What's on Sale This Week - St. Patrick's Day and Coronavirus

Last year Key Food has very cheap corned beef, so I ate it for the first time in my life. It was good, but it's not the same sale this year. Also, I wouldn't invite a lot of people over because of social distancing. My kitchen is pretty full with stuff, but I'm going to see what is on sale this week anyway.

Western Beef: nothing

Food Bazaar: A 44-pack of fish sticks is $6. I can't remember if that's a good price. Considering how many fish tacos I could make with 44 fish sticks (22), it's a pretty good price. That's the only good sale, so I won't go there.

Green Corner: Nothing really.

Key Food: (I hope I find good sales, even though I looked yesterday and know there aren't any as good as last week's.) Cabbage is $0.27/lb. (It also lasts a long time, perfect for a quarantine or even social distancing.)  Flour is $2 for 2 lbs. I have been making a lot of focaccia. The corned beef is $1.99/lb with a $25 purchase. Scalfani canned tomatoes are 3/$4 (must buy 3). Usually that would deter me, but in these times of hoarding I might do it.

C-Town: Nothing

Bravo: Luigi Vitelli pasta is $0.79. I am up to my gills in pasta though. Krasdale cheese hunks are $1.67 for 8 oz.

I went to Chinatown on Chinese New Year's Eve

I needed dumpling wrappers and even though the wrappers are manufactured in my neighborhood, I have to go to Chinatown to buy them.

The store was packed. I couldn't even find a basket, so I bought a bit less than I would have otherwise. I got 4 packs of dumpling wrappers (yellow/white, round/square), napa cabbage, a leek, and a giant bottle of soy sauce. Dumpling wrappers cost $2.49 and $2.99 now. They used to be half that.

Anyway, I can't complain about the experience. I knew what I was getting into and that's one of the reasons I wanted to go. But now I should go buy the rest of my things. I still need ground pork, mushrooms, and maybe shrimp.

Pre-Thanksgiving Sales

This week of grocery sales is the last full week before Thanksgiving, so they will be gearing up. (The next batch will end on Thanksgiving.) I'm going to start with the Associated in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens because I am going to go live there for the weekend.

Associated: Five pounds of potatoes for $1.50. Cabbage is 39¢/lb. 2-liter Coke products are $1.25. This speaks for itself.

A one pound bag of black or kidney beans is 79¢.

Green Corner: nothing good

Ozzie's didn't update again.

Bravo: $2.50 for mozzarella or ricotta. Cracker barrel cheeses too. I need asiago.

Key Food: Their circulars are in pdfs these days, which I prefer.

A turkey is 29¢/lb if you spend $50. I want one even though I do not have Midnight Thanksgiving anymore. A ham is 99¢/lb. Broccoli rabe is $1.99/lb. Avocados are 3/$2 which is the lowest price I think I've ever seen. Pecorino romano is $5/lb. Frozen vegetables are $1.50. Eighteen packs of certain beers would be $9 but Key Food is always a scam about that.

C-Town: Broccoli rabe is also $1.99/lb here. Canned clams are $1.69. I'm not interested in anything else because I'm still thinking about that turkey.

The sales for the next couple days

I was in Pittsburgh this weekend so I haven't looked at grocery circulars yet. I came back with hatch chiles and a loaf of bread I like for sandwiches.

C-Town: Ajax dish soap is 69¢. Nice. Scalfani crushed tomatoes are $1.50. I can't remember if I like that brand.

Bravo: nothing

Key Food: Five pound bags of apples are 48¢/lb. 16 oz mushrooms are $2.98.

Ozzie's: they didn't even update it

Green Corner: They updated, but have nothing good.

Food Bazaar: 10 pounds of potatoes are $2.99. Nothing else is good, but if you are carrying 10 pounds it would be hard to buy much else anyway.

The Sales

Let's see what's on sale this week. Besides the parmesan from my last post. Today's also the day that Trump's tariffs go into effect. I might go stock up on liqueurs before that filters through the supply chain.

Ozzie's: They finally updated their online circular! So I will do them first. Several meats have ok prices: beef liver, london broil, chicken breasts, pork butt. All 3 types of pears are $0.99/lb. (Bosc, anjou, and bartlett. The 3 main types you ever see. I don't know the difference between any.) Green cabbage is 29¢/lb. Wow. Hellman's mayo is $4.50. Yesterday I saw that one of my roommates threw the nearly empty jar of mayo (there was still some left!) in the garbage (didn't even recycle it!) so now I'm on the hunt for more. $4.50 isn't good enough. Parmesan is on sale here too. I don't know if $12.99/lb is more or less than 30% off then 10% off at Whole Foods. I guess I'll go find out.

Food Bazaar: Red peppers are $1/lb. Mussels are $3 for 2 lbs. A 5 lb bag of grapefruit is $4.

Bravo: nothing good

C-Town: Yeast is on sale for $1.50. I have old yeast and tried making focaccia and it didn't rise at all. So maybe I will spend $1.50 so I only have new yeast around. Or maybe I'll try the less old yeast first.

Key Food: This circular isn't online. Maybe the sales are the same as at Ozzie's.

Green Corner: This isn't updated yet.

Western Beef: I looked at this, but there's nothing good.

The sales this week

I should have done this when I was hungry instead of eating two peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.

Bravo: A big can of pineapple juice is $2. Those are good to have around. 7-up and Canada Dry type pops are 3/$4. Krasdale's version of tater tots are $2.50 for a bag. A 5 pound bag of potatoes is $1.50. That's the only thing so far that might get me in this store. Celery is $1.50.

C-Town: Boneless whole chicken breasts are $1.59. Since these go on sale so often, maybe I'll skip this time even though I love chicken piccata and chicken marsala. Tide Simply detergent is $1.99. Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes (and all other kinds) are $1/can. Celery is $1.50 here too.

Key Food: What a selection of things for $0.88! Zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, green pepper, plum tomatoes. That sounds like I should make ratatouille. Broccoli rabe is $1.48/lb. Celery is $1.48. So many 8s. Coke products are $1.25. You can get 5 lb bags of apples for $0.88/lb. I might do that. Red cabbage is still 49¢/lb.

Green Corner: They haven't updated their site. Neither has Ozzie's.

Food Bazaar: Bags of black or small red beans are 99¢. Frozen ravioli are $1.25 for 12 oz. 15 oz of sardines in tomato sauce are also $1.25.

Western Beef: I haven't gone here in a long while and I haven't included it in a long while. But Citibike is creeping closer to it so I am going to check its sales.

Chicken breast cutlets are 99¢/lb. Five pounds of onions for $2. Same sardine sale as Food Bazaar. Pears are 99¢/lb. A 44 fish stick bag is $6.

What's on sale this week, now that I'm back and need food

Lots of posts today! I wonder what I will eat in the coming week.

Ozzie's: Still hasn't updated the website since August!

Green Corner:  Pork shoulder is $0.89/lb. (That's another thing you can't get cheap in Pittsburgh). I could celebrate Oktoberfest with that. Chicken quarters are $0.49/lb. Chicken cutlets are $0.99/lb.

Bravo: nothing i want to eat

C-Town: nothing i want to eat. even though i'm hungry. maybe this isn't a good time to write this post

Key Food: Iceberg lettuce is $1. Tomatoes are $1/lb. A pineapple is $2. I like them because they are decorative. Mozzarella is $2 for a pound. Gorton's seafood is 50% off, for all your fish taco needs. Butternut squash is $0.79/lb. It's soup time. (So is acorn, spaghetti, and kobucha.) Green or red cabbage is $0.49/lb. What a deal on red! That's a good price for green too. Tonic is $0.60.

Food Bazaar: As mentioned in a previous post:

Kielbasa is $2.50.

Brooklyn Harvest Market: Since I learned one is moving close to me, I'll check their circular to see what it's like. A 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers is $1.69. Mozzarella is 3 lbs for $5 here. I guess this store celebrates Columbus Day too. A fennel bulb is $2.

Not bad. Its sales seem like normal grocery store sales.

The Weekly Sales

I didn't buy much last week, so I better find some stuff if I'm going to eat.

Green Corner: They didn't update their circular all last week. I went anyway but only got 2 cucumbers. But they already updated this week so I'm happier. Cabbage is $0.59/lb and radishes are $0.99/bunch which isn't good enough to make me go there.

C-Town: 3 liters of Colavita pure olive oil is $16. I think I have about 2.75 liters remaining in my last can though. Other people should buy that. Radishes are also here. And romaine, chicory, and escarole are all $0.99/lb. And zucchini.

Ozzie's: Cantaloupe is $1.50. I still have one I haven't cut when I bought it 2+ weeks ago. I should not get sucked in again.   Wait, this ad isn't updated. What a scam. How did they get worse than Green Corner?

Key Food: Things that are $0.99/lb: romaine, plum tomatoes, broccoli crowns, yellow peaches and nectarines, red and black plums, and bartlett pears. I'm going to buy some of those things. Corn is 3 ears for $1, and maybe I'll get that too. Tuna is $0.89/can and I realized last night I need that. Cabbage is $0.59/lb here so I definitely don't need to go to Green Corner.

Bravo: Cantaloupe is $1.50, so what I said early about Ozzie's, but timely this time. 38 oz of Heinz ketchup is $3. Maybe I will buy that because my apartment is almost out and my roommates might bring disgrace upon this apartment by buying some weird brand. Then people will come over and say "Why don't you buy Heinz?" and I am put in the awkward position of either throwing my roommates under the bus or pretending I invited that ketchup in. Or maybe they'll buy Heinz. They use it a lot more than I ever do.

Food Bazaar: I don't remember. I looked yesterday and nothing was as good as the week before and I was sad I didn't go there then.

What to cook for St. Patrick's Day

I don't know! I hope the Key Food and Bravo circulars inspire me. I think they made their St. Patrick's sales last week because that is when cabbage was $0.29/lb everywhere. But I didn't get any. I'll make colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale) and I don't know what else.

Bravo has some Irish beers on sale. Kerrygold butter is on sale, but it's $4 which isn't a good enough sale. I could do $3.49. Pizza rolls are on sale! I think we're going to eat pizza rolls, onion rings, and colcannon.

Key Food has avocados for $0.97. I have long thought that guacamole and margaritas are good for St. Patrick's Day because they are green and Irish food isn't that good (except colcannon). Nothing else good at Key Food.

I'll check Food Bazaar too. Corned beef is $3/lb. Hmm.

I'm done with Gala Foods.

I bought 7 items. Four of them rang up wrong. I caught 2 of them. That sucks.

The pork butts and sour cream rang up correctly ($0.99/lb, $1.69).

Red potatoes rang up as $3.69 (supposed to be $2.99) and red onions as $1.99 for a 2 lb bag (supposed to be $0.99). I caught those.

Cabbage rang up as $0.59/lb (supposed to be $0.39) and mushrooms as $1.99 (supposed to be $1.79). I noticed that when I got home.

Grocery circular round up

Associated:  Bananas are $0.49/lb. I just put some bananas (for which I paid $0.49/lb) in the freezer because they were getting overly ripe. I will turn them into vegan ice cream. (Which is what happens when you put frozen bananas in a food processor).

Cabbage is $0.39/lb. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Skippy Peanut butter is $2. I need that. Rolling Rock is still $8 for a 12 pack, which I appreciate.

Key Food: I hope they have luxury butter on sale! I see pecorino romano is still on sale for $4.99/lb. That's a good price! I recommend you go get some.

Oh my word! Cabbage is only $0.19/lb. Hold on--I have to text someone.

Plugra luxury butter is on sale for $3.49 for 8 oz. I might have to get that. Brussels sprouts are still on sale for $1.49, so I guess I didn't have to go stock up yesterday.

C-Town: They want $0.29/lb for cabbage. Remember back when I thought $0.39 was a good deal?

Bravo: They also have cabbage for $0.29/lb and bananas for $0.49 and Skippy peanut butter for $2. They have "slicing tomatoes" for $0.69 but I am skeptical about tomatoes in March.

I got lots of good deals at Bravo.

Frozen broccoli for $1/lb. Pinto beans for $1.19. Cabbage for $0.33/lb. Muenster for, well, I forget but it was cheap. I went when I was hungry and bought everything. Then Eric went later and bought 40 pizza rolls for $3 and we ate them with ranch dressing and got fat. I'm going to go back for a dozen jumbo eggs for $2. I don't buy fancy eggs anymore because I'm out of money.

 

A Pittsburgh price for pop

It's not often I can get 2 liters of pop in New York for under $1. But Associated was selling it for $0.89 if I spent $25. And I did because I wanted beef stew and fish tacos.

Grocery Circular Round Up 3/14

I can't even really go shopping. I'm getting a new roommate so I have to eat all my accumulated groceries so he will have room. For the first time, I think I'm going to have 2 roommates who like to cook and use the kitchen. I hope I survive.

On the other hand, both the Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day are upon us. I might have to cook appropriate foods.

Key Food: Cabbage is $0.29/lb. I still have cabbage though. It doesn't go bad very quickly. Potatoes are $0.30/lb if you buy a 5lb bag.  Oh no! Key Food raised the price of its store brand cottage cheese from $2 to $2.19! I live on cottage cheese. I had some with dill in it for breakfast. Axelrod cottage cheese is still $2 though so I won't starve.

C-Town: I walked into C-Town last night, but they didn't have the diced tomatoes I wanted to buy to try before I buy a case of them from Amazon. Nevermind--I cannot own a case of diced tomatoes once I have to share a kitchen with another person. C-Town wants way more for potatoes than Key Food does. You can get Jif peanut butter for $2, which is a pretty good deal. I bought a ton of peanut butter at Key Food on February 23 when I was drunk though, so that won't do me any good. They have Hunt's diced tomatoes for $1. I guess I could eat those. Buttermilk is only $2 here. That's the best price I've seen since Trader Joe's. Key Food wants $2.50. But C-Town wants $2.5 for Axelrod cottage cheese.

Associated: I don't really make special trips to Associated anymore. It has become my default store. I lived here for years without having a default store. And there's nothing worth going out of my way for this week.

Western Beef: They want $4/lb for mussels! Ha! I'll go to Food Bazaar and get them for $1.25/lb. There's nothing worth traveling here for this week.

Food Bazaar: As discussed previously, mussels. I only make a trip here for seafood.

The cheapest cabbage I've ever seen.

Must be on sale for St. Patrick's Day. Apparently the Irish have a cuisine. The lowest price I had ever seen before this was $0.49/lb.

Dumpling Night

Ridgely reminded me to have a dumpling party, so I am going to do that tonight. Yesterday I went to Hong Kong Supermarket in Chinatown and bought ingredients. (Then I walked around and now my feet hurt so much that I don't think I can get to Key Food to buy pork.)

I bought 4 packs of dumpling wrappers (which makes 160-200 dumplings I guess. $1.50 each), a big Napa cabbage ($0.59/lb) , a bag of bok choy ($0.99/lb I think), 2 8oz containers of white mushrooms ($1.19 each. What a deal!), 2 bunches of scallions ($0.50 each), a bottle of Squid brand fish sauce ($1.19), a leek at a price I forget, and maybe that was it. I was running late so I didn't get to peruse. I spent about $18, which isn't bad for getting to feed 10 people or so.

I have been thinking about fish sauce a lot lately. I use anchovies when I cook pasta a lot. Maybe fish sauce, which is made of anchovies, salt, and water, would be easier or cheaper. I'm going to find out. I have no experience with fish sauce though so I don't know what brand is good. I bought Squid because it wasn't the cheapest, wasn't the most expensive, had an ok color, and had a squid on it.

I think I might fill some dumplings with ricotta and spinach and call them raviolis.

Last stop in Brooklyn: Key Food

On Sunday I wanted to cook a pork butt so I went to Key Food. It was a bittersweet experience because the prices were good on so many things, but I was leaving for Pittsburgh Tuesday night and couldn't stock up on anything.

I got a pork butt for $0.99/lb. 2 loaves of Italian bread that were still warm when I bought them for $0.99 each. A head of cabbage for $0.69/lb, which is a terrible price, but I didn't want to go anywhere else. And 1.25 lbs of pecorino romano on sale for $4.99/lb. I think I got a half gallon of milk too. It came to an even $22.

Western Beef Impugned my Integrity!

I wrote them this nasty letter. A summary of their specials to follow.

Dear Western Beef,

I was just shopping in your Ridgewood store, and as I was checking out, a cashier who seemed to be new held up my cabbage and asked me what it was exactly. At that time, another employee named Lena, who seemed to be training him, told him not to ask me because customers will lie to him. Please tell Lena that I would not lie about groceries, whether it is $0.39/lb cabbage or something more expensive. I consider grocery shopping one of my hobbies, and I've even written a blog on and off about it for the last several years. Of course, there was no way for Lena to know that, but there was also know way to know or suspect that I am a liar. I just recently started shopping at Western Beef and now I don't feel so good about my choice.

Best regards,
Mike

Their website is stupid in that to send an email, you fill out a form and then it loads your local mail client to stick the form into an email to send it.

Anyway, they had packs of hot dogs 2/$3. Tuna is 3/$2, but I must have grabbed a wrong can because one rang up differently and cost more. And cabbage is $0.39/lb, and you can't find a better price than that. They had a very good price for generic hot dog buns, but I can't remember it anymore because I'm mad.