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.

my trip to Food Bazaar yesterday

 I wanted to make chicken paprikash and I wanted mashed potatoes to go with that. So I went to Food Bazaar because they were supposed to have 10 lbs on sale for $4. I didn't see that, but 10 lbs is heavy anyway. I got 5 lbs for $2.50.

It was too crowded and everyone was pushing around empty carts and leaving carts everywhere. I survived.

I bought so much stuff I usually wouldn't. Like korean rice cakes, genoa salami, provolone, leeks. The leeks had a price on their sign that didn't make sense and then they were expensive. I spent over $5 on leeks. I got buttermilk for my mashed potatoes.

They had a lot of Mexican stuff I didn't notice before like cueritos (pickled pig skin) and huitlacoche. 

What's on sale? Summer is starting

 I've been buying one tomato at a time lately because they are good enough to eat now and cheap enough to buy. I wonder if I'll find anything good in the ads this morning.

Bravo: La Colombe cold brew is $5 for a 42 oz bottle. I don't like their bottles now because they got taller and barely fit in my refrigerator. I also don't like that they're 42 because I currently have a 48 Califia in my refrigerator that was $5. But I will buy it. I use their light roast when I make carajillos on the weekends. The only other good deal here is cilantro for 79¢.

C-Town: This will be all the same stuff I bet. Bags of frozen vegetables are $1.25, so I will probably get some of those. They have Cafe Bustelo cold coffee for $5, but it's only 40 oz. I've never tried it for that reason. I want my ounces. Looks like they have Califia for $5 too, which is 48 oz.

Food Bazaar: Plum tomatoes are 99¢/lb but they are always super pink at Food Bazaar. Peaches are also 99¢, so maybe it's time to make my summer peach and corn salad.

Foodtown: This says Eid Mubarak. I wonder if there are specials for that. It's above the meat section of the ad, which includes pork, so I don't know....

Green Corner: Poblano peppers are $2.49/lb. Jalapeños are $1.29.

Ozzie's: Their circular hasn't loaded for a few weeks. Who knows what's on sale.

I can't wait for the Lidl and Whole Foods bodega to open.

Sales heading into Presidents Day Weekend

 I made a lot of food for the Super Bowl and only 2 people came to watch it with me so I have been eating leftovers from that all week. I only left the apartment once all week to go buy hot dog buns. I'm not out of food yet, but when I am, I will want to shop. So let's see what's on sale this week. I hope coffee is.

Bravo: Romaine lettuce is 99¢. Pork chops are $2/lb. Tomates are also 99¢/lb but it's February so I am not hopeful. On the other hand, I got good enough ones from Green Corner for the Super Bowl. Canned clams are $2.69 and I think that might be a good price. I used up my clams on pizza for the Super Bowl. A bag of carrots is $1.

C-Town: The same tomato sale. Apples are $1/lb. I should get those since they're healthier than everything else I devour all day. Frozen mixed vegetables are $1.25 for 14 oz bags. I use those a lot for my various soups I make for lunch. Chock Full o' Nuts coffee is $5.49 which is not a good enough sale.

Food Bazaar: If I were going there anyway I would get a bag of tostadas for $2.50 but it's too far to go just for that. Lemons are 40¢ but I bought a lot last week at Green Corner. I need to make limoncello but I haven't yet and they are probably getting worse and worse for that as they sit on the table. Scallions are 50¢ and celery is $1.50 but none of that adds up to being worth the trip there.

Foodtown: I haven't been to Foodtown since I bought raviolis because they said they were $2 for a bag and then I got charged like $4.7. Maybe I will forgive them if there is a good sale this week. Seltzer is 75¢ but that's not enough to get me to go back. Pasta ($1.25) and cans of tomatoes (3/$5) are on sale, but I have tons of that so I don't need to return for that either. Romaine is $2.5 which is much worse than Bravo. Looks like I'm holding my grudge for another week.

Green Corner: Carrots are 79¢/lb here and they are sold loose. I think loose carrots taste better than bagged. Not as good as farmers market or garden carrots, but slightly better than bagged. Condensed milk is $1.25 which I think is worth the trek. I might have some already though. I don't use it that often.

Ozzie's: I don't see anything. Their circular shows up small in the browser now so it's harder to see anything, but I still didn't see anything.

New Sales for the New Year

 I have barely been in New York for the last 7 weeks, so even when I was here, I wasn't really shopping. Now I am back, so let's see what's on sale. Maybe this will remind me what I like to cook and eat. I ordered a pepperoni stick from Walmart.com last night for $7.

Bravo: Plum tomatoes are $1.49 but I bet they're pink. Frozen vegetables are $1.25 for a 14oz bag. Instant café de olla looks like it's $7.

C-Town: Even if they're not on sale, I need to stock up on dried chiles. A bag of 50 pizza rolls is $6. I could bring them to a birthday/NYE party tomorrow night. I always bring them there though and I don't know if I will develop a bad reputation.

Food Bazaar: I don't really want to walk this far, but who knows. Nah, nothing looks great here. Maybe I'm just not in the mood.

Foodtown: Chicken leg quarters are 69¢/lb. Pepsi 2-liters are 3/$5. Vintage seltzers are 5/$3. That's worth a trip. I know I need liquids.

Green Corner: I probably don't want to walk here either. A whole pig is $5/lb and a whole rabbit is $4.29/lb. One year Gideon gave me a whole rabbit for my birthday and I made rabbit cacciatore. A whole duck is $4/lb. A whole chicken is $2/lb. A pig head is $2.19/lb. A goat head is $13 each, but I don't know how much a head weighs. Tomatillos and jalapeños are $1.49/lb.

Ozzie's: Pizza rolls are 100 for $8 here, so now I feel like I am definitely bringing them to NYE. Plum tomatoes are also $1.49 here, but I bet they're still pink.

Western Beef: Realistically I'm not going here. Vintage seltzers are $1 each here, so why would I go far away when they are cheaper at Foodtown? Western Beef rarely has good prices in these last several years.

Trader Joe's: They don't have ads, but I am going there today to get flowers and maybe beer.

What's on sale this week?

 I can't remember the last time I didn't look at the grocery ads until Saturday. Last week I only bought coffee and cheese, so I probably should find something I can cook today. And I need garlic.

Bravo: Cans of clams for $2.69 (the small cans). Small (8 oz) bags of frozen vegetables are $1. I need peas and carrots.

C-Town: This looks like the same ad as Bravo.

Food Bazaar: Iceberg lettuce is $1.29. Califia Farms cold brew is $5. Table salt is 75¢.

Foodtown: I wonder when the new Foodtown that is closer to me will open. The current one is 5 blocks away. A 2 lb bag of onions is $1.29. Califia Farms cold brew is $6 here, so I better go to Food Bazaar.

Green Corner: Jalapeños y tomatillos are $1.29/lb. I should go while Discover is still giving me 5% back on grocery stores (they don't take Amex there).

Ozzie's: Clams are only $2.29 here.

Food Bazaar's sales for Mexico's independence day

 Mexico celebrates independence day on September 16, and Food Bazaar put little Mexican flags next to a few things in its weekly ad. I didn't realize they carried Victoria. I drink that the most when I'm in Mexico City.

Mexicans celebrate with chiles en nogada, but that's pretty complicated for a store ad to cover. It's so complicated that the last chapter of Like Water For Chocolate is making them.

What's on sale for Labor Day?

 I realized I usually don't update for a new week because some circulars come out on Thursdays and others on Fridays and I don't want to update if I'm only looking at half. But this week I didn't look yesterday so I am going to review them all at once. I specifically want refrigerated coffee and iceberg lettuce.

Bravo: Dawn for $1. Seltzer 80¢. Not very good.

C-Town: I need chiles de arbol even though they don't go on sale. They're much cheaper to buy in bulk here than in bags anywhere else. I might get guajillos too. The better Dawn is on sale but it costs more here. Frozen vegetables are 4/$5 so I might see which types that includes. Starbucks iced coffee is $6.

Food Bazaar: Hot dog buns are $1.

Foodtown: Diet Coke is 4/$6. Seltzer is 4/$3.

Green Corner:

Ozzie's: Seltzer is 4/$3. Iceberg lettuce is $1.50.

Western Beef: I usually don't consider Western Beef anymore, but all these other sales are not very good. Iceberg lettuce is also $1.50 here. Peanut butter is $2.50. I might go here just to see what the price of beans is.

What's on Sale? I'm back from Mexico

 I've been back for over a week, and I have been to stores, but I still feel like I don't have anything I can eat yet. Last night I went to Trader Joe's and then ate cottage cheese for dinner. Before Mexico, I just kept eating Mexican food and in Mexico I ate Mexican food. I might end up just eating more of that. I also met my new credit card's sign up bonus so now I can go back to using the right card at grocery stores. Time to see what's on sale this week.

Bravo: Honeycrisp apples for $1/lb. I eat a lot of apples, celery, and cheese. Tomatoes are $1.49/lb but I don't trust them to not be pink.

C-Town: Also tomatoes. Slightly less likely to be pink at C-Town. Pork chops for $2/lb.

Food Bazaar: Tomatoes are $1.29 here but they're definitely pink.

Foodtown: Seltzer is 5/$3 for 1 liter bottles. Should I buy a gallon of Tide for $8? I just bought laundry balls from Amazon and I could start leading a fancy laundry life. London broil is $4/lb.

Green Corner: they didn't update yet

Ozzie's: Peanut butter 2/$4. Heirloom tomatoes are $3/lb. At least they won't be pink.

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.

What's on sale? - Short Week

 I usually do a sneak peek at the coming sales on Thursday and view the rest on Friday and then I don't write separate posts or any posts. But I didn't look yesterday, so I guess I will today. I have eaten nothing but soup since Sunday so I am eager for new foods. I have been buying foods though. I got 2 cans of chipotles in adobo for $2.29 each and a can of whole jalapeños for $1.25. They tried to overcharge me but they fixed it. I can shop at Green Corner again because I have the Savor One card I wrote about in my last post. I also went to Food Bazaar and got crema mexicana for $3, queso fresco for $4, and 5 lbs of wings for $10.

Also, I'm going to Atlanta for 4 days this week so I can't plan to buy or cook all that much.

Bravo: Iceberg lettuce for $1.49 for my tacos and tostadas.

C-Town: Tomatoes are $1/lb but I am worried they would be pink.

Food Bazaar: A 2 pound bag of squid tentacles is $10.

Foodtown: Morningstar Farms frozen fake meat things (like chicken nuggets) are $4 and you can get $0.75 off using Ibotta. 

Green Corner: Nothing.

Ozzie's: Iceberg lettuce for $1.49. Beefsteak tomatoes for $1.49. Seltzer 4/$3.

Ending my grudge against Food Bazaar

 They had shrimp on sale for $5/lb last week, so I went last night to get some to make green curry. And the shopping baskets were back. Now I can shop normally there. I also got a can of coconut milk for $1.25.

Shrimp are on sale again this week for the same price and extra large ones are only $6/lb so I could have waited. Or I could go back now that I am not mad.

Queso Fresco at Food Bazaar

 Usually 12 oz of queso fresco is $5.49 but Food Bazaar had it for $3.99. I am mad at Food Bazaar because they got rid of their shopping baskets, but I figured I would go check to see if they brought them back. They did not, but the cheese was a good price.

What's on sale? I'm back after traveling

I've barely been around for a month and I wasn't shopping intensely before either of my trips. Now my refrigerator is fairly empty and I need to shop.

In Pittsburgh I did get banana peppers for 25¢ each and hatch chiles for $5 for 18 oz, so those are in my refrigerator and I need to use and/or freeze them. I can never find hot banana peppers in NYC.

Bravo White tuna is 3/$4

C-Town Cracker barrel cheese are $2.50 for 8 oz. Often I find deals on Ibotta for $1 back, which makes them $1.50 and quite a good deal. Jif peanut butter is $2.69, which after recent inflation, is a pretty good price. The tuna deal is here too.

Food Bazaar I'm still mad at them, but I will look because I might like to get salmon. In Pittsburgh at Giant Eagle, I got a piece of salmon for $6/lb and I dry cured it. It's $10/lb at Food Bazaar. Coke products are 3/$5 for 2 liter bottles. Can of coconut milk are 4/$5.

Foodtown (fka Brooklyn Harvest Market) London broil is $4/lb. A jar of mayo is $4. Pepsi 2-liters are 3/$5. Kraft shredded cheeses are $2 (and on Ibotta for another $0.50 off). Seltzers are 5/$3 per liter.

Green Corner Four pound boxes of shrimp for $3.50/lb.

Ozzie's Sardines 5/$4.

Food Bazaar is horrible to shop in these days

 The smaller reason is they label things on sale, both in the ad and on the shelves, then don't charge the sale price.

The bigger reason is they took away the shopping baskets. Now the store is full of people walking around with their arms full because there are no baskets. It's sad and annoying.

I got a good deal on some shrimp, but I'm not going back there any time soon.

I wrote them an email about this.

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.

What's On Sale This Week?

 I just got back from Philadelphia. A coworker might come over for dinner tomorrow. And I have some stuff from before my trip, but I should replenish. Also I'm hungry right now so I might come up with good ideas.

Bravo: nothing. well, white button mushrooms are always $3/lb there and you can get as few or as many as you want, so I still might end up going there.

Brooklyn Harvest Market: Frozen ravioli are 4/$5 for 13 oz. They would be good with the zucchini pesto I made before I left. Super Pepsi (the kind with the most caffeine.. aka Pepsi Zero Sugar) is 3/$5. Beef hearts are $3/lb. They don't usually have beef hearts.

C-Town: Butternut squash is $1/lb and I just remembered when I made a salad of it using it raw, with gorgonzola and nuts.

Food Bazaar: Nothing. Well, the apples for $1/lb inspired me, but I'm not going all the way there for just apples.

Green Corner: Lemons are 3/$1 and my coworker might want a cocktail that could benefit from lemon. Nothing else is remarkable.

Ozzie's: Lemons are 5/$2 here. Will I walk 0.75 miles each way to save 7 cents per lemon at Green Corner? (I don't know.. I might.) Canada Dry's family of pop is 3/$5. Coke products are "buy 2 get 1 free" and they are $2.50 each, so that's the same price presented in a more confusing way.

Western Beef:  I didn't see anything.

Maybe I'll make sourdough pizza with mushrooms and maybe yellow and/or orange peppers. And A fennel and apple salad. And a butternut squash with nuts and gorgonzola salad.

A duck. What to cook with a duck. Side dishes for duck.

 The backstory is I got a frozen duck from Gideon for my birthday in December. It is too luxurious to eat by myself, so I stuck it in the freezer. Now it's April and the Omnicron wave around my the end of the year has subsided, the weather is nicer, and it is time to cook a duck.

The first problem with my meal plan is the flip side of it being too lonely to eat a fancy duck by myself. I started by inviting Yasmin. Then I invited Matt and Emily because they also gave me lot of fancy ingredients for my birthday (most of which I still have, and may incorporate into the meal). And I had to invite Gideon of course, but he hasn't told me if he will come. Also, roommates. So I am dealing with not a lot of duck per person and also a lot of uncertainty about how many people I even need.

Two people have suggested I make Peking duck. I do not know how to make this. I am not really sure how to make any duck (that is the point of Gideon's gift.. he gets me weird things I have to figure out). But I especially don't know how to make Peking duck.

I currently think I will make a large amount of some sort of risotto (that was a gift from Matt & Emily) as a first course, then a small serving of duck with a side of some vegetables as a second course. This is basically the Italian meal style. Which means I could flesh it out with an antipasto course. My main risotto ideas are either mushroom (risotto ai funghi), saffron (risotta alla milanese) or to be very weird, strawberry (risotto alle fragole). This one for orange risotto sounds good too. (risotto all'arancia)

The point of this blog post is to take notes while I look through all the grocery circulars to see what is on sale this week and maybe come up with ideas. The title of the blog post was accidentally SEO bait and then I thought it was funny so I made it more baity.

Bravo: Asparagus $2/lb. Mozzarella $3. They don't list them on sale, but they sell bulk white mushrooms for $3/lb which is a pretty good price and I could use a ton of those with a few porcini (gift from Matt & Emily).

Brooklyn Harvest Market: Asparagus. Mozzarella.

C-Town: Asparagus. Mozzarella. All the sales are the same this week. Escarole $2/lb.

Food Bazaar: Lemons 5/$2, but I'm not dealing with that whole store for that.

Ozzie's: Asparagus. Mozzarella is 2/$4 (must buy 2) so at least that is a little different. And ricotta is only $3.

Green Corner: Strawberries $2/lb. Lemons 5/$2 (I will go here just for that).

My Planned Menu

Antipasti: various olives, some cheeses, giardiniera, roasted red peppers, and maybe some sort of crackers

Primo: Risotto ai funghi

Secondo: Orange duck (anatra all'anatra)

Contorno: Escarole or arugula salad with strawberries, gorgonzola

I've been shopping more than I've been eating

 I went to Pennsylvania for over a week, which disrupted my habits. I only spent about 20 minutes in a Giant Eagle during that whole trip, so there isn't much to say about it. I did come back with a lot of frozen banana peppers my brother grew and some Tabascos my mother grew.

When I got back, I noticed Bravo renovated its entrance. I haven't bought anything there yet.

I got flour and onions at Brooklyn Harvest Market. Mushrooms and sweet potatoes at Key Food. I did eat the mushrooms (with a lot of polenta and some asparagus I found on sale at Mr. Piña.)

On Monday, I got my Covid booster then walked to Western Beef where I got a 2 pound jar of giardiniera and a 5 lb bag of carrots. I refrained from buying another 6 lb can of tomatoes.

Tuesday (yesterday), I went to Food Bazaar and got a pound of frozen squid ($5), 4 cans of coconut milk ($3), a frozen spinach and frozen peppers & onions (each $2.5 for 2 lbs).

Last night I cooked some of the peppers and onions and made bulgur wheat I've had for a while. I didn't realize how long I have had it but the bag said to use by 2018. Well, I used it.

Coming up, I need to eat a lot of pasta and my various rices and some cheese. Plus those carrots.

I don't have anyone to cook for anymore so I don't know what to make.