# Grocery Shopping Advice to Save Money



## noboundaries (Aug 7, 2022)

I don't want this to turn political, but don't grocery shop around the 1st of the month, or the week following the first of the month. Many grocers jack their meat, dairy, bread, and veggie prices 10-30% at that time because that's when food program cards are reloaded. Grocers get reimbursed at the higher price. 

I've noticed the pattern before, and it was confirmed by a checkout worker. I made the mistake this past weekend of grocery shopping and there it was again. I'm buying with my own money, not a govt card. 

I held off on several items until I know the prices will drop back to normal, usually the 6th-10th, depending on what day the 1st occurs and the grocer's normal weekly repricing schedule. 

If you do the cooking and shopping, pay attention at your grocer. See if something similar happens. 

Another trick is to pay attention to the sell-by dates on meat. If the date is a Tues, Wed, or Thurs, any unsold packages are often marked down 25%‐75%. I've caught some great deals that way, especially on meat I use to make jerky. 

Share any money saving tips you might have.


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## SmokinEdge (Aug 7, 2022)

Sales all happen around mid week around here. Never really thought about what you said before, but now makes sense.

All I know is the prices are through the roof. Still have two boys at home, the cost is nuts.


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## noboundaries (Aug 8, 2022)

I agree on the prices, SE. That's why I posted this thread. Every little bit of savings helps.


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## adam15 (Aug 8, 2022)

I know in SE North Carolina the weekly specials begin on Wednesdays so Tuesday night is a good time that I’ve noticed to get whatever is left knocked down even more


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## indaswamp (Aug 8, 2022)

Boston butt sales have all but dried up down here. I use to be able to find a sale about every 2 weeks...for $0.99/#. Not any more....The recent spanish chorizo I made I used loin because I found it for $1.47/#. It was middle section and had some dark meat on it along with the loin so it worked out well. The large amount of paprika used colored the salami anyhow so the light colored meat did not matter.


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## normanaj (Aug 8, 2022)

Our local Aldis very often will have 30% -50% off on some meats midweek. That's when I usually stock up.


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## chopsaw (Aug 8, 2022)

noboundaries said:


> Share any money saving tips you might have.


I buy all my meat at GFS in vac packs . I do the break down and clean up myself . That's a big savings by itself . 

I go and see what's a price I'm willing to pay ( for meat ) , then I think what meals I'll get from it . 
I have a bottom round flat right now . $ 3.39 a pound . I'll get 3 meals from that for 3 people . 
Taco meat , roast beef and some grind . All kinds of options , and it's cheap in my opinion . 

At the regular grocery store , I use a store app . Clip digital coupons , and earn points for purchases . Several buy one get one through the app only . Not a huge savings , but it chips a few dollars off . Points earned can be redeemed for cash or free food items . 

There's always something on sale .



indaswamp said:


> Boston butt sales have all but dried up down here.


Same here , and have been slowly going up . 
I just bought a vac pack of pork cushion because it was cheaper than pork butt . 
Makes a great ham and good for sausage and roast pork . $1.89 a pound .


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## smokerjim (Aug 8, 2022)

Can't speak for the rest of the country but I've been in meat rooms for over 40 years in my little corner of the world and can honestly say I never seen stores jacking meat prices up certain times of the month.


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## bbqjefff (Aug 8, 2022)

I never even thought of that but it makes sense. Prices are pretty bad in California.


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## SmokinAl (Aug 8, 2022)

I have never paid attention to that, but will from now on! Thanks for the heads up Ray!
Al


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## Brokenhandle (Aug 8, 2022)

Never thought about it before either, but will now. Try to buy anything we can on sale and stock up...dry goods and such. We have enough meat in freezers we don't buy much. Price of Ball canning flats has come down...be a long while before we run short on them!

Ryan


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## DougE (Aug 8, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Boston butt sales have all but dried up down here. I use to be able to find a sale about every 2 weeks...for $0.99/#. Not any more....The recent spanish chorizo I made I used loin because I found it for $1.47/#.


Yep. Around here, $1.49/lb is about as low as they have been this year. Kroger did have them for $0.99/lb last week, but you hardly ever see them that cheap anymore.


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## Bearcarver (Aug 8, 2022)

We have been shopping "Giant" on their web site, then Mrs Bear picks it up at their store.
We do it every 2 weeks, at 10 AM, on Tuesday.
We make our picks throughout the two weeks, but then check them all out the day before, to make sure the prices haven't gone up, since we made the selection. It's been working pretty good for over 2 years. The only problem we run into is when they're out of something, but you don't know it until after your pick-up time.

Bear


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## JLeonard (Aug 8, 2022)

Haven’t really paid attention to this. But I will from now on to see if there is a difference.
Jim


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## noboundaries (Aug 8, 2022)

smokerjim said:


> Can't speak for the rest of the country but I've been in meat rooms for over 40 years in my little corner of the world and can honestly say I never seen stores jacking meat prices up certain times of the month.


Might just be a Kalifornia thing. I can always tell when someone is using one or both of the types of food cards available in this state. They place their groceries on the belt in sections, then pay for each section separately. I originally thought they were buying for someone else, then I noticed that the alcohol was always last in a separate section, and generally paid with cash. Food cards don't allow alcohol. The light went on. It is VERY apparent around the 1st of the month in my area.



chopsaw said:


> I buy all my meat at GFS in vac packs . I do the break down and clean up myself . That's a big savings by itself .


There's one store in my area that sells bulk meat in vac packs. When my freezer isn't full, I will stop by there on occasion, only for beef though, and generally tri tips. I haven't seen much difference on poultry or pork to go out of my way to get it.


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## tallbm (Aug 8, 2022)

noboundaries said:


> I don't want this to turn political, but don't grocery shop around the 1st of the month, or the week following the first of the month. Many grocers jack their meat, dairy, bread, and veggie prices 10-30% at that time because that's when food program cards are reloaded. Grocers get reimbursed at the higher price.
> 
> I've noticed the pattern before, and it was confirmed by a checkout worker. I made the mistake this past weekend of grocery shopping and there it was again. I'm buying with my own money, not a govt card.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info, that's great to know!

I only buy what is on sale in the weekly flyer.  Both regular sale and digital coupon sale with the apps.

So because of this I never get gouged on price.  I don't mind eating the same thing all weak or turning 1 thing into different types of meals.

FYI for everyone.  In the US most grocery store deals START on Wed so the last day of that week's sales is the following Tues.

On Tuesdays you can go online to these stores and see the weekly add preview for your stories if you like.
So every Tuesday I ALWAYS check check the weekly add preview for the sales starting the next day (Wed).
Why?  Often the meat is gone if you wait past weekend and try to get it before the next week's deals start.
So in my case getting the deals before the heart of the weekend hits you can score the meat. If after then its a roll of the dice!

One last thing I do is I check the preview on Tuesday and if the preview's show that there are no decent deals then I will make an effort to hit the stores up that day to buy the current week's sales so I don't get screwed with the following week's so called "sales".
I'm fortunate that I have 3 different store chains to choose from within a 2 mile radius, and 4 within a 7 mile radius.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to just buy what's on sale like I am, then you never break the bank.  This has been 100% true for me pre, during, and post pandemic so I assume it should work for most.
If you live in an area with limited or no options then my thoughts and prayers go out to ya. 
I am curious how people *successfully* manage that situation so I know should I ever end up in a similar situation :)


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## DougE (Aug 8, 2022)

tallbm said:


> FYI for everyone. In the US most grocery store deals START on Wed so the last day of that week's sales is the following Tues.


True of every chain around my area with the exception of Meijer. Their sales run Sunday to Saturday.


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## Daba's BBQ (Aug 8, 2022)

Use an app called _*FLIPP*_. It will give you real-time prices on almost any product you buy at your local grocery store. It is based upon your zip code, so all of the stores are ones close to you. 

*Here is how it works...*

After you download the app, enter your zip and then choose the stores that pop up. These will be the stores on your daily list. Now, let's say you want to buy St Louis spare ribs but don't want to go driving all over town for the best price. Enter it into the search box and hit enter. You will immediately see the current prices for the ribs. You will then get a daily list of all the products you save with the current prices/saves for that day.

I've been using this now for about 30 days and I have saved a nice bit of money.

Hope this helps everyone out there.

Peace.


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## jcam222 (Aug 8, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> I buy all my meat at GFS in vac packs . I do the break down and clean up myself . That's a big savings by itself .
> 
> I go and see what's a price I'm willing to pay ( for meat ) , then I think what meals I'll get from it .
> I have a bottom round flat right now . $ 3.39 a pound . I'll get 3 meals from that for 3 people .
> ...


I just bought two big vac packs of cushion too. Not a bit I’ve seen there before. Both were frozen on the clearance freezer for $0.99 per lbs.


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## chopsaw (Aug 9, 2022)

jcam222 said:


> I just bought two big vac packs of cushion too. Not a bit I’ve seen there before. Both were frozen on the clearance freezer for $0.99 per lbs.


Pork cushion was a cut that showed up here during the shortages last year . They have kept it on the shelf ever since . 
It has actually dropped in price from a year ago . It comes from around / trimmed off the picnic . Makes great ham because it has the texture you expect from ham . 
This is what's in the bag .






4 cleaned up and one for the grinder .












We've talked about chuck flat , but another beef cut that showed up last year is chuck pectoral . Great cut of beef , comes off the brisket and resembles a brisket flat in texture . 
All kinds of options with the cuts , and when you sort through the options and figure the number of people fed and the multiple meals you get from leftovers , it's really not that expensive . 
I have threads on all these cuts . 

 I really don't shop sales , but I operate along the same lines as 

 tallbm
 . 
I've said this before , I figured out the delivery day for GFS . I go the next day . I watch the prices so I can see the trend . That way I know if it went up or down from the last time I was there . Then I buy accordingly . 

I don't hoard . NORMAL buying habits will help the prices come back faster as long as people don't panic buy . 

Pay attention to product packages . Take a store brand mustard . Usually cheaper than name brand right ? Look at the bottle and check to see if there is a name brand bottle it looks like . Then check the ingredients . The local store brand here is made by Koops . $1.50 cheaper .


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## sawhorseray (Aug 9, 2022)

tallbm said:


> I only buy what is on sale in the weekly flyer.  Both regular sale and digital coupon sale with the apps.


I do the same thing, retired and I do all the food shopping. I have the bonus card at three different large chain markets here within three miles from my house. I keep my freezers packed, my wife doesn't eat meat cuts, just chicken, fish, and some special burgers I make for her. I buy 2-3 whole in-the-bag standing rib roasts at Xmas every year, USDA choice, butcher them into a couple small roasts and thick cut boneless ribeye steaks, always under five buck a pound. Grind all my own burger meat, having a commercial grade vac-sealer is a bonus, nothing ever goes bad. Still getting whole yardbird, thighs, and legs for 98¢lb, don't waste money on wings, legs with the Vortex are better. I do notice coffee has gone thru the roof, I like whole bean Kona from Sam's Club and grind my own. $13.50 a few months ago, $19 last week. What the hell, gotta have coffee. RAY


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## indaswamp (Aug 9, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> I do notice coffee has gone thru the roof, I like whole bean Kona from Sam's Club and grind my own. $13.50 a few months ago, $19 last week. What the hell, gotta have coffee. RAY


There was a long stretch of extremely cold weather in South America last winter (they have winter when we have summer). Massive freeze... coffee plants took a beating, thus less coffee beans produced the following harvest. Supply was hit hard, thus higher prices.....


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## bill1 (Aug 9, 2022)

I can believe a monthly cycle, and will be watching myself for such a trend.  A lot of (working) paychecks come monthly too so those folks may be a little more likely to buy early in the month too. But once meat is labeled, it's pretty obvious when its getting relabeled, so I think a planned pricing cycle much more frequent than monthly would be hard to pull off.  I think the midweek sales are just an effort to level out  meat-buying demand throughout the week so the demand for butchers is steady through the week.   

And there are also just plain good deals (ie sales!) on specific cuts from time to time.  I think its good financial strategy to not fall too much in love with your shopping list and consider purchases that are at a particularly good price at the time you're at the store.  Sometimes that might be chicken; sometimes beef.  By shopping sales, you still get variety in your menus, you just have to ride the wave of supply and demand and buy when supply exceeds demand since that's what triggers sales.


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## bigfurmn (Aug 9, 2022)

The further away from the countries tallest building, the more common sense (Garage Logic for Minnesotans and upper Midwest folks) people seem to have. Most sales here are Sunday to Saturday.


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## tallbm (Aug 10, 2022)

Yep 

 chopsaw
 and 

 sawhorseray
 thats the way to about it!

Also many many people do not know this so here is another pro shopping tip.

In the USA the labels have to clearly state a price per unit in addition to the whole price:

















So when comparing different sizes or cost of items it is best to compare at unit price.

You will see in many cases that the larger size is actually more expensive per unit cost than the same item of a smaller size!

Or with stuff like cereal and other products you think a bigger box of one item is less expensive or a better deal but when you look at the price per ounce and see it is more expensive per unit/oz than another cereal you are considering.
Then you scratch your head like "how could that be when this one cost less than the other"  It's because they charge you more per unit cost but then give you LESS overall product.

So you pay something like $0.40/ounce for one cereal but overall cost is $5.00.    Then you look at the other cereal that is $0.30/ounce but cost $5.25.
The difference is that you are getting WAY more overall weight of product in the $5.25 box of cereal than the $5.00 box of cereal.
SO you can only know this if you look at cost per ounce and see the total weights of both products.  In the end if you buy the lower cost per unit item though overall price is 25 cents more if you can afford it BUT you get like 25% more product overall!

I hope I explained that well. 
Long story short, look at label cost per unit and the lower that is the better off you are provided you can afford the whole cost in the end :)
Just balance it out :)


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## normanaj (Aug 10, 2022)

tallbm
 is spot on. 

The was a segment on a morning radio talk show several years back and I've always paid attention to it since hearing that.


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## Brokenhandle (Aug 10, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Yep
> 
> chopsaw
> and
> ...


And to further show your example...







Blue can was in a 24 pack on sale, green can in 30 pack, not on sale. Green can cost .06 cents more...but I liked the green can better, so I bought those. Already had the blue can from a previous purchase...in case you're wondering! 

Ryan


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## gmc2003 (Aug 10, 2022)

Ryan, the green can looks like a promotional can for John Deere which would explain the higher cost.

Flyers around here run Sunday - Saturday. I'm lucky we're empty nesters. On my days off I make a daily run to the grocers to see what they have that looks good to me that day. 

Chris


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## noboundaries (Aug 10, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> I do notice coffee has gone thru the roof, I like whole bean Kona from Sam's Club and grind my own. $13.50 a few months ago, $19 last week. What the hell, gotta have coffee. RAY





indaswamp said:


> There was a long stretch of extremely cold weather in South America last winter (they have winter when we have summer). Massive freeze... coffee plants took a beating, thus less coffee beans produced the following harvest. Supply was hit hard, thus higher prices.....



I constantly check prices on green coffee beans at my favorite supplier. Although I've got plenty onhand, I'm not seeing any real spikes in prices. Maybe 50 cents a lb; much less if you buy 5-20 lbs. It could be due to the fact they buy from smaller growers and cooperatives: not the huge corporate farms that would seriously impact supply from a lost crop or season.


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## tallbm (Aug 10, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> And to further show your example...
> 
> View attachment 640328
> 
> ...


Yeah u just never know what they are going to do but price per unit will clarify if you are getting the deal or not.
Where things get messy is when pricing is like per ounce with one but then per can with the other.
Then the base unit is not even the same thing so a little math has to come into play to convert and compare hahaha.

I'm sure looking forward to drinking beer around Halloween this year.  I only drink a few times a year, it puts me down hard for a week so I have to pick my poison haha :D


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## pineywoods (Aug 10, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> And to further show your example...
> 
> View attachment 640328
> 
> ...



Ryan since it says John Deere on it you know it has to cost a lot more. Heck only 30 cents a can higher that's a bargain and yes I do own a John Deere and cry when I need parts


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## DougE (Aug 10, 2022)

pineywoods said:


> I do own a John Deere and cry when I need parts


Tell me what tractor brand is cheap to buy parts for and I'll go buy one. lol


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## indaswamp (Aug 10, 2022)

> I constantly check prices on green coffee beans at my favorite supplier. Although I've got plenty onhand, I'm not seeing any real spikes in prices. Maybe 50 cents a lb; much less if you buy 5-20 lbs. It could be due to the fact they buy from smaller growers and cooperatives: not the huge corporate farms that would seriously impact supply from a lost crop or season.



Yep. I have a friend that works for the local coffee company by the name of Community Coffee. He told me about the freeze and price squeeze...


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## bill1 (Aug 10, 2022)

+1 on the shop-per-pound not per-package advice.  

Also, prices have maybe stabilized a bit recently, but when prices we're going up-up-up it paid to see which items hadn't gotten marked up yet.  I saw a few of those at "their old price", grabbed them, and the next shopping trip they too were marked up 15%.


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## chopsaw (Aug 11, 2022)

bill1 said:


> ride the wave of supply and demand and buy when supply exceeds demand since that's what triggers sales.


That's it in a nut shell . I've never been much for book learning , but in high school I had a study hall in an economics class . I found the part about supply and demand worth listening to and it's good to understand how our spending habits effect the pricing .


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## normanaj (Aug 12, 2022)

SCORE!!!

From the local Aldis,all 30% off and just shy of $45:
2 packs wings
2 double packs of filet
2 triple packs eye round steaks


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## clifish (Aug 12, 2022)

gmc2003 said:


> Ryan, the green can looks like a promotional can for John Deere which would explain the higher cost.
> 
> Flyers around here run Sunday - Saturday. I'm lucky we're empty nesters. On my days off I make a daily run to the grocers to see what they have that looks good to me that day.
> 
> Chris


Same here,  pisses me off when the flyers come in wed or thurs and I have to wait till Sunday to go shopping....I think they bank on you throwing out the coupon or forgetting about it all together.



normanaj said:


> SCORE!!!
> 
> From the local Aldis,all 30% off and just shy of $45:
> 2 packs wings
> ...


I just left our Aldi and they were almost devoid of all meat products,  happens quite often here.


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## GonnaSmoke (Aug 12, 2022)

clifish said:


> I just left our Aldi and they were almost devoid of all meat products, happens quite often here.


I generally never buy meat there, but the nearest Walmart is like that A LOT, especially around the first of the month...


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## Mazza (Aug 12, 2022)

I hit the BOGO sales and clearance section. I would like to purchase a freezer and get half a cow or do freezer packs


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## DougE (Aug 12, 2022)

GonnaSmoke said:


> I generally never buy meat there, but the nearest Walmart is like that A LOT, especially around the first of the month...


I don't know about where you are, but I buy most of my pork chops from Aldi unless I want them thicker than what they have pre-packaged. They have the most tender pork chops out of all the places I shop. They also usually have good prices on tenderloin.


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## normanaj (Aug 12, 2022)

DougE said:


> I don't know about where you are, but I buy most of my pork chops from Aldi unless I want them thicker than what they have pre-packaged. They have the most tender pork chops out of all the places I shop. They also usually have good prices on tenderloin.


It's now the only place I buy pork. And wings for that matter.


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## clifish (Aug 12, 2022)

i will buy chicken in the family packs there,  full rack of ribs but almost never beef.  Nothing beats Costco for thick pork chops


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## GonnaSmoke (Aug 13, 2022)

DougE said:


> I don't know about where you are, but I buy most of my pork chops from Aldi unless I want them thicker than what they have pre-packaged. They have the most tender pork chops out of all the places I shop. They also usually have good prices on tenderloin.


I'll buy meat, mostly chicken or pork, from Aldi, but generally do not buy from Walmart


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## TH-n-PA (Aug 13, 2022)

I was going to start a thread, "Do y'all like BJ's?" but I will just ask in this thread.

No Sams or Costco around here but there is a BJ's.

Anyone familiar or recommend their meat?


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## DougE (Aug 13, 2022)

TH-n-PA said:


> I was going to start a thread, "Do y'all like BJ's?" but I will just ask in this thread.
> 
> No Sams or Costco around here but there is a BJ's.
> 
> Anyone familiar or recommend their meat?


Can I answer yes even though I've never shopped in their store?


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## Brokenhandle (Aug 13, 2022)

TH-n-PA said:


> I was going to start a thread, "Do y'all like BJ's?" but I will just ask in this thread.
> 
> No Sams or Costco around here but there is a BJ's.
> 
> Anyone familiar or recommend their meat?


...I have to stop laughing first, my wife laughed as well! I'm going with 

 DougE
  ...yes!

Ryan


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## normanaj (Aug 13, 2022)

Went back to Aldis today and score again.Another
package of wings,one package of thighs and a pack of sweet Italian sausage,all at 50% off.


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## tallbm (Aug 14, 2022)

Got lucky to catch a non-advertised sale at Kroger down the road from me.
$1.99/lb Choice Briskets.  They were all big! 
I picked up a 19.36 pounder and an 18.78 pounder.  They had good bend to them and were best 2 of the bunch for me.  It's nice to be in brisket country :D

I will trim off the thin portion of the flat before I cook em and end up with a lot of great meat on the smoker since they are so large.

I went in to buy 3 pound bags of shredded of cheese on sale for $4.99 and scored a nice find :D

I hope you guys find a nice little haul like that soon as well :)


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## gmc2003 (Aug 14, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Got lucky to catch a non-advertised sale at Kroger down the road from me.
> $1.99/lb Choice Briskets.  They were all big!
> I picked up a 19.36 pounder and an 18.78 pounder.  They had good bend to them and were best 2 of the bunch for me.  It's nice to be in brisket country :D
> 
> ...



Nice score

Chris


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## indaswamp (Aug 14, 2022)

Yup...nice score. I picked up a brisket for $2.99/# last month an thought that was a good price.


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## tbern (Aug 14, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Got lucky to catch a non-advertised sale at Kroger down the road from me.
> $1.99/lb Choice Briskets.  They were all big!
> I picked up a 19.36 pounder and an 18.78 pounder.  They had good bend to them and were best 2 of the bunch for me.  It's nice to be in brisket country :D
> 
> ...


That's awesome, congrats!!


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## indaswamp (Aug 24, 2022)

RE: Coffee prices-

Could Poor Coffee Harvests Send Prices Even Higher?


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## 912smoker (Sep 9, 2022)

Stopped in at the local Kroger and found BB for  .99 lb(limit 2) and Choice Brisket for $2.99 lb ! Dept mgr said they have 25 cases of butts coming in the pm.

Keith


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## tbern (Sep 9, 2022)

912smoker said:


> Stopped in at the local Kroger and found BB for  .99 lb(limit 2) and Choice Brisket for $2.99 lb ! Dept mgr said they have 25 cases of butts coming in the pm.
> 
> Keith


great prices!! best around here for butts is $1.99


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## bill1 (Sep 12, 2022)

Supply chains may still be messed up in the Pacific rim countries, but beef and pork are all-USA, all-the-way.  Good prices and plenteous supplies seems to say we're getting back to normal.  And maybe this sort of USA resilience will help convince some managers to bring some previously out-sourced jobs back to our shores.  
I'm smiling.


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## chopsaw (Sep 12, 2022)

bill1
 I agree . I've said before I go in person to check prices at Gordons food service , and prices have been dropping on beef for a couple weeks now .


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## bill1 (Sep 12, 2022)

I'm not sure how much recent price instability hasn't been somewhat influenced by the war in Ukraine.  And there's some good news there recently too.  So hopefully we're on a roll of good luck.  And/or blessing!


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## Bearcarver (Sep 13, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> RE: Coffee prices-
> 
> Could Poor Coffee Harvests Send Prices Even Higher?


I used to play in the Commodities Market.
Coffee was a big one for "Fake News" to get the prices to fluctuate.
Weather, drought, and the occasional Guerrilla attack on the Coffee Trucks, could always cause some ups & downs.

Bear


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## DougE (Sep 13, 2022)

We'd see quite a bit more price reduction if they'd get diesel prices down. It came down a little, but nowhere near as much as gasoline did. Doesn't matter if it's groceries, or whatever, nothing moves without diesel, and freight carriers are not in business to move cargo at a loss.


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## Hijack73 (Sep 13, 2022)

^ 
Logistics is STILL a nightmare on both cost and availability.   I just looked up what one of our larger customers paid in freight last month.  28k.  I went back and looked at freight for same customer Feb 2021.  Just about the same amount of freight, but it was less than half of that at 13k.  We don't make a dime on freight charges - that's cost.  



On a plus note - for those of us near a Food Lion - butts will be 1.29 this week.  We see them pretty often for .99 so I'm not super excited but 1.29 ain't bad.


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## TNJAKE (Sep 13, 2022)

DougE said:


> We'd see quite a bit more price reduction if they'd get diesel prices down. It came down a little, but nowhere near as much as gasoline did. Doesn't matter if it's groceries, or whatever, nothing moves without diesel, and freight carriers are not in business to move cargo at a loss.


I agree. Weird diesel is so much more than gas. Also that it drops so disproportionately than gas. Wasn't too long ago it was cheaper or atleast comparable to gas


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## noboundaries (Sep 13, 2022)

Hijack73 said:


> On a plus note - for those of us near a Food Lion - butts will be 1.29 this week.  We see them pretty often for .99 so I'm not super excited but 1.29 ain't bad.



$1.78/lb is the lowest I've seen in quite a while on the West Coast. Sale price last week was $2.28/lb. I still have 4 in the freezer at 99 cents/lb from last year. 

Been eating a lot of chicken at $1.28/lb.

Gas prices were going down, but they started rising immediately after the state vote to stop selling new gas cars by 2035.


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## Nodak21 (Sep 13, 2022)

Sorry if that was political for some of you, but come see grocery prices here and it’s real life not politics.


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## noboundaries (Sep 13, 2022)

Hmm. I wonder who owns the oil companies and food markets?


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Sep 14, 2022)

Just talked to my friend at Albertson.  They where told most everything going up another 20 -30% and will only be recieving about 20% of their orders.  No end in sight.


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## bill1 (Sep 15, 2022)

noboundaries said:


> Hmm. I wonder who owns the oil companies and food markets?


Hunter Biden?


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## noboundaries (Sep 15, 2022)

bill1 said:


> Hunter Biden?


Now THAT was funny!


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## normanaj (Oct 15, 2022)

Another good Aldis score:

3 large packs of boneless chicken thighs with 50% off stickers and a 3lb butterflied leg of lamb at $6.99/lb.


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## Marknmd (Oct 15, 2022)

I think part of the reason grocery prices are up is the rampant stealing that's been going on the past few years.  Back in the old days, they'd stop the thief and hold the thief and the thief would go to jail.  Nowadays they just shrug and the thieves know it.  So the thieves figure - why not steal blatantly?


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## bill ace 350 (Oct 15, 2022)

Make a list prior to shopping

Stick to the list

Compare UPCs

Use coupons

If you find a huge deal on non-perishable items that you use, stock up.

Many things like laundry detergent and cleaning supplies are cheaper in Dollar stores.

Most major supermarkets also have a section with dented cans at a greatly reduced rate.

Rotate the items in your cupboards-oldest items to the front....

Each trip to shop takes gas, and gas costs money.


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## SmokinAl (Oct 15, 2022)

Never go to the grocery store hungry. Always go after you eat a meal. We eat breakfast, then go.
Al


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## DougE (Oct 15, 2022)

bill ace 350 said:


> Many things like laundry detergent and cleaning supplies are cheaper in Dollar stores.


Used to be that way at Dollar General, but anymore I can usually find better deals at Meijer.


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## bbqjefff (Nov 3, 2022)

We really stick to the list now. Didn't use to and we used to instacart but don't do that anymore. It's gotten so much worse because of inflation.


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## chopsaw (Nov 3, 2022)

bill ace 350 said:


> Make a list prior to shopping
> 
> Stick to the list
> 
> ...


I'm actually spending less now than I ever have . Just because I've changed the way I shop . Using the store app is a big advantage . Chose the items that are in the sale on the phone app . Then at the register you get the savings . Plus points ad up and equal cash or free items . 
I've been trying to only go every 2 weeks . If I run out of something I try to wait . If I need it I just go an get that one thing .


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## Marknmd (Nov 3, 2022)

Just got back from Costco.  Prime whole briskets are $4.99 up from $4.29 in September...


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## bbqjefff (Nov 3, 2022)

A couple weeks ago, ribs were 1.99 a pound there but everybody was buying like 15 at a time so they were all out when I got there.


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## Hijack73 (Nov 3, 2022)

Chuck roast - 3.99 @ Food Lion.  Get 'em while they are hot.  I don't see butts for a decent price anywhere this week.   Couple of weeks ago my freezer was stuffed but I just ran out of ground beef so I'll be picking up at least 10 lbs just for grind.  Might cure a couple of leaner ones and do some pulled corned beef.


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## noboundaries (Nov 3, 2022)

I saw "Choice or Better" packers at Winco on Wednesday. $3.49/lb.


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