Grocery Deal Round-Up: May 9 - May 15 & Mother's Day

I’ve highlighted the best deals for this week. Remember, Mother’s Day is on Sunday. A frugal way to celebrate is to cook a nice meal at home, that is what I’ll be doing. You can also cut flowers from your garden or make a gift or card.

This week's frugal recipe (that coordinates with the sales!) from Romance on a Dime is BBQ Yardbird Pizza. Sounds awesome!

Best Deals on Whole Foods this week:

Cabbage (Napa)- $0.68/lb @ Checkers
Carrots (baby)- $0.49/lb pk @ Aldi
Celery- $0.68/ea stalk @ Checkers
Corn (Sweet)- $2/ 5 @ Dillons
Cucumbers- $0.29/ea @ Aldi
Grapes (red seedless)- $1.88/lb @ Checkers
Mushrooms- $0.79/ 8oz pk @ Aldi
Onions (Sweet Vidalia)- $0.59/lb @ Checkers
Peppers (Bell Multi-Colored) - $1.59/ 3 pk @ Aldi
Strawberries- $1.48/lb @ Checkers OR HyVee
Tomatoes (Grape)- $0.79/ 10oz pk @ Aldi
Tomatoes (Vine)- $0.88/lb @ Checkers


Bacon (Wrights)- $5.88/ 24 oz “stack pack” @ Checkers
Bacon (HyVee)- $2.99/ 12 oz @ HyVee
Butter- $1.88/ lb @ HyVee
Cheese (Kroger block/sliced/shred)- $1.79/ea @ Dillons
Chicken (breast, boneless/skinless)- $1.58/lb @ Checkers
Eggs (Simple Truth Cage Free)- $5 / 2 @ Dillons
Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine (select varieites)- $2/ ea @ HyVee
Peanut Butter (Jif)- $1.77/ea @ HyVee
Turkey Tenderloins (Bacon Wrapped) - $5/ 3 @ HyVee
Vegetables (frozen, HyVee)- $0.69/ea @ HyVee
Yogurt (HyVee)- $0.29/ea @ HyVee
Yogurt (Kroger Greek)- $4 / 5 @ Dillons

photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/575645

'Tis the Season! Yard sales, auctions, flea markets are back!

My favorite time of year is here! Spring, which for me means not only warm weather and gardening, but sales! Yard sales, garage sales, auctions, estate sales, flea markets, sidewalk sales, all the best kinds of sales!

Here are some of the ways I stay in the know about second-hand sales, which are not always easy to find. Please share your tips in the comments!

Yard/Garage Sales: My "method" is somewhat haphazard- I usually look at the garage sale listings on Craigslist, write down a few that look promising, and head out relatively early on a Saturday.  I always find more sales along the way to the addresses I've written down, and stop at any that look good. I also don't always make it to all I've written down- either I decide to quit for the day if I've already gone to a bunch, or sometimes I just can't find them, ha.  Garage sale tips: 1. Get there as early as you can (but not before the "starting time" the seller listed!) 2. Always carry cash, in small bills and coins. 3. Have fun, and don't be afraid to talk to people- you never know who you might meet or what you might learn. 4. Always be polite: don't make a mess, say please and thank you, offer correct change if you can, and while some haggling is ok, don't be rude about it.

Flea Markets: Lawrence only has one outdoor flea market, as far as I know. It is held the first Sat. of the month at Tee Pee Junction north of town. They have a facebook they keep updated: http://www.facebook.com/Lawrenceflea  The first market of the season is April 7! The closest thing to an indoor flea market is the Lawrence Antiques Mall on Mass St., which is kind of a mixed bag- some over-priced antiques to be sure, but often good deals can be found as well.

Estate Sales/ Auctions: Possibly my most favorite kind of all the sales! I keep up with these by looking at the LJ World Classifieds and KansasAuctions.net - I actually follow them on Twitter @kansasauctions. I was at first very timid when I went to my first auction, because things can move pretty fast, and I didn't know the vocabulary. I would recommend observing at first, then try your first bid on a low priced item, just to see how it goes. Now I'm addicted and looove auctions!

Secondhand Stores/ Thrift Stores: Of course these are not seasonal, but during yard sale season it seems like more things come in to these places. Check out my list of Lawrence thrift & bargain stores here.

I've got a list of items I keep that I'm "looking for" and try not to buy much that is not on my list. It also helps to set a budget and stick with it, especially at auctions where it is easy to get carried away. That being said, I have gotten amazing deals on a lot of things at yard sales, flea markets, and auctions. Happy hunting!

photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/756816/?forcedownload=1

Grocery Deals Round-Up: Produce & Dairy

Good deals on cheese this week- did you know you can freeze cheese? (Shredded freezes best, in my opinion.) Speaking of freezing- I blew my grocery budget this month by $50! Major, I know- but I can tell you that I spent $20 on 10 lbs of ground beef, $12 on 8 lbs of chicken breasts, and another $10 on 6 Smart Ones frozen meals- big purchases but were great deals for stocking up my freezer. Not sure what I spent that other $8 on.  Probably bags and bags of Cuties clementines (best price on these is at Aldi, btw.)- I love those things!
Annoyed with the HyVee ad this week- some pages arranged by COLOR rather than type of food. Seriously?

Apples (Organic Pink Lady)- $2.98 / 3lb bag @ Checkers
Asparagus- $1.48/lb @ Checkers
Baby Carrots- $0.99/ 1 lb bag @ Checkers OR Aldi
Bell Peppers (asstd)- $1.29 / tray of 3 @ Aldi
Broccoli Crowns- $0.79/lb @ Aldi OR Checkers
Clementines (Cuties)- $4.99/ 5lb box @ Target
Grapes (Red seedless)- $1.48/lb @ Checkers
Kiwi- 4/$1 @  Checkers OR 5/$1 @ HyVee
Lemons 3/$1 @ Checkers
Mushrooms- $0.79/8oz @ Aldi
Onions (Yellow)- $0.79/3lb bag @ Aldi
Pineapple (whole) - $1.99/ea @ Aldi OR Dillons
Tomatoes (Roma)- $0.58/lb @ Checkers
Yellow Squash or Zuchini- $0.48/lb @ Checkers

Balsamic Vinegar- $1.99/ 16oz @ Aldi
Butter - $1.98/ lb box @ Checkers
Cheese (block)- $1.79/ 8oz @ Aldi OR $1.66/ 8oz @ Dillons
Cheese (shredded)- $2.99/16oz @ Aldi
Chicken (split breast, thighs, or drumsticks) - $0.89/lb @ HyVee
Cottage Cheese or Sour Cream $1.99/ 24oz @ Dillons
Coffee (store brand)- $6.99/ 32 oz @ Dillons OR Aldi
Dog Food (Iams, Beneful, Pedigree)- large bags on sale @ Target OR HyVee
Milk (store brand)- $2.88/gal @ Dillons
Olive Oil- $2.99/ 17oz @ Aldi
Pesto sauce - $1.99/8oz @ Aldi
Soy Milk - $2.39/ half gal @ Aldi (regular price) OR $4.99/ 2 half gals @ Dillons
Tomatoes, Italian style diced (canned)- $0.59 @ Aldi
Tuna (store brand)- $0.48/can @ HyVee

Grocery Deals Round-Up: Stock Up & Save! (2/8-2/14)

Lots of good deals this week- not as many produce deals but lots of good prices on other staples, especially at Hy-Vee. Also I cannot recommend highly enough that people invest in freezers. You can usually find used ones at good prices, and they pay for themselves very quickly on your food savings, because you can buy in bulk when you get a good price.

Asparagus $1.88/lb @ Checkers
Bananas- $0.19/lb @ Checkers (THURSDAYS)
Broccoli (Crowns)- $0.68/lb @ Checkers
Celery- $0.77/bunch @ HyVee (coupon*)
Cucumbers- 2/$1 @ HyVee
Grapes- $0.89/lb @ Aldi
Lettuce (Iceberg)- $0.78/head @ Checkers
Oranges (Navel)- $0.39/lb @ Aldi
Potatoes- $1.18/ 5lb bag @ Checkers
Strawberries- $1.88/lb @ Checkers
Tomatoes $0.68/lb @ Checkers
Zucchini & Yellow Squash-  $0.68/lb @ Aldi

Cake Mix (D. Hines)- $0.99/box @ HyVee
Beans (Kidney or Chili)- $0.49/can @ HyVee
Chicken (Whole)- $0.88/lb @ Checkers
Chicken (Boneless Breast)- $4.88/ 2.5lb bag @ Checkers
Cottage Cheese- $1.49/ea @ HyVee (coupon*)
Eggs- $1.18/doz @ Aldi (reg. price) OR @ HyVee (coupon*)
Lentils (dried)- $0.79/16oz @ Aldi
Peanut Butter (Peter Pan)- $2.18 @ HyVee
Pizza Crust Mix (Jiffy)- 2/$1 @ HyVee (coupon*)
Popcorn (Orville Red.) 2/$3 @ HyVee
Pork Loin (boneless)- $1.88/lb @ Checkers
Soup (Tomato or Chicken Noodle)- $0.33/ea @ HyVee
SmartOnes frozen meals- 5/$8 @ HyVee (coupon*)
Sugar (granulated)- $1.99/4lb bag @ HyVee (coupon*)
Yogurt (Reg. & Non-Fat)- $0.39/ea @ Aldi
Yogurt (Whipped Mousse style)- $0.49/ea @ Aldi
Yogurt (Greek style)- $0.89 @ Aldi
@HyVee check if you need paper towels, plastic baggies, foil, laundry detergent, etc. because they are having good sales on lots of these types of items.

Wondering what to make with your bargains? My friend Betsy at Romance On A Dime (another Lawrence, KS blogger!) is posting a great recipe using deals from this week!  Roasted Potato, Sausage, and Veggies

*HyVee had lots more coupons in their weekly circular that usual, so make sure to grab one if you are headed that way.

Electricty = $$$, but how much?

When I was a kid, I didn't understand that every time I left a light on, left the TV on, or left my stereo on it was costing my parents money. I do know now that electricity costs money, because I pay the bill! But just how much does one lightbulb cost to run? How about the microwave, or a space heater? Electric blanket? I found this really cool calculator that tells you how much different electric gadgets cost you to run.

One fact that is interesting to me is that drying one load of clothes in an electric dryer costs about $0.30! That adds up really quickly when you are doing a lot of laundry. We do probably 3 loads a week, so we spend about $4.00 a month  just to dry our clothes. I thought about this today because the weather here in Lawrence is AMAZING, and the perfect opportunity to use my clothesline instead of the dryer!  If you don't have a clothesline, try this article about air-drying your clothes indoors. 

Try out this tool for yourself, you will be surprised: Electrical Energy Cost Calculator.

UPDATE: For information on the energy rates from Westar for N.E. KS: Click here for rates.

photo from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1340118