Lidl on Grand St opened yesterday and I've been there 4 times so far

 In general, I like it, but they need to figure out their basket situation. They only have carts and big baskets you drag around on wheels. Those are too annoying for New York. Stores get crowded. Let me get by people!

Worse, on the trip I just got back from, there were none. They're just stacked up at the cash registers from past shoppers. I hope they figure this out.

So far I've bought tortilla chips ($1.50), 3 jars of salsa for $5, flour for $2.30, a big jar of pickles for $3, a bag of lemons for $2.30, cannelini beans for $1, two cans of tomatoes for $1.70 or so, tortillas for $1.50, tater tots for $3, and hot dog buns for $1.50. Oh, and mushrooms for $1.19

Things I might buy soon: wings for $1.49/lb, hot italian sausage for $3, a big bag of frozen whole sardines for $8, butter for $3, a baguette for $1, Greek yogurt for $3.35, and queso fresco for $3.

I got an air fryer recently so I like things I can air fry, like wings. And hot dogs. And mushrooms. And pickles.

What's on Sale in June?

 I have barely been in New York since early April and since I knew I would be away, I wasn't even shopping much then. Now I am back for the foreseeable future and need groceries. So far I have been mostly eating tomatoes from C-Town that were $1.49/lb last week.

I'm also back to iced coffee/cold brew that I buy at stores. Last night I used my $3 off in-app coupon at CVS to get Stok for $4. I should learn how to make it myself. I lack the equipment.

Bravo: Chicken quarters for 99¢/lb. Peaches are $1.49/lb. Cilantro is 79¢ and Vidalia onions are $1/lb.

C-Town: Same peaches, but chicken costs more here. Bottom round roast is $5.49/lb. I wonder if I could use that for birria. Maseca is $4. Bizzy cold brew is $4 for 48 oz. I haven't heard of that brand. C-Town seems to have changed its frozen foods store brand from Krasdale to Food Club and all the prices are a lot higher. Cilantro is 79¢ here too.

Food Bazaar: Peaches are only $1/lb here. A sleeve of garlic is 3/$5.

Foodtown: Tortilla chips are $3. Sleeved garlic is $3 here, so maybe I will go to Food Bazaar. Trader Joe's was out of garlic yesterday. Vidalia onions are $1.50/lb here. There's not much of a reason to go to Foodtown this week.

Green Corner: Tomatillos are $1/lb and serranos are $1.29/lb this weekend only. I need to go get some. Sleeves of garlic are 3/$5 here too. Ginger is $1.69/lb and Cotija is $6/lb.

What's on sale? - it's cold edition

 I have barely been in my apartment for 3 weeks in a row for a long time, so my grocery shopping has been crimped. But now I'm back. So what's on sale? I need kosher salt specifically. And I got a new sourdough starter for my birthday so I need to start buying flour again.

Bravo: I've mostly ended my feud with them. Other stores overcharged since then. Quartered chicken legs are 69¢/lb. Red onions are $2/bag.

C-Town: Boneless chicken tenderloins are $2/lb. I paid that for chicken breasts last week. I think this would just save me a cut before I turn them into shreds for tacos. Broccoli rabe is $3.

Food Bazaar: They charged me $2.49/lb instead of $1.49/lb for tomatillos so it will take an exceptional sale to make me return here, even though I need to go to their parking lot to recycle some clothes. Or maybe when I make hot pot and need shrimp. But nothing's worth it this week.

Foodtown: I wonder when the new Foodtown 1 block away will open so I don't go to the one 4 blocks away. I can get 50 pizza rolls for $4.49. I brought that many to a NYE party and people ate them all. They're a good food.

Green Corner: Dried hibiscus is $2 for 3.5 oz. My parents asked me to bring some for Christmas because it's easier to find here.

Ozzie's: nothing

Back from Atlanta and I need coffee

 I am almost out of ground coffee for the coffee machine. I still have unground coffee I use for my French press but I don't want to use that every morning. So I will look at the ads to see where I can go.

I generally buy Chock Full o' Nuts brand.

Bravo - I have a grudge against them now for always ringing me up wrong. Overcharging me for a 12 back of Presidente was the last straw. If I catch it, they'll fix it. But I don't want to have to be vigilant. And look, if someone who has written a blog about grocery prices for over a decade doesn't want to have to be vigilant about prices, you're doing something wrong.

C-Town - The C-Town took over the Bravo but I don't extend my grudge there. Candy corn is $3. I need candy corn! For coffee, they have Dunkin' and Maxwell House on sale, but it's not even a good price.

Food Bazaar - I don't think they even have coffee on sale.

Foodtown - I wonder when the second Foodtown that's even closer to me is going to open. Anyway, they have 4 lbs of wings for $10 but I got 5 lbs a week or so ago :-) A 10 oz brick of Café Bustelo is $4. That is winning so far, I guess.

Green Corner - Same Café Bustelo deal.

Ozzie's - Tofu is 3/$5. Dunkin' coffee is $7. Apples are 88¢/lb. Oh, just when I was going to give up, Chock Full o' Nuts is $4/can. Now my problem is solved.

Update: I went to Ozzie's and I also found chick peas for $1.50/bag (of 1 lb) so I got 4 bags. I was extra happy because they had the nut flavored Chock Full o' Nuts (Heavenly Hazelnut). Then I was confused because my bill came out low. The coffee was only $3/can.

I don't know whether to like Ozzie's even more and hold a stronger grudge against Bravo or to forgive all grocery stores because things balanced out for me personally.

Back from Mexico and I need to shop

 As soon as I got back, I applied for a new credit card for groceries. Now I need to go out and use it to replenish my refrigerator and freezer. I wonder what is on sale. I need kosher salt. Now that I am going to be around, I can attempt live herbs again.

Bravo: Krasdale frozen vegetables are $1.25 for 14 oz. I got some broccoli cuts last night. Colavita pasta is 3/$5. I'm not sure what shapes they have or what I need. A 24 oz container of kosher salt is $2.29 but I want a 3 lb box. Camaronazo is $3.29. That's like Clamato but based on shrimp instead of clams.

Brooklyn Harvest Market: Clamato is $3.50 here.

C-Town: Romaine is $1/lb. Frozen vegetables are 5/$4 for 8 oz bags. Mixed vegetable bags (like California Blend) are 3/$5 for 14 oz.

Food Bazaar: Nothing

Green Corner: Cilantro for $0.59! Limes 8/$2! Nopales $1/lb! I can try my hand at Mexican things.

Quite a price difference on these chicken feet:

Ozzie's: I'm afraid to go here because I hate their announcements, which I think should be an OSHA violation. But they have cans of coconut milk for $1.50. Tomatillos are $1.49/lb.

new credit card for the 4th of July

 I got a new credit card that gives you 5% back on whichever category you spend the most on every month. Which is grocery stores. And I got it just in time to spend $200 on groceries for the 4th of July.

Cheap hot dogs were harder to find this year. I got them at Dollar Tree. You can get 8 turkey or chicken hot dogs for $1.25. They are only 10 oz instead of 12 like most places, but I don't care. People want the condiments.

I can't get chicken quarter for less than $1/lb. Peaches were $1.49/lb at the best place I could find. Onions are $2/bag everywhere. Ketchup was $3.50. I got buns for $1/bag of 8, which isn't that bad. And a watermelon was $5 which is fine. The cheapest tomatoes I could find were $1.49/lb. I spent over $7 on Cheez Whiz! Bulgarian sheep feta was $5/lb but that's still a good price. Pasta is over $1 box. I got 3 bags of chick peas for $1.25 each though which is an incredible price. Cracker barrel cheese is $2.50 but then I got $1 back from Ibotta. I should go get more. I had to pay $4 for a pound of store brand mozzarella.

I'm not even making dessert this year. I'm too worn out.

READY TO GO! (4th of July/Green Corner)

 I'm in Green Corner's DMs!

I don't know what to buy yet, but I am hoping for peaches, limes, cilantro, onions, scallions, jalapeños, and frozen corn there. And if they can have cheap chicken quarters, that is ideal. I haven't reviewed any circulars for real yet. This is just based on their reputation.

If they come through with a tofu sale, I might serve jerk tofu on the 4th. But last time they advertised a tofu sale, it didn't ring up that way. But it was still cheaper than the other places.

Oktoberfest during Covid?

 I haven't updated in so long that Blogger looks different now. Since Oktoberfest would start this weekend, I'm going to look at all the circulars and see if I could find things I would want to make. Even though no people will come. I can eat all the food myself.

Ozzie's: I've been shopping here a lot because American Express has been giving me $5 if I spend $10 at certain small businesses and this one counts. Mostly I buy beer. That ends this weekend and I have 1 trip left. Anyway.. Pork shoulder is $0.99/lb, which is a good start.

Key Food: Two pounds of onions for $1. One pound of baby bella mushrooms for $3. Pepsi proucts are 3/$4. Sour cream is $2. 

C-Town: Pork shoulder is $0.99/lb here too. Scalfani crushed tomatoes are $1.50, so I should get some. I only ever see Luigi Vitelli on sale and I did a test once and learned I like Scalfani a lot more. Colavita pasta is $1. I have so much pasta though. Maybe I should eat pasta more often since it's the only thing that makes me happy. Sour cream is also $2 here and cream cheese is $1.50. I've never seen Fage sour cream before, but it's also $2.

Bravo: Onions are $1 for 2 lbs here.

Green Corner didn't update its circular yet.

Western Beef: Pork shoulders are $0.79/lb but you have to buy 2. They also have chicken leg quarters for $0.29/lb but you have to buy 40 lbs. Life is far too lonely these days to buy 40 lbs of chicken. A six pack of English muffins is $1. That seems good, but I never buy English muffins so I don't know.

Food Bazaar: Here, English muffins are $2.50 for 6, so now I know.

Fried Chicken at Western Beef

I don't feel like writing about every store's sales today. I will just bring one sale to my readers' attention.

This week Western Beef will sell you 8 pieces of fried chicken for $6. Or 1 pound of breaded chicken cutlets for the same $6. One is an ok deal. The other is a scam.

I recently bought a bucket of fried chicken at Food Bazaar. It was good enough. It was 16 pieces for $10 I think.

What's on Sale this week?

I hope I find vegetables so I can start eating better.

Key Food: A jar of peppers fried with onions is $2.49. That's kinda a vegetable.

C-Town: Tonic water is $0.69.

Bravo: Still no ad.

Food Bazaar: A pound of butter is $3. A pack of corn tortillas is $1. The brand that used to be down the street from me but moved to New Jersey. I bought a 16 piece bucket of fried chicken there for $10 on Wednesday.

Western Beef: They have 16 pieces of fried chicken on sale for $0.99/lb. I don't know if that is more or less than Food Bazaar, but I'd still consider that a good price.

Green Corner: no circular yet

Ozzie's: they don't even have a website anymore

Super Bowl sales

I'm not going to watch the Super Bowl. I saw that Trump bought an ad and I thought "I don't want to see that! It's going to ruin the whole thing waiting for him to show up." But then I realized I don't want to see the football part either. I like eating nachos and dips with my friends. So I might try to arrange that. I do like seeing the sales too.

I wonder how many circulars might use the words "Super Bowl" and risk the NFL suing them. Time to dig in.

C-Town: Its headline is about its birthday. The bottom of the page says "Kickoff to Savings." Wishbone salad dressings are on sale for $0.75, good for wings. A 5 lb bag of frozen wings is $13.

Bravo: Cracker barrel cheeses are $2.50. I hope I can find asiago. Two liter bottles of Coke products are $1.25. It has "Football Festival of Savings" and the same "Kickoff to Savings" as C-Town.

Food Bazaar: No mention of the Super Bowl or football. A 5 lb bag of frozen wings is $8 or $11 (if you want the same brand as at C-Town). Two liter bottles of Pepsi products are $1, which is as low as you ever see in New York.

Green Corner: There is Valentine's Day imagery. There's nothing on sale I'd go here for.

Key Food: It clearly says Super Bowl LIV, but it's inside a Tostito's ad that says "official sponsor of the super bowl." Avocados and cilantro are both $0.54 each, which is the cheapest avocado I've ever seen. Other prices that end in .54:  Lemons, limes, baby carrots, guacamole, celery, grape tomatoes, blueberries, and some stone fruit. Also some salad and dressing off to the right. On a later page, watermelons and mag melons are also -.54.


Crack Barrel cheese is also $2.50 here, so I have a better chance of finding asiago. B&G red pepper slices are $3/jar.

Western Beef: They have "Big Game Weekend." Wings are $0.59/lb if you get a 7-10 lb bag, so that is by far the cheapest wing available. If I go for wings, I can also get the Cracker Barrel here for $2.50. A head of iceberg lettuce is $1. There are many other wing prices too. $10 for 4 lbs. $30 for 10 lbs. Why??