Aldi Finds 11/29/2011

I found these at my Aldi in Oklahoma City this week!  It must be an after- thanksgiving sale. 

Bags of Cranberries - you can FREEZE them for later!  Only 49 cents!


Pineapples- nice and ripe and juicy - only 79 cents!

I've already eaten the pineapple - now what are some good recipes for cranberries?

Sam's Club

Do you remember our Anatomy of a Discount Food Box post?   We discussed getting food for the same price as you would have paid with the now-defunct Angel Food Ministries.   While there are some alternatives, like MidAmerica Foods and the SHARE program, they are not as widespread as Angel Food Ministries was.

I am a member of Sam's Club, the only warehouse club in my area.  I pay $40 a year for an Advantage Membership.  I wanted to see if I could get groceries at Sam's club for our target prices in the above mentioned article. 

Here is a sampler of Sam's Club prices:

Bar-S Franks, 5 pounds for $5.38  ($1.08/lb)


Tyson Chicken Nuggets, approx 4.2 pounds $9.98  ($2.38/lb)

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 10 pounds $22.98 ($2.30/lb)
Interestingly, the 6 pound bag is $12.98 ($2.16/lb)

Tyson Chicken Wings 10 pounds $16.98 ($1.70/lb)

10 Pound box of Beef Patties $23.98 ($2.40/lb)

6 Pound bag of Meatballs $13.98 ($2.33/lb)

4 Pounds of Tilapia $12.98 ($3.26/lb)

Ore-Ida Fries, 8 pounds $6.68 ($.69/lb!)

Dole frozen mixed fruit 6 pounds $9.78 ($1.63/lb)

Members Mark steamable broccoli, 4 pounds $5.98 ($1.50/lb)

Frozen Berries, 4 pounds $8.58 ($2.15/lb)

6 Pounds Dry Spaghetti Noodles $5.76 ($.96/lb)

25 Pounds Rice $12.14 (.49/lb!)


What I've found is that a warehouse club will never beat the prices of my local supermarket's loss leaders, but they can  have very good daily prices for many items.  There are some things that in my opinion are overpriced.  I can almost always get these for less at my local market with coupons (Frozen dinners, certain canned goods, cereal).

Sunflower Farmer's Market - All these items for $38.38

Sunflower Farmer's Market just opened in Oklahoma City.   Their motto is, "Serious Food, Silly Prices."  I LOVE silly prices!

Here's what I got for $38 after taxes last night:

(amounts are approximate since their receipt machine went on the fritz when I got to the register... of course!)
9.50 pounds of 85% ground beef @ 1.77 a pound  $16.81
1.75 pounds of pork boneless ribs @ 1.99 a pound $3.48
2 pound bag of clementines @ 2.99
2 bags of Salad @ 1.50 (had a $1 coupon for each one) 1.00 after coupon

1 pound bag of carrots .99
2 Kashi Cereals @ 2.99 each (had $1 coupons for each) $3.98 after coupon
1 5 pound bag of potatoes @ 1.50
Cilantro .50
Celery .99
Radishes .50
Hothouse tomatoes .77/pound -  1.52
Bag of Bulk Chocolate (impulse buy)  1.00
1 Blue Sky Soda (impulse buy) .79
1 Hansen's Natural Soda (impulse buy) .79
Gallon of Organic Milk 1.99
Bag of Red Grapes @ .77 a pound 1.54

To make it all sweeter, I had a $5 off $25 coupon :)

I am really impressed by the deals @ Sunflower Farmer's Market.   Every Wednesday, they have double ad day, which means you can get last week's AND this week's deals!

They carry conventional, natural and organic foods.  I chose to buy the natural ground beef for 1.77 a pound, but they had grass-fed beef for 3.99 a pound which is a great price for grass-fed beef.

Some good sources for Health, Natural and Organic food coupons are:

Annie Chun's 
Cascadian Farms
Dreamfields Pasta
Earth's Best Organic (Baby Food)
Earthbound Farms (Produce)
Horizon Dairy

Mambo Sprouts 
Muir Glen
Newman's Own
Organic Girl
Organic Valley Coop

Santa Cruz



We'll  add more as we find them!

Eats at the Dollar Tree

Dollar Trees are adding more to their food sections.    My local store just added a freezer and refrigerated section.  In this economy, it's really helpful. 



Diced Tomatoes, Red Kidney Beans, Rice, Smoke Sausage $1 each. $4 will make you a big pot of red beans & rice with sausage.

$1 for Shells & Cheese Dinner.  Compare it to Velveeta & Shells.  Has sauce pouch - no milk or butter needed to maked this.  Add the $1 Vienna bites and you have some hotdogs & macaroni for the kids for $2.  This fed my 3 kids for lunch.  










$1 Frozen Italian Breadsticks,
$1 can of Spaghetti Sauce
$1 each for 2 packages meatballs (2 servings each)
Dollar Tree has $1 Noodles but I already had FREE Ronzoni Healthy Harvest from using coupons in my pantry.  $4 or $5 is not bad for a spaghetti dinner with meatballs and breadsticks.

 $1 Bag of Frozen Fries.
$1 Cans of chili - I bought 2
$1 Bags of Real Cheese - I bought 2 because they are only 3/4 cup size.  They did have larger bags that were processed cheese shreds

Chili Cheese Fries.  Fed me, 3 kids and a niece for $5




$1 Box of Quick Oats
$1 can of peaches
add some milk

$1 Pancake Mix
$1 Syrup

Have a nice breakfast of pancakes or peaches & cream oatmeal super cheap!


Don't forget your treats!  These were $1 each. They are not complete mixes so you have to add egg/water/oil






 Find your local Dollar Tree: http://www.dollartree.com/custserv/locate_store.cmd

Anatomy of a Discount Food Box

Angel Food Ministries has suspended their September 2011 orders, and there are few alternatives (MidAmerica Foods, SHARE are two).

Now is a good time to examine what you really get in a discount food box.   Let's see what's in AFM's 8/2011 Bountiful Blessing Box:

Meat:
4 lb. (avg.) Perdue Tray Pack Chicken Leg Quarters
1.5 lb. Steak Burgers (4 x 6 oz.)
1.5 lb. Bone-In Pork Chops (4 x 6 oz.)
1.5 lb. (avg.) Perdue Tray Pack Boneless Skinless
Chicken Breasts
1 lb. Deli-Sliced Ham
1 lb. Alaskan Pollock Fillets (Individually Wrapped)
1 lb. Roger Wood Sausage Dogs
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 lb. 80/20 Lean Ground Beef


Frozen Meals:
2 lb. Gourmet Dining Garlic Chicken Dinner (Skillet-type Meal)
2 lb. Mac & Beef 
2 lb. Heat ‘n’ Eat Cheesy Broccoli Soup
 (two one pound packages each)

Vegetables:
1 lb. Spinach
1 lb. Carrots
1 lb. Green Beans
1 lb. Triple Blend Veggies
1 lb. Broccoli
 24 oz. Steak Cut French Fries
1 lb. Sugar Snap Peas
1 lb. Yellow Sweet Corn
24 oz. Hash Browns
1 lb. California Blend Veggies
 20 oz. Steam Ready Classic Blend
(Rice & Veggie Blend, 2 x 10 oz.)

Other:

7.5 oz. Break-n-Bake Cookies

In your box, that's 9 packages of meat equaling 13.5 pounds, 6 Frozen Meals, 12 packages vegetables & 1 dessert.

AFM's Bountiful Blessing Box costs $46.  To duplicate this savings, you would have to be able to buy 9 packages of meat,  6 Frozen Meals, 12 packages of Veggies, and 1 dessert - 28 items!!!

To simplify the cost of each item:  $46 divided by 28=  $1.64 each.  That is actually really amazing if you think about the cost savings.

Your budget would look like this:
9 packages of meat= $14.76
6 Frozen Meals=$9.84
12 Vegetables=$19.68
1 dessert=$1.64
Total, $45.92

But, what if you look at the cost of the vegetables?  In many supermarkets across America, packages of frozen vegetables can be had for $1 or less.   I also know for a fact that the same cookie dough included in the AFM box is only $1 at the Dollar Tree. 

So, let's take our 28 items at $1.64 each and add back .64 for each of the 12 Vegetables and the 1 Cookie Dough.  That gives you $8.32 to put into your meat budget.

Now your budget looks like this:

9  packages of meat= $23.08
6 Frozen Meals=$9.84
12 Vegetables=$12.00
1 dessert=$1.00
Total: $45.92

We already know we can buy the dessert and 12 packages of vegetables for $1 each or less.

What about the Frozen Meals?  Those are pretty expensive, right? I have to admit you would be hard pressed to walk into a grocery store without coupons or a super good deal and just pick these up for $1.64 each.

 I checked local prices and Sams' Club had 64 oz of Zatarain's Alfredo Chicken for $10.48 at my club - so that would be about $2.62 per pound.  That's way overbudget.   Sams' Club had 64 oz of Zatarain's Alfredo Chicken for $10.48 at my club - so that would be about $2.62 each.  That's way overbudget.

Now may be a time to examine whether prepared meals are a must for you or not.
I believe it is possible to buy a couple cans of soup and serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, or some macaroni & cheese boxes with some $1 hotdogs sliced thinly and have a quick, cheap no-brainer meals for those nights you don't want to cook alot.  If you want to make your own skillet meals, the Simple Dollar has a post on how to do just that.


If they are a must for your family, Aldi had some 14 ounce Asian skillet meals this week for $1.99 each  which is a little more in line with the budget, only .35 more per item than we would pay with AFM. Meijer had Boston Market or Oncor Family Meals 5 for $10 so that's only .36 per item more.

New Budget with Frozen Meals: 

9 packages of meat= $23.08
6 Frozen Meals=$11.94 (6 @ $1.99)
12 Vegetables=$12.00
1 dessert=$1.00
Total: $48.02

At this point, you can choose to keep the $48.02 budget OR take  $2.10 off your meat budget which would look like this:

9 packages of meat= $20.98
6 Frozen Meals=$11.94 (6 @ $1.99)

12 Vegetables=$12.00
1 dessert=$1.00
Total: $45.92

If you remember, the original amount of meat was 13.5 pounds.  Four pounds of that was bone-in chicken - keep that in mind.  That puts us at $1.55 a pound.   Let's go back to Meijer and see if they have any specials on bone-in chicken.

This week, bone-in Chicken at Meijer is $.99 a pound.  Four pounds would be  $3.96.  Let's separate that from our meat budget.

4 Pounds of chicken $3.96
9 POUNDS of meat= $17.02 (1.89 per pound)
6 Frozen Meals=$11.94 (6 @ $1.99)

12 Vegetables=$12.00
1 dessert=$1.00
Total: $45.92

Can we get meat for $1.89 a pound?  We can probably all agree that is tough to do!  I know it depends on your region, but I see specials all the time, and don't forget that if you save money on something else - buy that $.69 package of muffin mix instead of the $1 cookies, or get frozen vegetables on special for $.67 or $.79 which is very possible, then you can make more room in your meat budget and get it for $2 or so a pound.

Using Sundaysaver.com I did some shopping around the country:

Let's go to Missouri and check out Shop N Save where Pork Tenderloin tips are $1.98 a pound.  Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are $1.88 a pound, and John Morrell Smoked Sausages are 2 for $4.  Wegman's in Allentown, PA has boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.99 a pound, and 80% Ground Beef for $1.99 a pound.  Whole roasting chickens are only $.88 a pound!  Whole Pork shoulder is $1.29 a pound. 


In San Francisco, CA at Safeway, you can get whole chicken for $.89 a pound, and pork loin chops for $1.99 a pound. 

Shaw's in Maine has $1.99 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast as well. 

When shopping, and you see a good deal like these, stock up!  Something different will be on sale every week, so build up some nice variety in your freezer.    Use a price book to keep track of the lowest prices in your area and soon you will be getting cheap groceries all the time, no Discount Food Box required.

RESOURCES:  http://www.sundaysaver.com/
http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/
Find a Dollar Tree

Use a Price Book to Save Money on Groceries

The key to saving money on groceries is organization.   One of the best ways to be organized is to keep a price book.

Amy Dacyczyn, author The Tightwad Gazette invented the price book, and  It can be a notebook or an excel file -even an Iphone app- where you record the lowest prices you find for a grocery item.  Later, when you find something at a low, low price, you can stock up!   You may find you've been paying way too much for things once you begin using a price book. 

Amy wrote her book before the internet really took off, and before excel spreadsheets and iphone apps, so what she did was use a notebook, each page dedicated to a particular product (i.e. "Salad Dressing").   She wrote down the store name, the brand, size, price and unit price.

1.  Start collecting prices!  Get out your sales fliers, or look them up online.  Grab those 3,000 receipts out of your purse or wallet (I know you have them in there!  I "collect" mine, too!).  Start recording prices using this data you already have.

2.  When you go shopping, take your Price Book with you!  Check the prices at the store against the price in your book and see if you should stock up.


3.  Make sure you keep updating your price list!  

I downloaded the deluxe excel version of The Best Grocery Price Book here 
If you would like to just write the prices down, here's a free printout here

Alternatives to Angel Food Ministries

Updated 1/19/2012.

Since Angel Food Ministries closed as of September, 2011, here are some alternatives.  Please comment if you know of any more so we can help people save their valuable dollars!

• MidAmerica Foods AR, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MO, MS, OH, OK, TN, TX
• Good Faith Food Box - AL, CA, CT,  DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, NC, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
• Truth Family Foods TX
• Prairie Land Foods - KS OK & NE
• One Harvest - AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA,
• Shop Quality Foods NE GA & W SC
• San Diego CA Share Foods
• Share Food Program - Serving PA, DE, NJ, Metro NY & the MD E. Shore
• SHARE WI
• Bountiful Baskets AZ, CO, GA, ID, KS, KY, MT, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY
• Gaballi - FL, OH, MI, IL
• Zaycon Foods - 48 continental states
• SmartChoice Food- IL, IN, KY, MO, OK,OH, PA

Cookncents does not endorse or recommend any particular provider.  Please comment to let us know of any additional providers/cities. Thanks!