Rock Bottom Prices on Grocery Items, So You Know What is a Good Price

This will be a growing list as time goes by and I add to it. Keep in mind that I live in South Texas. Our region might have higher or lower prices on certain things compared to other regions. I will also have another post which will be my huge list of prices that I track, with the date that it occurred and at what store. Usually stores go through a 12 week cycle with their sales. If an item is on sale now, it should go back on sale in about 12 weeks. So buy enough to last you 12 weeks. If you live in the North, the sale cycle is more like 6 weeks.

The Basics

Meat Deals
Chicken quarters, thighs & drumsticks: should never be more than $0.49/lb. This is the normal price for the 10 lb bags of chicken quarters available at my local Walmart at all times without a special sale. Buy the quarters and cut them into drumsticks and thighs. Remove the skin and fat if you want to be healthier.

Chicken Breast: should never be more than $0.99 per lb. This is a sale price that goes on about once a month at my local Kroger. It is chicken breast still on the bone. Cut it off the bone to make your own fillets. Save the bones to make amazing chicken stock.

Pork chops, boneless pork loin, and the huge picnic bone in pork roasts: should never pay more than $0.99 per lb. This happens frequently at my local Kroger, Arlan's market, and the Texas City HEB. I buy LOTS, then freeze them.

A few weeks ago pork chops were $0.99 per lb at a local super market.
Some chops I froze as is, others I removed the bones and ground up to make sausage.

Beef: I'm still learning what a good deal on beef is. I did score a huge beef shoulder roast for $1.97 per lb. Right now I'm sticking to beef that is $2-$3 per lb is a good deal. I buy lots and grind up my own beef using my Ninja blender (it does the job fine), and shape it into burgers which I freeze between pieces of wax paper.

Salmon: I frequently see fresh never frozen farm raised salmon for $4.99 per lb or less at my local Kroger.

Shrimp: Goes on sale for $5 per lb at my local Randalls and Kroger every now and then.

If you are lucky to live by an Aldi store you might be able to score great deals on meat during their special Wednesday meat sales. I know in Florida my local Aldi had this deal going on Wednesdays only.


When meat goes on sale I buy a lot of it and process it myself. When I say process I mean de-bone it, fillet, grind, chop, marinate, etc... Then I put them into portions that are big enough for a meal according to my family size. I wrap the meat in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag. I have large address labels that I write the date and contents of the bag, and stick it on. I don't like to write on my bags since I reuse them. I plan what I'm going to make at least a day before so that I let the meat defrost over night. When I defrost it I take it out of the freezer bag so that it doesn't get contaminated by any meat juices since I reuse them.

The photo above is an example of grinding my own beef, adding seasonings, then forming burger patties. Some I froze with wax paper between each one and put inside a freezer bag. Let them thaw a bit and they are ready to cook.

Please practice safety and sanitary procedures when handling lots of meat. When I know I'm going to buy a ton of meat, I clean my kitchen and sanitize it with bleach before I go buy the meat. Remove all items from all counter surfaces. After you buy the meat, go home and process the meat immediately before the meat gets warm or reaches room temperature. Use sharp knives to get the job done quick. Clean thoroughly with bleach after processing each type of meat.

Fruit & Veggies
Anything $1 per lb or less is a great deal. To get the best deals buy what is in season. Besides, fruits and veggies in season taste better as they are at their peak in flavor. Almost always, my local Walmart has the best normal prices without a sale on fruits and veggies. Secondly, I go to my local Arlan's market, which is a family owned and operated chain of 2 stores in South Texas. Aldi's always had great prices on fruits and veggies too. When something is less than $1 buy a lot of it and freeze it.

 When fruits and veggies are on sale I buy a bunch and soak them in some water and vinegar to thoroughly clean them.

Frozen Veggies
No more than $1 per pack of the smaller bags. Kroger frequently has sales for $1 per pack on Birds Eye, Kroger brand, and Pictsweet brands of frozen veggies. If you see a coupon for these brands print it out asap to have it handy for a sale.

Frozen Fruit
By far the best price on frozen fruit is at Walmart, and wholesale clubs like Sams Cub, or Costco. I get a huge 4lb bag of mixed frozen fruit for $7.98 at Walmart, which is its normal price without a sale.

Canned Veggies & Fruit
Less than $1 after coupons and sale. I frequently get Green Giant whole kernel corn, creamed corn, and green beans at Kroger for $0.50 each with a sale.

Fruit Juices
Anything $1.50-$1 is a great bargain. Juices go on sale all the time at my local Kroger. Pair it with a coupon and you get a great deal. If nothing is on sale and you need juice now, go to Walmart.

Milk
I frequently get 2 gallons of milk for $5 at my local Kroger and Randalls. It seems like during the summer time this deal was occurring every week, just at a different store. Now that it is fall time I don't see this deal happening much. Walgreens and CVS have milk deals every now and then for like $2.19-$2.50 a gallon. Rarely does Target have a milk deal. I got a gallon for $3.19 at Target just last week. If your out of milk and there are no deals at the time, go to Walmart.

Eggs
I saw tons of egg deals at Kroger over the summer for 18 count large eggs, $0.99 each. Once fall came around, I didn't see these deals very much.

Cheese
My local Kroger has a Kroger brand cheese sale at $1.88 for 8 oz cheese slices, shreds, and blocks.  A good deal on cream cheese is $0.99 for 8oz blocks. Kraft brand cheeses also go on sale at Kroger frequently, and make for a good deal if you can get a corresponding coupon.

Cereal
Always have your cereal coupons ready. Almost every week you should find a deal which would make the smaller 12oz-ish boxes of cereals $1 or less. Deals like this regularly happen at Walgreens. Or Kroger has cereal deals going on sometimes too. For the bigger family size boxes around 22-24oz or more anything $2-$3 is a good deal, which can be made better with coupons.

My favorite cereal is on sale for $1.29 a box after discount plus I had a $1.00 off 3 coupon making each 16oz box  $0.96 each.

Dried Pastas
Your goal should be $0.50 or FREE for pasta. In Florida with my local Publix I would score this all the time with their BOGO deals. Once I moved to Texas, I'm lucky to get $0.60 or less. Usually I get deals on pasta at Kroger. Barilla and Skinner pasta brands frequently go on sale at Kroger as part of their buy 10 get $5 off promotions.

Pasta Sauce
Goal should be $0.50-$1.00 each. Pasta sauce deals are hard to come by in my area. I usually get better deals on pasta during a Kroger sale.

Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
Should not pay more than $0.50 per roll including sale and any coupons. I find the best deals on paper products at Walgreens or CVS.

Toothpaste, floss, & Toothbrushes
Should ALWAYS be FREE after sale price, coupons, catalinas, extra care bucks, register rewards, etc...

Body Wash
FREE to no more than $1. This happens frequently at Walgreens and CVS when you pair the sale with coupons.

Razors
Depends on which brands you like. Target has a deal where if you buy 2 you get a $5 target gift card on the more expensive types of razors like Gillette Fusion etc...Paired with a coupon and I got some for $3 each (thats compared to the $11 regular sale price). Bic Soliel razors, which are my favorite go on sale rarely at Walgreens or CVS and when paired with a coupon I have scored some for $1 or less per pack. Periodically I get a BOGO Bic Soliel coupon in the newspaper which I use even if there is not a sale. You can get great deals on the cheaper disposable schink razors all the time. I just don't know what is a good deal on those because I dont buy them.

Shaving Cream
Should pay no more than $1 each after sales and coupons. Deals frequently appear at Walgreens, CVS, and periodically at Kroger. I got 7oz Skintimate shaving cream for $0.75 at Kroger after coupons and sale.

Shampoo & Conditioners
$1 or less or FREE. I've gotten lots of free ones using coupons at Walgreens, CVS, and Kroger. I dont keep track so much of shampoo, conditioners, and body washes like I used to ever since I switched to the no shampoo method, which is baking soda and water to clean my hair, followed by an apple cider vinegar and water rinse. I'm going to post about this soon.

Medicines: Pain, Cold, and Allergy
Wait for the end of Fall/beginning of Winter to stock up on a years worth of these items. They go on sale like crazy ay Walgreens and CVS. Plus there are tons of coupons floating around for these items during flu season. I've gotten full size bottles of Dayquil/Nyquil for $0.50 each at Walgreens before.

Baking Items & Spices
When Fall comes around, its time for some great baking deals. Companies unless tons of spice and baking essentials coupons as they prepare for the holiday baking season. I've seen deals at Kroger and Randalls for BOGO spices. Pair it with a coupon and you can get a great deal. For staples such as flour and sugars, go to Walmart if your out and need it now.

Clothes
Buy after the season is over and items go on clearance. Check Target's coupon section for coupons on their Merona, Xhileration, etc...brands, especially when school is about to start. I also check dealnews.com for sales on clothes on websites.

I got the skirt below at Target for $0.80 after the use of a coupon and it was all ready on clearance.

Forever21 also has some decent BOGO sales periodically.
www.jcpenny.com has a good selection of clothes on clearance. They go out of stock quickly though.

Honestly I dont spend more than $10 on any shirts, or more than $15 on jeans or pants. Dresses, sweaters and such, no more than $20. I shop a lot at Ross and Target. Also DDs Discounts when I had one close to me.

I like New York and Company work shirts because the material lasts forever. Seriously, I've owned some of their button up work shirts for years and years and they don't fade. I buy them when they go on sale or with a coupon for $20 or less.

I dont like buying things for myself unless I can try them on. So if I buy online its from a website that I can go to their physical store and return it if I don't like it. Many online stores have sales with free shipping without a minimum, especially during a holiday.