for all that and nine cents, a bag of pretzel crisps

these are on clearance at the cvs at 48th & van dorn. they were 99c but now they're 90% off which means nine cents a bag. they're not close-dated, just not moving.
i do like a processed food with only four ingredients.
they're not bad, either. taste like a pretzel, look like a cracker. these could work on a cheese plate.

sale ad review: hy-vee, 2/25-2/26

this sale in addition to the week-long wednesday ad, and it's only today and tomorrow. the main item for me is asparagus at 1.68/#.

closing sale at kitchen store

i saw the "store closing" sign for urban villa, on south 48th in college view,

when getting coffee at the mill on prescott. i went over to check it out. all food items are 25% off, all non-food 40% off.
i'd wanted one of these tiny graters, for no good reason that comes to mind-- but isn't it worth a dollar? the headphones are in the picture for scale. do not use this grater on your headphones. (earbuds, whatever.) i'm thinking it would be useful for nutmeg.

and then, an escargot plate. original price of 6.95. i'm intending this to be a reasonably-sized deviled-egg serving dish, but i fear it's a slippery (slimy?) slope until you see a post about snails.

anyway. it is sad to see a local proprietor close up shop. having said that, they could probably use your money right now, and you might find a deal on something you want.

while you're in college view, hit up the salad bar or bakery at union college... and there's always conroy's (for the smell of baking cookies alone), and the mill (for coffee while you shop), on prescott just off 48th.

sale ad review: ideal, 2/23-2/29

ideal's got some pork blowout going on this week. i always like the use of a happy cartoon pig when advertising pork. and i admit i'm curious about "the many other pork items." what could they be?

highlights for me this week include 1.59 for a quart of half and half, and hydroponic tomatoes for 69/#. that's very very cheap for hydroponic tomatoes.
also, pink lady apples are 79/# and strawberries are 1.99/#, but i'd check the quality before planning the use of those two.

my advice about "manager's special" meat

at the bigger grocery stores, you'll find marked down prices in the meat section. this is because the meat is very close to its sell-by date. i would understand your hesitation to buy these items-- because that means more for me!-- but here's some guidelines i've found useful.

first: will i make it tonight?
second: really?

third: am i generally happy with the meat i've bought here recently? (if you don't have enough information to answer, the answer is no.)

i tend to stay away from "markdown" poultry, but i don't go much for poultry in the first place. if you want to try it out, i would add another round of "really?" above, maybe in caps and with an added exclamation point. i would also have a backup meal plan in mind.

there's usually an added tag or sticker on the front of the package, as shown here on the deal from hy-vee. look for that to find the items in question, but be aware that some stores put the house sale sticker on anything marked down, even advertised sale items. (i have seen this vary from location to location in chain stores.) in which case, you might find this sticker on very fresh meat... so don't be scared that it's old, if you were going to buy it anyway.

one last caveat: it's always a good idea to check the date. anywhere in the grocery store.

sale ad review: chains, 2/20-2/26

first, i have to point out a sale that's on at hy-vee only tomorrow, thursday, 2/21. red peppers 79c ea, 8oz house brand shredded cheese 3/$5. also, my fave can food (aka favorite canned food): spaghettios for 39c a can!

all tolled and told, my picks from the chains:
russ'. rotella bread 79c, half gal of meadow gold oj 1.50.
sunmart. if you buy two bags of dole salad mix, which runs you $5.50, you get the following for free: one less-than-pint of cherry tomatoes, one cucumber, one bag shredded carrots, one house brand 16oz salad dressing. if you will consume all that while it's still good, and enjoy it, it's a nice deal.
hy-vee all week. mangos 99ea, amy's burritos 4/$9, avocados 1.50

sale ad review: ideal, 2/16-2/22

so, i've decided to do a better job with the reviewing of, and reporting on, sale ads.
this is from ideal for this week. the highlights for me were in the produce dept.
namely:
cucumbers three for a buck, cauliflower 79c a head, and texas grapefruit four for a dollar.
these prices last through friday night. saturday brings a new ad from ideal.

those 20% off coupons in the mail

you know all those 20% off coupons you get in the mail, either on their own or in circulars-- from linens & things, and from bed bath & beyond?
this is a good tip. each chain honors each others' coupons. and, the expiration dates are meaningless. keep one in your glove compartment-- trust me.
with the coupon, this cute kitchen toy was only 80 cents at linens. it looks like a shot glass, but it has hash marks to measure all of the following: teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces and milliliters.

a picture that tells 250 words

so i can keep it shorter than that.

red clover, clearance sale, serious crackers (as in: other side of the spectrum from saltines, but still good), close-dated, good deal.
no comment on the name. small company from texas.

editing this to say: fine, i will comment on the name. it sounds like the name of a band i don't want to hear, guest starring on a late night talk show that i don't watch.

broccoli 99c a bunch at ideal this week

and i'm glad i bought it. with what was in my freezer and on my shelf, i made a

dinner i could feed to vegans that same night.

i browned an onion in a tsp each olive oil and san-j thai peanut sauce. then i added one cubed brick of tempeh (more about tempeh above). when it took on a darker color, i added about a cup of ginger zinger juice (on sale at open harvest a while back) and brought to a boil. then added one chopped bunch of broccoli, returned to a simmer and left covered for five minutes. then added two cups cooked brown rice and a few healthy dashes of peanut sauce. Stirred to combine and left partially covered on the stove till ready to serve.

one thing to remember about broccoli. if you're going to serve it in a tossed dish or salad, make sure all the florets are small enough to be bite-sized.

meat for the week merits no dearth

i only went to cetak's for a couple of pork chops, but walked away with all this for 6.65.

from the sale selections, got two steak hamburger patties for 1.21 and a wee pork loin for the amazing price of 2.77.
from the regular good deals, one garlic brat for 1.50 and a huge smoked pork hock for 1.17.

bacon-wrapped london broil for a dollar

hy-vee usually has one- or two- day sales in the monday journal star. this week they offered bacon- wrapped london broil for a dollar apiece! with asparagus on sale at ideal, this dinner you see here cost about a buck fifty a plate.

cheap kitchen gift idea at open harvest

open harvest has little two-packs of these posters for three dollars. the other poster is bigger, with a tractor & farm scene included. by the bulk spices.

shopping wisely at ideal and leon's

both ideal and leon's are small, locally- owned grocery stores-- with great selections of food, and reputations for being spendy. if you go about it correctly, though, you can get a lot from your dollar at each one. i am a big fan of both stores.
ideal's sale cycle runs monday thru saturday (they're closed sundays). the ad is in the 'neighborhood extra' in the sunday journal-star.
the ad for leon's is in the tuesday journal-star. their sale cycle is tuesday thru monday.
they both have good sales. if you stick to what's in the ads, and don't buy stuff on a whim-- just file the info about what enticing, expensive glories they have available away for future use-- you can walk away with bargains.
this week at ideal: ghirardelli baking chips 2.89/pkg. lindt chocolate bars 2/$3. bartlett pears 59/#. mascarpone cheese 2.69/8 oz. tub. vitamin water 99/ea.
this week at leon's: lemons 2/$1. tiramisu mascarpone cheese 2.99. and nabisco famous chocolate wafers! okay, these are 4.49 a package, but if you google recipes using these cookies, most of the returns will be about how they're impossible to find. i haven't seen them in over ten years. among other things, these make the best chocolate crumb crust ever.

and, speaking of leon's market....

it's always salad days in there.
even if you're just stopping into leon's for one item, you must swing through the produce department. they almost always have close-dated bagged salad mixes marked down to 99 cents. they must store their produce correctly, because these bags always look pretty good... if you're going to eat them in the next day or two.

non-ad sale of the weekend

two good sales on convenience meat food at 70th & pioneers hy-vee. they have shrimp appetizers from royal asia marked down from ten dollars to two... these must have moved not at all, because the candied walnuts alone (in the box i bought) were a steal at two bucks.
also crazy cheap at that location: sandwich-style bacon. more canadian than strip in format, must not have made an impression on their regular shoppers; but for three dollars a pound you can close your eyes and pretend it's whatever shape of your bacon dreams.

thrift shopping for the kitchen

i got these at saint louise's thrift store at 22nd and o street, the best thrift store in town. two hard plastic containers with a pleasing design, perfect for holding implements on the counter and freeing up some drawer space.

the best post-halloween sale buy ever

a skull plate! with nested eye- bowls! now only a dollar. there were still plenty at the 70th & pioneers hy-vee earlier today.

this bowl of fruit cost 2.50

no, not the bowl itself at a garage sale...what's in it. and at ideal of all places.
i haven't been able to find pomegranates yet this season for less than two bucks each. but this week ideal has an advertised sale of two pomegranates for a dollar. and my favorite citrus, grapefruit, is a great ad sale price of three for a dollar.
the avocado was a surprise. on sale for fifty cents each because they're ripe and ready to eat today.

agent ninety nine

still on the sale rack at cetak's: napa valley thai basil marinade, now for 99 cents. combine that with a value pack of chicken thighs from hy-vee for 99/lb (that sale was over yesterday, though-sorry!) and sit back and enjoy how great this smells baking up.
this marinade would be great with pork...good prices on that all over town this week.