saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Aug 5, 2011 17:15:26 GMT -5
for those who live in california...foods co has skinless, bonless chicken breast for $1.87/lb AND some canned veggies for $.50 a piece...also have a ton of veggies on sale too!i went grocery shopping today and couldnt believe how many veggies i got for super cheap and they are yummy and not overly ripe! hi twinmama, Can you post which general part of CA you are from? I have not seen a foods store here I am in SoCal.
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Aug 5, 2011 17:20:08 GMT -5
i live in central California, santa barbara county and in our area and in santa maria they had chicken breasts on sale pretty cheap since the commissary seems to like to charge $3/lb
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Aug 5, 2011 17:31:09 GMT -5
i live in central California, santa barbara county and in our area and in santa maria they had chicken breasts on sale pretty cheap since the commissary seems to like to charge $3/lb Thank you.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Aug 5, 2011 19:13:31 GMT -5
I'm just going to jump in, I went over my grocery budget by $150 last month and I need to get it down! Budget is $400, spent $550 last month, goal $350 this month. So far I've spent $44 and tomorrow is shopping day. I'm aiming to keep it below $60 for the upcoming week.
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Aug 5, 2011 19:30:45 GMT -5
I'm just going to jump in, I went over my grocery budget by $150 last month and I need to get it down! Budget is $400, spent $550 last month, goal $350 this month. So far I've spent $44 and tomorrow is shopping day. I'm aiming to keep it below $60 for the upcoming week. how many people are in your household? my budget is $450 for 4 people, 2 of w; Lhich are little kids but they kinda eat a lot lol...does that seem like alot?
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Aug 5, 2011 19:39:50 GMT -5
2 adults, an 80lb dog, a cat, and 4 fish I am impressed at $450/4 people. DH and I were spending about $700 a month when he was working but cut it down to $400 when he went back to school. It's started creeping up again, though...
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Aug 5, 2011 19:50:10 GMT -5
when it was just me and my dh, we spent like $200...we dont buy pre packaged food or junk food.. everything we buy we cook and right now our grocery bill is high (for me) cause we pack our kids lunch for their pre school...but soon they will be going to a different day care where they feed them breakfast AND lunch so our food budget will drop about $50ish i oh yeah, we also have 2 kittens
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 20:49:59 GMT -5
2 adults, an 80lb dog, a cat, and 4 fish I am impressed at $450/4 people. DH and I were spending about $700 a month when he was working but cut it down to $400 when he went back to school. It's started creeping up again, though... Double
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 20:51:40 GMT -5
Hi Midwestern JD. Anything in particular that you feel you need help with in getting your grocery bill down?
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 20:52:37 GMT -5
This message has been deleted. mentalpause
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 20:55:12 GMT -5
i live in central California, santa barbara county and in our area and in santa maria they had chicken breasts on sale pretty cheap since the commissary seems to like to charge $3/lb Here in OR, in the winter, chicken goes from $6 and up a pound.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 21:04:34 GMT -5
i live in central California, santa barbara county and in our area and in santa maria they had chicken breasts on sale pretty cheap since the commissary seems to like to charge $3/lb Here in OR, in the winter, chicken goes from $6 and up a pound. OMG, that is ridiculous. Do you stockpile them for the winter? We're going to roast another $.50/lb. chicken this weekend. I found what I THINK will be a good chicken and rice recipe on the internet (it's a southwestern recipe so the rice is seasoned with tomatoes and chiles). I am hoping that it will be REALLY good. Due to all those chickens I bought, we'll be eating chicken more often than usual and I need to find ways to change it up AND make it stretch.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Aug 5, 2011 21:15:02 GMT -5
Hi rubyslippers,
I think it was you who did a survey at CVS based on your receipt. I have a number to call. Did you call the number or did you do the survey online? If it was online, can you let me know the website? Thanks
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Aug 5, 2011 21:15:59 GMT -5
midwestern,
Welcome and let us know which stores you shop in, so that people can recommend blogs that cater to those stores.
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 21:16:15 GMT -5
Well, I haven't had much freezer space, so, no, I haven't been able to do much stockpiling. I try not to buy for more than $4/lb, but truthfully I chicken, so I have succumbed and bought at $5/lb. Everything else I can get quite reasonably - bread quite cheap since I have a bread store (wholesale) just down the road and other items no problem. But chicken & turkey is the one thing that is expensive. Lately, of course there have been lovely sales. A couple weeks ago $1.69/lb at Albertsons and this weeks $1.89/lb at Safeway. When I have a larger freezer (sooooon!) I will be able to freeze more.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Aug 5, 2011 21:23:03 GMT -5
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 21:24:18 GMT -5
Well, I haven't had much freezer space, so, no, I haven't been able to do much stockpiling. I try not to buy for more than $4/lb, but truthfully I chicken, so I have succumbed and bought at $5/lb. Everything else I can get quite reasonably - bread quite cheap since I have a bread store (wholesale) just down the road and other items no problem. But chicken & turkey is the one thing that is expensive. Lately, of course there have been lovely sales. A couple weeks ago $1.69/lb at Albertsons and this weeks $1.89/lb at Safeway. When I have a larger freezer (sooooon!) I will be able to freeze more. leanna: Does your Safeway do the meat markdowns? ALMOST every time that they have a rock bottom sale on whole chickens, they seem to overbuy (at my store) and I usually can pick up a couple at 1/2 off the rock bottom sale price. Being able to get (13) of them within 2 days was a fluke, but I KNOW that the POSSIBILITY is always there so I TRY to remember to look for it and POUNCE when I see it. I bought a new freezer a couple of months ago and am SO GLAD that I did. I would have to had taken a pass on all those cheap chickens cuz I wouldn't have had the space for them. I don't think you'll regret getting one.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Aug 5, 2011 21:25:48 GMT -5
Thanks for the welcomes I do most of my grocery shopping at Kroger and Marsh (central IN). Some things I buy at Wal-Mart or Sam's because they're a bit cheaper. I do some mild couponing but need to start doing more. I don't think any of the stores in this area double coupons. I drive by Walgreens and CVS on the way home from work so it's not inconvenient to stop there, but I don't shop there often. These are the main budget busters I've identified: Coffee HE laundry detergent Half-and-half Dog/cat food (they're not picky, but they eat a lot!) Beer/wine Meat (I could go veggie, but DH eats a lot of chicken/turkey/beef)
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 21:37:20 GMT -5
Well, I haven't had much freezer space, so, no, I haven't been able to do much stockpiling. I try not to buy for more than $4/lb, but truthfully I chicken, so I have succumbed and bought at $5/lb. Everything else I can get quite reasonably - bread quite cheap since I have a bread store (wholesale) just down the road and other items no problem. But chicken & turkey is the one thing that is expensive. Lately, of course there have been lovely sales. A couple weeks ago $1.69/lb at Albertsons and this weeks $1.89/lb at Safeway. When I have a larger freezer (sooooon!) I will be able to freeze more. leanna: Does your Safeway do the meat markdowns? ALMOST every time that they have a rock bottom sale on whole chickens, they seem to overbuy (at my store) and I usually can pick up a couple at 1/2 off the rock bottom sale price. Being able to get (13) of them within 2 days was a fluke, but I KNOW that the POSSIBILITY is always there so I TRY to remember to look for it and POUNCE when I see it. I bought a new freezer a couple of months ago and am SO GLAD that I did. I would have to had taken a pass on all those cheap chickens cuz I wouldn't have had the space for them. I don't think you'll regret getting one. I'm still not able to lift much - so even a whole chicken is too difficult for me to lift because of my injuries. But, thanks to you & others I have noticed the meat markdowns & find things at good prices sometimes.
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 21:38:30 GMT -5
Midwestern JD, You might find this document that I put together helpful. It explains how to make & use a Price Book.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Aug 5, 2011 21:43:57 GMT -5
mid, Here's a blog for Indiana with both stores that you mentioned - ingoodcents.com/
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 22:13:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the welcomes I do most of my grocery shopping at Kroger and Marsh (central IN). Some things I buy at Wal-Mart or Sam's because they're a bit cheaper. I do some mild couponing but need to start doing more. I don't think any of the stores in this area double coupons. I drive by Walgreens and CVS on the way home from work so it's not inconvenient to stop there, but I don't shop there often. These are the main budget busters I've identified: Coffee HE laundry detergent Half-and-half Dog/cat food (they're not picky, but they eat a lot!) Beer/wine Meat (I could go veggie, but DH eats a lot of chicken/turkey/beef) midwestern: Although most brands of laundry detergent have come out with an HE formula, buying HE is not an absolute necessity. I have an HE washing machine, and when I can get laundry soap for free that is not HE, I just use half the recommended amount - works great.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 22:17:56 GMT -5
I'm still not able to lift much - so even a whole chicken is too difficult for me to lift because of my injuries. But, thanks to you & others I have noticed the meat markdowns & find things at good prices sometimes. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize. Anytime you see sales - even on the smaller packages, keep your eyes peeled cuz I've seen those marked down too and your best chance of getting them cheap is when they're already having a sale cuz they'll order more than they will sell. Usually they keep the marked down chicken in its normal area instead of putting it in the meat clearance area at my store. HTH
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babss74
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Post by babss74 on Aug 5, 2011 22:26:07 GMT -5
Mizbear. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of bc are you on. I had alot of symptoms like that with mine. It was weird a few weeks after I came off it it all went away except for a few hot flashes. I was so upset since my hubby and I toy with the idea of one more (we have no boys) and since I'm only 37. Look at the side effects on your bc. It took me going on line to find out that a side effect of mine was early menopause and that people were looking to sue. Hope things get better I have so been there.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 22:30:43 GMT -5
mid, Here's a blog for Indiana with both stores that you mentioned - ingoodcents.com/ saveinla: Thanks for the link - that should help midwesterner a lot. midwestern: You'll find that the blogger will post the best deals for the week, the day or day after you get the grocery ad in your mailbox or newspaper. I looked at the blogge'rs entry for this week and she has a Kroger 101 section that will teach you the ins and outs of getting the most savings when shopping a Krogers. I know that several of the gals here have Krogers available to them (I don't) and whenever there is a great deal, they will post it. If you find something and need more coupons, just let us know and we'll be happy to help you out if we can.
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Aug 5, 2011 22:40:40 GMT -5
and i was complaining about $3/lb lol..when i lived in AZ, i used to goto this store called Sprouts (also have one in Thousand Oaks) and i would always score on chicken breasts for like $1.69/lb and meat for pretty cheap too...even Frys (which is also a dillions/smiths/i think krogers) always had hamburger meat super cheap...hell, i only buy soda when pepsi or coke products go on sale for 4 for $10..usually around all the major holidays...i bought 12 cases of soda and still have 9 left lol...ill probably buy more during their labor day sale to stock up until thanksgiving, i just dont see any reason to pay $6 + the crv tax that they put on containers in this state >P
on a nicer note the commissary always has orange reduced stickers on their meat because they have to sale in a day so i always score on that meat and shove it in my freezer
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 22:40:52 GMT -5
DancinMama,
You must have read my mind on the HE laundry detergent!
We have purchased a new washer that is HE and will be using that in about 2 months. I was kind of wigging out because I have a nice stash of regular detergent. I searched online and I saw a lot of postings that said you can't use non-HE because it will cause the wash cycle to screw up.
About the chicken - no worries...it is really the only "expensive" item in our grocery bill. Everything else I do really well on, so I don't worry about it. It seems like it's only in the winter that the chicken gets really high in price.
They put the mark-down chicken in my store in one section with all mark down red meat, pork etc. They don't do a lot of markdowns truthfully at my store. It's one of the biggest cash cows for Safeway I guess (this particular store) and they sell, sell, sell everything like crazy.
But, like I said, it's really not a worry for me. I was just mentioning the price conversationally.
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 22:45:21 GMT -5
TwinMama,
Yup...now you can see $3/lb is actually not that bad a price. It all depends on where a person lives, ya know?
The example you just gave of soda is another good one. The "low" price here on soda currently is $3.50/12 pack. I know because I track the prices. The regular price is $6.99/12 pack which of course I do not buy at that price. I sometimes (rarely) can get Buy 2, Get 3 free, which works out to $2.80/12 pack.
Unfortunately, with the rise in prices (gasoline for transporting & corn for the making) of soda, I can't get much lower than that for Coke. (Pepsi is sometimes a little lower, but my husband prefers Coke products so that's what I generally buy.)
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Aug 5, 2011 22:50:28 GMT -5
DancinMama,You must have read my mind on the HE laundry detergent! We have purchased a new washer that is HE and will be using that in about 2 months. I was kind of wigging out because I have a nice stash of regular detergent. I searched online and I saw a lot of postings that said you can't use non-HE because it will cause the wash cycle to screw up. About the chicken - no worries...it is really the only "expensive" item in our grocery bill. Everything else I do really well on, so I don't worry about it. It seems like it's only in the winter that the chicken gets really high in price. They put the mark-down chicken in my store in one section with all mark down red meat, pork etc. They don't do a lot of markdowns truthfully at my store. It's one of the biggest cash cows for Safeway I guess (this particular store) and they sell, sell, sell everything like crazy. But, like I said, it's really not a worry for me. I was just mentioning the price conversationally. leanna: I have a Maytag HE and have had absolutely no problems using the regular detergents. My understanding is that the detergents that are not specifically for HE washers contain more of the ingredient that makes soap suds which is why you use less of the regular detergents in an HE washer. I bought my Maytag when HE front loaders for home use were fairly new and getting HE laundry soap was not as easy as it is today. My laundry comes out great even when using less soap. HTH
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leanna
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Post by leanna on Aug 5, 2011 23:03:32 GMT -5
It does! Thanks DancinMama. My husband felt that would be the case, and I generally trust his instincts but all the store online wigged me out. So I was meaning to ask the question about HE washers and it kind of went to the back of my mind and then -bam- you answered it. Very cool. Makes me feel so much better - because I did some serious hounding to get the Tide at the price I got it at. And I have quite a bit of it!
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