Ozzie's is Closing, Whole Foods is Opening

 I just got back from Mexico and before I even got to my apartment building, I saw the new Whole Foods on the corner is almost open. Based on the shelves, it looks bigger than I expected. Maybe smaller than the usual Whole Foods I go to, but I think it will hold a lot of stuff. I only buy 2 or 3 things from Whole Foods, so if it carries those, I'll be happy.

Later I went to Ozzie's and saw 20% off everything signs on the windows. That reminded me it's closing for a new building. The store is only 1 story tall, so we definitely need the housing. Because of the 20% off, it didn't seem to have the usual weekly sales so there weren't actually good prices. The shelves are emptier though.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.