This Week's Shopping List: May 13 - 19, 2009

There has been a lot of emphasis lately about building a 3-month storage of foods you regularly eat. We try to stock up on sale items and then rotate them. Some good buys this week include:
Spaghetti Sauce - Fred Meyer
M & Ms - Fred Meyer
Tuna Fish - Haggen
Mayonnaise - Albertsons

Fred Meyer (good through Saturday)
Gardening: plants 48 for $9.99
Cheese: Tillamook $3.99 for the 2 lb. loaf assorted varieties (Cheddar, Monterrey jack, Colby)
Spaghetti Sauce: Hunt's 69 cents each. (limit 10) great for the 3-month storage
Candy: M&Ms 2 bags for $4.00 Good comfort food for the 3-month storage - although they don't always last that long at our house!
Pineapple: Gold $1.98 each
Bedding: Twin Sheets $2.99

Safeway (these two items good Friday & Saturday only with Club Card)
Chips: Dorritos $1.77 a bag
Bread: White or Wheat $1.00 a loaf

Haggen (don't forget you Haggen's card)
Cereal: Post 50% off
Tomatoes: Vine 88 cents a pound
Tuna: canned 49 cents each 5 oz. can (limit 6) great for the 3-month storage
Milk: Valu Time $1.49 gallon (limit one with coupon and C.A.R.D.)
Butter: Haggen $1.49 ea. 1 lb. (limit one with coupon and C.A.R.D.)
Eggs: Haggen Medium 59 cents dozen (limit one with coupon and C.A.R.D.)

Thriftway
Bread: Franz 99 cents a loaf (limit two with a minimum $10.00 purchase)
Eggs: Large dozen 29 cents (limit one with a minimum $10.00 purchase)
Broccoli or Cauliflower 68 cents a pound
Beef: Lean Ground $1.88 pound (we divide it into one-pound portions and freeze for a quick addition to dinner meals)
Corn-on-the-Cob 3 for $1.00 (limit 6; SATURDAY ONLY)
Twin Pops ('Popsicles'): Western Family 99 cents a bag (great for inexpensive kid treats)

Albertsons (don't forget your Albertson's card)
Mayonnaise: Best Foods $1.88 30 oz. selected varieties (limit 2) great for 3-month storage
Cream Cheese: Philadelphia and other varieties 88 cents (limit 3; see coupon for other varieties)
Cereal: Albertsons 88 cents selected varieties (limit 2)
Bath Tissue: Cottonelle $4.88 12 double rolls selected varieties (limit 2) You can never have enough!
Cereal: Kellogg's $1.50 ea. if you buy four - Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini-wheats, Rice Crispies, Pop Tart (12 count package)

This Week's Shopping List: April 28- May 5, 2009

Remember: C means 'coupon required'

Fred Meyer - prices good through Saturday, May 2.
C Bread or Peanut Butter: Country Oven or VitaBee. 4 for $5.00 Your first 8 with coupon. Country Oven or Vita Bee Bread or Fred Meyer Peanut Butter or Preserves. Peanut Butter is an excellent source of protien and easy to store. See coupon for more details.

Safeway - remember your Club Card (or phone number!)
Bread: Buttertop. $1.00 white or wheat.
C Chicken: Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breast. $1.69 lb. Frozen 4-lb. bag. (limit 3 per coupon with $10 purchase.)
C Apples: Fuji. $2.99 for a 5-lb. bag. (limit 1 per coupon with $10 purchase)
Beef: Boneless Chuck Pot Roast. $1.99 lb.
Fruit: Mangos. 2 for $1
Cereal: Life. $1.99 for 15-oz. box.
Cereal: Raisin Bran. $1.99 for 20-oz box.
C Toilet Paper: Safeway brand. $4.99 for the 12-roll of doubles (equals 24-rolls) (limit 1 with coupon and card)
C Bonus: Spend $50 and get $10 off your total purchase (with coupon and card.)

More to come tomorrow . .

Manufacturer's Coupons - Sunday, April 26, 2009

From the Sunday Oregonian.
Shampoo: Johnson's. Save $1.00 on any Johnson's baby product. (expires 7/30/2009) Jeff uses baby shampoo on his hair because it is more gentle (and 'no more tears' ! :-)
Female? Shaving Cream: Skintimate. Save 75 cents on any Skintimate Moisturizing Cream Shave or Shave Gel. (expires 06/20/2009)
Mayonnaise: Kraft. Save $1.00 when you buy any one (1) Kraft Mayo 18 oz. or larger. (expires 5/26/2009) Good to have on hand in the pantry because you don't have to refrigerate it until you open it.
Canning Supplies: Ball Jars. Get 75 cents off 8 oz or 16 oz Ball Freezer Jars or Ball Freezer Jam Pack. Canning jars are always good. We try to pick them up at garage sales, but sometimes it's good to buy some new ones. Bi-Mart has canning jars on sale during canning season. We haven't bought new jars for a long time. We'll keep you posted on prices. (expires 10/31/2009)
Canning Supplies: Ball or Kerr Jars. $3.00 off when you buy two cases of Ball or Kerr jars for preserving. (expires 10/31/2009)

This Week's Shopping List: MIA

Theresia's list went missing in action all of a sudden. While we are looking for it we want to share on find from this week.

Kohl's is having a sale on a number of items. Two that we picked up were:

Luggage: We have a senior graduating from high school in June. One of our family traditions is to give the senior a luggage set. This is the time of year we start looking, and fortunately, the stores start having sales. Kohl's had a four-piece set for $46.99 (reg. $139.99) That caught our attention. We figured it was a 'loss-leader' and wanted to check the quality. So we checked it out. As we suspected, the quality wasn't up to what we thought would make a long-lasting gift. We did, however, find a four-piece set from American Tourister for $78.99 (reg. $199.99) We thought that it looked sturdy enough to handle frequent trips to Utah so we purchased it.

Shoes: Jeff always keeps and eye out for athletic (usually running) shoes. We have access to the Nike Employee store, but Jeff has typically wide feet and the typical Nike is made for a narrower foot. His running shoe of preference is Asics. He found a nice pair of Asics Kanbarra 4's for $39.99 (reg. $59.99). The shoes fit well and are right at the 'acceptable' price range. So Jeff will be comfortable out running this summer.

We'll keep looking for the grocery list and post it tomorrow.

Manufacturer's Coupons - Sunday, April 14, 2009

Wow! Where did last week go? Oh well, we are on to a new week with just a few coupons from the Sunday Oregonian.

Light Bulbs: GE. Save $1.00 on any GE Engergy Smart compact fluorescent lighting product
Juice: Ocean Spray. 55 cents off any one 64 oz. Cranberry Pomegranate or Ruby Pomegranate Juice Drink
Garbage Bags: Hefty. Save $1.00 off any one (1) package of Hefty Waste Bags
Paper Towels: Sparkle. Save $1.00 on one (1) 2-Giant Roll Package or larger of Sparkle Paper Towels
Paper Towels: Scott. $1.00 off when you buy six (6) or more rolls of Scott Naturals paper towels
Toilet Tissue: Scott. $1.00 off when you buy four (4) or more rolls of Scott Naturals bath tissue

This Week's Shopping List: April 8-14, 2009

Target - (prices good through Saturday, April 11th)
Candy: Hershey's. Eggs and Kisses. $1.99 per package. see notes*

Fred Meyer - (prices good through Saturday, April 11th)
Candy: Nestle. Nestle Crunch Eggs. 2 12-oz. bags for $4.00
C Eggs: 18-count. 2 for $3.00 (limit 4 cartons.)
Candy?: Altoids. 88 cents a tin.
Candy: Milky Way or 3 Musketeers. 2 bags for $5.00
Bed Sheets: Twin size. $4.99 ea. see notes****

Safeway - (remember your 'Club Card')
Sugar: C & H. 5 pound bag $1.89. Limit 2.
Brownie Mix: Duncan Hines: $1.00 per box. See notes**
Ham: Spiral Cut. $1.59 per pound. Great for Easter dinner or to keep in the freezer.
Strawberries: 4-lb tub. $4.88. See notes***
Peppers: Red Bell. $1.00 each. Adds great color and flavor to soups, salads, and even egg dishes.
Apples: Braeburn, Granny Smith, Fuji. 3-pound bag $1.99.
Also: Safeway had a 'Double Manufacturer' Coupons! coupon in Tuesday's Safeway ad.

Albertsons - (remember your Preferred Savings Card)
Ham: Cook's Shank Portion (bone-in.) 88 cents per pound
Beef: Boneless Round Rump Roast. $1.88 per pound.
Laundry Detergent: ALL Small & Mighty 3X. $3.99

Thriftway - (they don't have a card!) (Note that a couple of the items are Wed-Sat only)
C Ham: Cook's Spiral Sliced Hams. 98 cents per pound (first one with $25 purchase and coupon) see notes*****
C Whipped Topping: Kraft Cool Whip. 99 cents 8-oz. assorted varieties. (limit 2 with coupon)
C Sour Cream: Tillamook. 99 cents. 16-oz. assorted varieties. (limit 2 with coupon)
Apples: Cameo. 68 cents per pound.
C Ice Cream: Dreyer's. $2.38. 48-oz. assorted varieties. (limit 1 with coupon- Good through Saturday only)
C Eggs: Large. One dozen eggs. 68 cents. (limit 1 with coupon- Good through Saturday only)
Also: Thriftway had a 'Double Manufacturer' Coupons! coupon in Tuesday's Thriftway ad.


Notes:
*There were some manufacturers coupons in Sunday's Oregonian to Save $1.50 when you buy any 3 bags of Hershey's, Reese's, or Cadbury Candy 8-oz. or larger. (Coupon expires 4/12/2009)
**We like to keep lots of boxes of brownie mix on hand. They are great for a quick FHE refreshment or whenever somebody remembers (the morning or night before) that they have to bring a treat somewhere.
***We've found that it is kind of hit-and-miss with strawberries this time of year (usually from California or Mexico) we had some good ones in Utah over spring break. Nothing beats locally grown and handpicked berries in June. But this can be a good Easter-season treat, especially with angel food cake and whipped cream.
****There was a 'an additional 10% off' coupon for housewares, etc. in Sunday's Fred Meyer ad. Other sizes are also on sale. We are taking advantage of this price (and coupon) for our daughter who will need sheets for college next fall.
*****You must spend $25 on your bill BEFORE the cost of the ham. See coupon for details.

Last Week's Shopping List - One Day Left - Tuesday

We didn't go shopping last week because of the Bishop's Challenge. But we still have one day left on last week's ads (remember that most FOODday ads run from Wednesday to Tuesday.) So if you read this in time (Tuesday, April 7th) you still have the day to take advantage of these specials that Theresia found.

Safeway - Remember the Club Card and Coupons
C Butter: Lucerne. 99 cents with card and coupon. 16-oz regular or unsalted. Limit one per coupon.
Chicken: Frozen Boneless Chicken Breast. $1.69 lb.
Pork: Boneless Pork Loin. $1.69 lb.
Ground Beef: 80% lean. $1.69 lb.
Sugar: C & H. $1.89 for the 5 lb. bag. Limit 2. See notes***
Cooking Oil: Wesson. $2.49 for 48-oz. bottle. Should be a staple of your storage.
C Cereal: Quaker Life or Post Fruity Pebbles. 99 cents with card and coupon. Limit one coupon.
C Bottled Water: Safeway Refreshe. $2.88 with card and coupon. 24-pack 16.9-oz. Limit one coupon. See notes*
C Potatoes: Russet. $1.29 for a 10-lb bag with card and coupon and minimum $10 purchase. Limit 1 bag.
C Bread: Safeway Butter Top Breads 22-oz. 99 cents with card and coupon and minimum $10 purchase. Limit 1.
Eggs: 18 count. $1.99. Limit 1.
Tooth Paste: Crest. $1.99 for the 8-oz tube. Limit 1.
C Facial Tissue: Kleenex. $1.00 with card and coupon. 75 to 200-ct. Limit 2 per transaction. See notes**
Other Specials: Double Manufacturers' Coupons. Double up to four coupons (maximum 50 cents each.) This coupon was in last week's FOODday.
Also, a coupon for $10 off your next grocery purchase of $50 or more with your card and coupon.

Thriftway
Apples: Cameo. 68 cents a pound.
Ice Cream: Umpqua. $1.99 with coupon and $10 minimum purchase. Limit 1. (one of our favorite brands.)
Tomatoes. 88 cents a pound.

Haggen: Remember your card
Apples: Cameo or Fuji. 69 cents a pound.
Milk: $1.49 per gallon. Limit two.
Eggs: Medium. 59 cents. Limit two.

Albertsons: Remember your card
Soup: Ramen Noodles. 15 cents a package.
Tomato Sauce: 3 for $1.00. This is another food storage staple.
Bottled Water: Arrowhead. $3.88 for a 24-pack.
Grapes: Red or Green. 99 cents a pound. We bought some green grapes today. They were very good.
Ice Cream: Umpqua. $2.99. Theresia didn't buy any today! I'll have to head over there tomorrow (Tuesday!)
Cereal: Kellogg's. $1.99 selected varieties (including Cocoa Krispies.) Some varieties are $1.97 and some are more. The deal here is that if you buy seven (7) boxes you get coupons for three free gallons of milk (the coupons have different redemption dates, but free milk is good anytime!)


Notes:
*This coupon was found in the Safeway ads from the Sunday (April 5th) Oregonian. Remember that there is now a deposit on bottled water bottles in Oregon.
**This is a good opportunity to use a manufaturer's coupon. In our last post we listed some of the manufacturer's coupons from the most recent Sunday Oregonian. Among those was one for Kleenex Facial Tissue. That coupon gives you 50 cents off the purchase of any three (3) packages of Kleenex Facial Tissue. In this case, you could buy three packages at Safeway. You would buy the limit of two for $1.00 each and a third at the regular price of $1.99. Then, with the manufacturer's coupon you would get an additional 50 cents off. Plus, another 50 cents off with the Double Coupon from the FOODday .Since this Kleenex product is regularly $1.99 at Safeway, you would spend just $2.99 (1+1+1.99-.5-.5) instead of $5.97. A savings of $2.98!
***Always buy sugar when it is on sale. Then store it in 5-gallon buckets with airtight lids.

Manufacturer's Coupons - Sunday, April 5, 2009

These manufacturer's coupons were found in the Sunday, April 5, Oregonian:

Pickles: Nalley. $1.00 off one Nalley Pickle 16 oz. or larger (expires 5/15/09)
Candy: Snickers. Save $1.00 when you buy 2 bags of Snickers Brand Dark Miniatures 10.5 oz. (Expires 4/29/2009)
Cottage Cheese: Darigold. 40 cents off any 24 oz or 1-lb Darigold Cottage Cheese. (Expires 7/1/2009)
Sour Cream: Daisy Brand. Save 50 cents on any Daisy Brand Sour Cream. (Expires 5/31/2009)
Cereal: Kellogg's. Save $1.50 on any one (1) package of Kellogg's Cereal 10 oz or larger, any flavor (Expires 5/17/2009)
Cereal: General Mills. Save $1.00 on three when you buy an three (3) General Mills cereals. Varieties listed on the coupon. (Expires 5/16/2009)
Yoghurt: Mountain High. Save 50 cents on any 64-oz Mountain High Yoghurt. (Expires 5/31/09)
Peanut Butter: Skippy. Save 40 cents on any one (1) Skippy Peanut Butter Product 15 oz or larger. (Expires 6/28/2009)
Pasta Sauce: Ragu. Save 30 cents on any one (1) Ragu Pasta Sauce. (Expires 5/31/2009)
Pasta Sauce: Bertolli. Save $1.00 on any one (1) Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce. (Expires 6/27/2009)
Pasta Sauce: Bertolli. Save 75 cents on any one (1) Bertolli Pasta Sauce. (Expires 6/27/2009)
Spices: McCormick. Save 75 cents off any one (1) McCormick Spice or Herb. (Expires 6/30/2009)
Frosting: Betty Crocker. Save 50 cents when you buy one tub (1) any flavor/variety Betty Crocker Frosting. (Expires 5/30/2009)
Paper Towels: Viva. Save 40 cents on any one (1) Towels Big Roll Package. (Expires 5/31/2009)
Facial Tissue: Kleenex. 50 cents off any three (3) packages of Kleenex facial tissue or any one (1) bundle pack of Kleenex facial tissue. (Expires 5/31/2009)
Anti-Perspirant: Secret. $1.00 off any two Secret products. (Expires 5/31/09)
Mascara: Maybelline. Save $1.00 New Lash Stiletto Ultimate Length Mascara or any Maybelline New York Mascara. (Expires 5/15/2009)

Remember, to extend your savings, look for these items on sale at you local grocery stores (and here of course!)

Happy Shopping.

Bishop's Challenge: Days 3-8

The "Bishop's Challenge" has been a wonderful experience for our family. We have learned many things. Theresia writes:


We have learned that when you "can't" go to the store, more people are suddenly concerned about what we are going to eat. We have plenty of supplies, yet had a hard time some days coming up with menu ideas because our mouths wanted something and we couldn't make it our eat it (fresh fruit!!- can't wait for Monday). We realized that if this was long term, we would need to have a family meeting to 'plan' what would be eaten for meals/snacks for a week or so at a time. This would help ensure someone didn't eat something that was reserved for a later meal.



Jeff observed that: The week went pretty smoothly and I did learn somethings about myself and our preparedness.

• The milk lasted longer than I thought it would. At the beginning of the challenge we had about a gallon and a quarter. By Friday night we still had 3/4 of a gallon. Part of that was because we cut down on milk usage (mainly just drinking), another part was that we 'extended' what we had by 'cutting' it with powdered milk, and, Theresia tells me, the kids decided to eat their breakfast cereal dry and not use the 'cut' milk. Personally, I thought the 'cut' worked just fine with my Cocoa Krispies; I didn't even notice a difference!


• We didn't have many leftovers in our refrigerator. This was actually getting to be a problem the last few months. The refrigerator was filling us with left overs, and we would still make or buy new 'stuff'. This past week however, we were using more of what was in the refrigerator - I suppose, making better use of what we have - and what few leftovers we created this week, we had plenty of room for in the refrigerator.


• I was glad that we were as prepared as we were. We were actually gone to Utah the week before the 'Bishop's Challenge.' We returned home Friday night, Theresia did a little grocery shopping on Saturday, and then we received the challenge on Sunday. Since we try to make a habit of keeping a fair amount of the staples on hand (milk, potatoes, etc. besides the regular, flour, sugar, etc.) We were able to make it through the week without 'suffering.'

In summary, as a family, we thought we did well. The experience made us more aware of what more we can do to prepare for an emergency and how well we might handle it.