers                                               48c/ea (DD)

organic vine ripe tomatoes                                98c/lb

bulk cut mild cheddar                                      $1.99/lb

boneless skinless chicken thighs                    $1.69/lb

country style bone-in pork ribs                        $1.69/lb

organic romaine, red or green leaf lettuce      $1.50/ea (DD)

organic pears                                                   $1.50/lb

Fiesta

russet potatoes, 5 lb. sack                                        99c/ea

pork spare ribs                                                         $1.99/lb (Fiesta Limit)

beef brisket, whole in bag                                       $2.99/lb (Fiesta Limit)

bscb                                                                        $1.99/lb (Fiesta Limit)

Birds Eye frozen vegetables, 16 oz.                         99c/ea

Screen shot 2015-03-31 at 11.35.45 PMBlue Bell,half gallon, limit 2                                     $3.99/ea

Land O Lakes butter, 1 lb.                                      $2.99/ea

organic Red Delicious apples                                   99c/lb (DD)

HEB

strawberries, 1 lb.                                                      97c/ea (DD)

asparagus                                                               $1.48/lb (C15)

Halos mandarins,3lb sack.                                     $3.98/ea

corn                                                                           25c/ea (C15)

green pears, Gala apples,tangelos                          87c/lb

organic hot-house cucumbers                                $2.50/ea (DD)

BBQ or lemon pepper chicken leg quarters             77c/lb

Smithfield shank or butt portion ham                      $1.47/lb

Market Fresh sausage links                                    $2.97/lb

Last week: I’d listed apples at HEB as 50c/lb, when they were 50c/ea. Sorry about that! If it’s any consolation, I went there fully expecting 50c/lb, and had some all bagged up before I realized my error.

Randalls:  They’re either having a holiday change of sales schedule or shifting to a calendar sale week. This current ad runs from 3/29 to 4/5. 

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Happy Ad Wednesday!

Another week, another dollar!  Soon we’ll be seeing corn at 6/$1, then 12/$1! I love those days.  For now, we make do with…

Blue Bell for $4.50 at Fiesta! Grapes cheap as heck at Sprouts!

Don’t forget Sprouts still has last week’s ad active for Wednesday ONLY.

Randalls

Not a damn thing. Even the $5 Friday doesn’t have anything I’d stop for.

Sprouts

blackberries, 5.6 oz                                                          88c/ea

mangos                                                                             50c/ea (C15)

avocados                                                                           50c/ea (C15)Image result for free green grapes stock photo

green seedless grapes                                                     88c/lb (DD)

pineapples                                                                       $1.98/ea (C15)

organic Braeburn or Red Delicious apples                     $1.50/lb (DD)

organic kale, various bunches                                         $1.50/ea (DD)

Fiesta

Bluebell                                                                        $4.50/ea

chicken drumsticks, jumbo bag                                   69c/lb  (FL)

porkcountry style ribs                                                    $1.49/lb (FL)

2lb blocks of cheese                                                     $7.39/ea

HEB

plums                                                                               97c/lb

organic Fuji apples                                                         $1.77/lb (DD)

white seedless grapes                                                     $1.97/lb (DD)

organic strawberries, 1lb.                                                $2.98/ea (DD)

County Post drumsticks or thighs                                    $1/lb

seasoned chicken leg quarters                                          77c/lb

Normally I cover the ‘Other’ -Whole Foods, Central Market, Trader Joe’s and Wheatsville.  I’m skipping that this week, in an editorial decision that I expect is a one-time thing.  Given Whole Foods is all in the news for lowering prices on staples, I really think they’ll be in the usual rotation soon, but this week’s list is what it is.

Go forth and stock up on those deals, Cheepsters!

Happy Ad Wednesday!

I’d expected to have more corned beef, potatoes and ham deals to report.  The cheapest corned beef is at Randalls, of all things, at $2.99/lb, cabbage is 20c/lb at Sprouts, and Wheatsvile’s got organic potatoes for under a buck a pound. If you’ve got a traditional dinner plan for St. Patrick’s Day that’s the cheap way to get it done with low pesticides–cabbage is a C15 and potatoes are a DD. If you’re not worried about that, HEB and Fiesta both have low prices for conventional potatoes. 

It is a bit early for ham, but it’ll start popping up in ads next week, so start thinking where you might stow one in the freezer if it’s a family favorite.

This is a slow ad week, and I’m not going to be stocking up on much.  The organic apples and the pork butt at HEB are on my list, as are the organic potatoes. I’ll also be picking up the organic celery, because that’s a price as low as conventional.

HEB

strawberries, 1lb.                                                         $1.25/ea (DD)

organic Braeburn apples                                              98c/lb (DD)

Boston Butt pork roast OR country style pork ribs       $1.47/lb

HCF split chicken breasts                                             $1.47/lb

Randalls

bscb                                                                          $1.99/lbDaffodils In A Vase Stock Image - 39749401

corned beef                                                               $2.99/lb

daffodils, 10 stem bunch                                          $1.99/ea

$5 Friday

family size cheese pizza                                           $5/ea (in the deli case)

Simply Orange juice, 89oz                                        $5/ea

Sprouts 

organic celery                                                     98c/ea (DD)

all the berries! the usual sizes                          $1.67/ea (strawberries: DD)

organic blackberries, 5.6oz                                  $2/eaKale Royalty Free Stock Photos - 31274258

organic kale                                                        $1.50/ea (DD)

green cabbage                                                   20c/lb (C15)

bulk roasted almonds                                       $5.99/lb

bscb                                                                 $1.99/lb

Fiesta

Tropicana Pure Premium oj, 89oz.                    $4.99/ea

Central Market

extra large avocados                                            97c/ea (C15)

Go Picnic Meals                                                $5.49/ea  B1G1 (these are shelf stable                                                                                                 Lunchables with tastier food)

Wheatsville

organic Yukon Gold potatoes                              99c/lb (DD)

Avocado Math is back! CM: extra large 97c.  HEB: large $1.50. Sprouts: no adjective, 88c.   Randalls: no adjective, $1.50.  Fiesta, no adjective, 88c.  This week I’m going to get out the scale and decide what the differences in sizes are, so I’ll know what the absolute best prices are.

This week it’s pretty clear that CM will win with a low price for the extra-large, but I’d like to sort out what the different sizes are, so that next time things are closer I can sort it out. 

Also, a nice bowl of guacamole seems like a fitting reward for this very busy week.

Let me know what deals you find while you’re out there in the aisles, Cheepsters!

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!

Stupid Randalls!

Belated Randalls update (I can’t ‘t believe I’m giving them a post of their own after having me refresh for a half-hour last night!):

Sanderson Farms whole fresh chickens                 99c/lb
Honeysuckle or Safeway whole frozen turkeys      59c/lb (w/ $50 purchase, limit one)
Fall bouquet                                                           $5 Friday
Tyson twin-pack Cornish Game Hens                    $5 Friday

Seems like a good chance to cook tiny chickens, if you’d been wanting to give that a go. You could give them to the kids to cook, like small practice turkeys.

They’ve got a lot of produce on sale, but none of it is priced well enough to list here, as is common with Randalls. I’ll be getting a turkey (stocking up on tp, dairy, and personal care items to get to the $50 for the purchase) for the freezer, but other than that there’s not much this week.

The Mystery of the HEB Weekly Ad

The weekly ad I get from HEB in the mail has a list of all the HEBs that the prices are valid for that week.  I’m equidistant from about three HEBs, and I’d always thought the ad was the same for them all, until I went to the one on Brodie for something that I’d specifically seen on sale. I had the ad with me, and when I spoke to the butcher, wondering where the item I wanted was, he pointed out that the ad I was holding didn’t apply to the HEB I was standing in.

So, from then on, if I was heading to the that HEB I’d have to double-check their ad to make sure I wouldn’t be unpleasantly surprised (read as ‘super-ticked off’).  When I started this blog, I checked and double-checked at first to make sure that I wouldn’t steer someone wrong. So far I haven’t found any discrepancies on the big loss-leaders. If you do, please let me know–my karma cannot take the ill-will sending a Cheepster off for a deal, only to have it not there!

This week, when I got the weekly flyer in the mail, I noticed the very long list of stores this ad does apply to, and I wondered if the HEB on Brodie is the only exception to the usual flyer.  Here’s the list:

IMG_0214

If your HEB isn’t on the list, let me know. That way I can check the flyer online and make certain I’m not sending anyone on a wild goose chase– CheepieAustin wants to SAVE you time, not waste it!  I’m also interested in whether the stores that don’t use the usual flyer match each other, if there’s more than one.

At the very bottom, in the tiny print, the next to last sentence says, “Some items may not be available in all stores.’ If you’re following Cheepie on Facebook, you saw my post last week about the 88c lettuce.

I’d gone to the HEB at S. 1st and Wm. Cannon and couldn’t find the lettuce. I wandered a bit, making sure I didn’t miss it, and hoping to run into a produce employee. I didn’t (that store is high on checkers, but low on other staff). I think the reason it wasn’t there is what I suspected on the FB post, they just do not stock lettuce that isn’t bagged. They didn’t have any kind of unbagged lettuce at all.

I will keep this in mind with the Happy Ad Wednesday posts, and try to point out if an item seems less likely to be in all stores. But lettuce is pretty universal, and I would have never caught that one. Mussels on sale? I might point out they’re not in all stores. Lettuce? Really thought that would be everywhere!

Remember to follow CheepieAustin on Facebook AND on Twitter!  I post deals that I find while I’m out, so you can check them out too, if you’re nearby.

Seriously, follow me on Twitter. It’s hysterical. I forget hashtags about half of the time. I can’t sort out how to make a photo compress quite right, so it’s no telling what part of the photo you’ll see if I tell you I found a good deal on squash (my foot?).  Right now, I’ve got just four followers, and one is a chick racecar driver. I know you want to be as cool as a chick racecar driver! So follow CheepieAustin on twitter. Be cool.