My Sound Savings

By the way, SHE can hear you!

Last night I needed to run my daughter to her apartment…  right next to Safeway, Woot! Woot!  Yes, you know you’re addicted when running your kid home is exciting because they live next to a grocery store!   “Just a minute, we’ll go, let me print this sugar coupon first….”   The Lysol sale has me excited, but it is a limit one so I am anxious to hit Safeway as many times as possible this week.  I realize convenience wipes aren’t the thriftiest but my kids actually wipe up after themselves if there is a bucket of wipes ready.

I do tend to shop at Safeway and Albertson’s due to physical proximity.  I study the other stores’ ads and plan shopping trips every week and just never make it.  This blog has me excited because now I will be REALLY motivated to hit all the stores!!!  (It is in the name of service, yah, that’s it!)

Low cost meat…  this one is tough.  There are lots of sales and coupons out there.  There are often good sales on pre-packaged meats, i.e. lunch meats, bacon, hot dogs, etc., Johnsonville brats (the 19.76 oz package) were on sale at Safeway for $2.99 and there was a $0.55 off coupon making them $2.44.  Jimmy Dean is going to be on sale for $1.99 with $0.50 off coupons this weekend.

When I think of getting a good deal on meat, something that is a main dish is what comes to mind.  I am very brand loyal and very cut loyal when it comes to meat.  I know I should be more adventurous but with very picky eaters (I can see onion in there, you used onions!) I admit I just give in to the established favorites only getting to venture out a night or two a week.

The most consistent way to get the best price is to be familiar with the prices of the cuts you use the most and where your buy point and your stock up points are.  When stores have sales, you’ll know if you’re just getting their common sale price or a real stock up price.

I know I want skinless, boneless chicken breasts (the youngest won’t eat any chicken with skin) and I can find those frozen on rock bottom sale for ~$1.64/# (cheaper than Costco).  I will have  a meal or two’s worth of split breasts in the freezer that can be found for $1.00/# (this week it is at Red Apple).  Pork loin, I wait until the whole ones are on sale for $1.99/# and divide it up into three meals.  Hamburger, I watch for it to get to $1.75/# (that’s 80% for grilling).  Pork spareribs it is $1.99/# and baby back is $2.99 ($2.98/# this week at Red Apple).

A couple tips to get it lower, if you come across a fresh meat coupon, and there are a few, use it on the smallest package you can.  That way your cost per serving goes down.  I watched a youtube video where a woman was couponing and had a handful of fresh seafood coupons, she got multiple 1/4 # packages at just pennies after the coupons.

In this area we’ve recently had Alaska seafood (pollock) coupons and a couple $1.00 off Foster Farms fresh boneless, skinless breast coupons.  The Foster Farms coupons are still sitting in my book waiting for a sale or a package to go on clearance.  This last Sunday paper had a $1.00 off coupon for any variety of Farmland Seasoned Pork.  I don’t think this is a great deal if you don’t normally buy it.  You can save the coupon and use it with a doubler at Alberton’s (if they carry Farmland???).

Clearance you say?  That is one of my first stops.  Safeway marks their at date meat down by 30% in the morning and then down to 50% off in the evening.  It is sometimes not that great of a savings, this is where knowing the prices on the meats you buy comes in handy.  If it is a meat sale item in clearance, then there’s a deal!  You have to be very disciplined about cooking it or freezing it right away and THEN when you defrost it remember it is at date and not let it linger in the fridge.  When I freeze my roasts I wrap the label in the package so I know the cut/weight/date at a glance.  Talk to your butcher, find out when they mark down their meats.

Another thing I have noticed, sometimes the butcher counter has better prices than the pre-packaged meat so that is worth at least comparing prices

If you have a freezer, there is always buying a half a steer or a pig, I have often found these costs to be higher per pound than what I find in the store, but then you look at quality at that point. I would not go this route unless you’ve sampled the meat this butcher/farm has.  I have purchased a half of a steer that was barely edible (yes it was young, grain fed steer).  This is one of those you really want to go with something you know considering you are going to have a huge amount of meat to get through.

-Ali R

Last post I missed Red Apple’s Internet printable coupons and Procter and Gamble eSaver coupons.

Next post:  Catalinas & Albertson’s Dairy Month scenarios

*****

SOUND SAVINGS!!!

Red Apple (remember the $5 off $50 with your Kitsap Card)

Florida’s Natural Juice 64 oz (limit 2)
$2.50 2 for $5.00 store coupon
- 0.50 $1 off/2 Safeway June Dairy Book*
$2.00 each

Red Apple Markets Large AA Eggs Dozen
$0.89 store coupon

All Natural Pork Baby Back Ribs
$2.98/# (no limit) This is the lowest price in Kitsap by one penny!!!

Snoqualmie Falls Lodge Pancake Mix 5# $5.99

Safeway

Rancher’s Reserve Beef
$5 off minimum meat price $25 store coupon
I noticed the butchers have packaged premium cuts (i.e. rib roast) right above $25. Spend another $5 (make it $30 total) and get the free apron.

C&H Granulated Sugar 5# (only because I mentioned it, not a stock up price!)
$2.29
- 0.50 coupon
$1.79

Sargento Natural Slices
$1.99 store coupon (limit 3)
- 0.55 Safeway eCoupon
- 0.55 $0.55 off Safeway Printable coupon ($0.55 in Sunday paper 06/06 or $1 off/2 Safeway June Dairy Book*)
$0.89 on your 1st then $1.44/9 for next two (depending on which coupon you use)
Go to Safeway’s coupon site, print only one coupon then add the coupon to your Club card.
Thank you FrugallivingNW – I totally missed the eCoupon!

BarS Jumbo Meat Franks
$1.00
- 0.50 $1 off/2 Sunday Paper 05/16
$0.50

Horizon Organic Milk
$2.99
- 0.55 Coupon
$2.45 half gallon

Yoplait Fiber One
$2.00
- 1.00 Coupon
- 1.00 Shortcuts eCoupon
- 1.00 Cellfire eCoupon
+ 1.00 Up! No reason not to pick this up and at least donate it.
note: Safeway reserves the right to reduce coupon value to avoid overages, you could use the shortcuts on one trip and the cellfire on your next trip.

Hot Pockets or Lean Pockets 7.5-9 0z
$1.50 store coupons
– 0.33 $1 off/3 Sunday paper 4/25
$1.17

Dial Liquid Hand Soap 7.5 oz
$1.00
– 0.35 Coupon Sunday paper 06/13
$ 0.65

Ken’s Salad Dressing
$1.50
– 0.50 $1 off/2 Coupon Sunday paper 05/09, 05/30 & 06/13
$1.00

SAFEWAY WEEKEND ONLY SALES! (Get your coupons ready!!!)

Washington Cherries $1.99/#
note: Cherries are also traditionally on extreme sale (loss-leader prices) over the 4th of July holiday.

Triscuit or Wheat Thins (5.5-10 oz)
$1.79
-1.00 facebook coupon (go to Wheat Thin’s facebook page and “like” to get the coupon)
$0.79

Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage
$1.99
- 0.50 $1 off/2 copuon Sunday 06/06
$1.49

Jimmy Dean Bacon, Sausage Rolls or Fully cooked selections
$1.99
- 0.50 $1 off/2 Sausage Roll Coupon
$1.49 each
note:  There is a $1 off/2 coupon in the Sunday Paper 06/13, I think this was only in the Times.

QFC

Extra Large Green or Red Seedless Grapes
$0.99/#

Cantaloupe
$0.58/#

Tillamook or Private Selection Ice Cream (48-56 oz)
$1.99

Kettle Chips  5-5.5 oz
$1.67 3 for $5
- 1.00 Coupon Sunday 6/13 or $1 off/2 here (I had to use Firefox to see buttons)
$0.67 each

Fred Meyer

Kivu Coffee
$4.99 store coupon

*Safeway June Dairy Book can be found in the dairy or juice section at Safeway.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 3:20 pm by Ali_R and is filed under Shopping Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.