My Last Key Food Visits and My First Trader Joe's (Williamsburg) Trip

 Yesterday I went to the new Trader Joe's. I went on an empty stomach, so I was surprised I barely bought anything. Partly because I'm going to Pittsburgh soon so I didn't want to stock up, but I also just didn't think anything was a good deal anymore. Whole Foods has better frozen vegetables for the most part. I ended up getting frozen Brussels sprouts, a bag of walnuts, hot honey sauce (it has vinegar in it too, and was under $3), and dried thyme.

Then I went to Key Food. Most aisles were blocked off. There were some cans of soup. There were still a bunch of frozen turkeys. Everything was 50% off, but there was nothing left I wanted. I guess I am done forever.

I did go to Key Food last weekend for some 50% off things, but I got ripped off. Some of the pastas were $2, and I'd ordinarily spend $1, so that was fine but not a bargain. I saw a can of coconut milk for $2, and figured $1 is fine. But when I wasn't looking, it rang up as $6! So I got a $3 can of coconut milk which is outrageous.

The Early Worm Caught the Bird

I asked my roommates if they would eat Thanksgiving foods if I made them. They said yes. So that was the go-ahead I needed.

Brooklyn Harvest Market had turkeys for $1.49/lb or turkey breasts for $1.99/lb. I went a few times but could only find big (minimum 17 lb) turkeys, which would be $26. I wanted a 10 lb one to spend $15. So I decided I would just get a breast, which were billed at 4-7 lbs.

I went yesterday morning, since I figured that would be my best chance to find a small turkey because that's what everyone wants, especially this year. Yesterday they had nothing good. Today I went back, and I found a turkey that was a "manager's special" for $0.99/lb! And it was 15 lbs, so it fit my $15 budget. That was the same total price of all the breasts I could find, so that is what I bought.

Fifteen pounds for 3 people... well, getting sick of Thanksgiving food is one of the parts of Thanksgiving food that I like.

Thanksgiving! What's on sale?

 I don't know if I will celebrate Thanksgiving. I'm definitely not having a bunch of people over, but I would like to eat turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy. Whether I do that will depend partly on what I find on sale and partly on how much room I have in my refrigerator. It's currently very full.

I think most stores don't put the price of turkey in their ads. They put the price "if you spend $100" or whatever. I'm not going to spend $100. I just want to know how much the turkey is!

Anyway, here we go.

Key Food: The turkey is $0.39/lb if I spend $50. I'm sure that will be the cheapest, but I definitely can't fit $50 of groceries in my apartment. Last year I went with Eric and he bought a lot of groceries and I tacked on a turkey. Sweet potatoes are $0.59/lb. A pound of mushrooms is $2.50 and a bag of cranberries is 3/$5 (they had been $2 all month). A bag of stuffing is $2.5. Butternut squash is $0.79/lb. There is something called "steamable sweet potatoes" for $1.67/lb but I don't understand that because all sweet potatoes are steamable if you put them over steam.

C-Town: I don't see anything I'd go here for. But maybe I'm not in the mood for this. I'll try one more store.

Brooklyn Harvest Market:  14 oz of "stuffing mushrooms" are only $2.50. Mozzarella and ricotta remain on sale. I haven't made lasagna yet, but maybe I will today. I think a turkey is $1.49/lb.

Groceries have gone too far.

What the heck? Why would you put gorgonzola in coleslaw? I love gorgonzola and coleslaw and yet...!

A lot of these sales are the same as last week. I guess that's how they get to have 10 page circulars. I don't mind. At least I can look up how much everything costs from bed.

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.

Circular Review - May 5

Since Fine Fare changed to Gala Foods, their special schedule is Friday-Thursday instead of Sun-Sat. But they don't update their website in time, so they aren't getting reviewed.

Things I'm on the prowl for: red onions, deli turkey breast, bacon.

Associated:  Ortega products still have their Cinco de Mayo deals going. Corn is $0.40/ear, which is an ok price, but I don't trust corn that's ready in May. Crema is $3.59. I haven't had crema in a long time, but it's so good. Queso fresco is $3. Basis is $2.50--I bought a whole plant at Gala Foods for $3! Now it grows in my window. Don't buy basil there. $4 for store brand bacon.

Key Food: It's celebrating its 80th birthday, so there is a list of products that whose prices now have .80 in them. Tree Ripe orange juice is $1.80. A dozen large eggs are $0.80.  Skippy peanut butter is $1.80 (I will stock up at that price!) Corn is $0.40 here too, but I still see no reason to trust it. Radishes are $0.67, which seems pretty good. Key Food has Old El Paso stuff for Cinco de Mayo.

Bravo: They are celebrating Cinco de Mayo by putting Heinz Ketchup (20 oz) on sale for $2. Why? Their ad is too hard to read, so I'm done.

Food Bazaar: I'm still on the hunt for my red onions, turkey, and bacon, so I will expand my usual reviews. Corn is $0.25/ear here (if you spend $20). If it's on sale everywhere, maybe it's good. Maybe they got a shipment from somewhere warm. Turkey breast is on sale, but I don't like the price. $6 for honey turkey breast. I don't want sweet meat. Ortega crunch taco shells are $1.25 for 12. What a good price. Mussels are $2.50 for 2 pounds, which makes me want to buy them.

C-Town: I'm still mad at C-Town because I went in on a Thursday evening and there was a sign up for ground turkey on sale for $3. So I got it, and it was $6 because the sale didn't start until the next day. You need to read the fine print if you want to shop at C-Town and not be taken advantage of, and I don't want to read fine print. No use looking up what might be on special if I'm just going to be abused.

Thanksgiving shopping

Other than a free turkey if you spend $150 (how you do that without a car, I don't know), Associated doesn't seem to even realize it's Thanksgiving in this week's circular.

Western Beef hasn't updated their circular page of the website. C-Town's is broken.

I bought a turkey yesterday at Key Food. Key Food takes Thanksgiving seriously. I end up getting most of my stuff there every year. This year I didn't buy the smallest turkey. First time I did that I think. I got one that's 15.65 lbs. I'm going to supplement it with some more turkey legs. I think about thirty people are coming to Midnight Thanksgiving.

In non-Thanksgiving news, Associated has my olive oil for $18 if you spend $15. Too late, I got it at Key Food last week. Bravo has cans of pineapple juice for $1.69. I'm going to stock up on that.

Stage Fright: I'm Nervous!

In this world, the only thing I'm good at is buying groceries. So why am I so nervous about going shopping for Midnight Thanksgiving? Let me try to count the things that worry me.

• If I spend $25, I save $0.40/lb on a turkey. That's a lot per pound. But $25 is daunting.
• If I spend that much, how will my frail little arms that haven't seen a gym or even a push-up in my whole life, carry a 15 lb bird and all the rest?
• I can probably reach $25 if I remember to buy all the other stuff I'm bringing. But what are those things? I don't plan my grocery trips; I experience them.
• I can buy 101 oz of pure olive oil for $8. Should I? That's a good deal. I want Lewis to have olive oil. Maybe he will buy it from me. Or I could have it to complement my extra virgin olive oil.
• What if they don't have a turkey that is the size I want? It might be too big. Dylan's oven, like my very strength, is little.

 Let's see. Dolly Parton once sang about coffee as "a cup of ambition." I could certainly use that. And her friend Porter Wagoner "drank a fifth of courage" in a song in which he killed his wife's lover. I don't have my old tolerance, so I can probably do with a tenth of courage.

Get out your credit cards. So many good deals!

In fact, as soon as I finish writing this I might put on pants and go purchase some cheese.

Western Beef:
$2 for 16 oz of mozzarella. I'm going to use this to make spaghetti al telefono.
Avocados for $0.88.
Loaves of Italian bread for $0.66.
Pound of butter for $3.
50 tall garbage bags for $4.59. With draw strings even!

Key Food (12 page circular!)
Turkey for $0.69/lb. Perfect for Midnight Thanksgiving (and the real one.)
101 oz can of Capatriti pure olive oil. for $8
Pecorino romano for $4.99/lb. I just bought it on Tuesday for $5.88/lb.
Same $3 butter deal.
Pork butt for $0.99/lb
Apple juice for $1.50. (Anything under $2 is always good.)
Cool whip - $1
Smithfield bacon - $2.99 for a pound