Western Beef: Cheap lemon juice, pasta, and milk

I used to shop a lot at Western Beef, but I haven't much lately.  Instead, I've been buying vegetables at Penn-Dutch and using the $2 off $10 coupons that appear in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.  But this week, a special caught my eye: milk was only 99¢ per gallon!  There is a limit of 1 and a separate $10 purchase is required.

I also saw a good deal on Fronte imported pasta - only 50¢ per 1-pound bag.  That's as good of a deal as you can get by combining sales with coupons, and much easier to buy!

While there, I also picked up the house brand lemon juice - it's almost half the price of lemon juice at ALDI!   So cheap, and my kids love to drink lemonade.  (Quick recipe: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup lemon juice, 7 cups water.  Stir.  Why buy frozen lemonade concentrate?)

And I also took advantage of their large Hispanic grocery selection to pick up some bulgur wheat - great for making tabbouleh!

Here's what I got:

Read more »

Read more...

Chicken, sugar, and bananas

Today I went to four, count 'em, four grocery stores.  Two of them were just quick trips to get a couple of things.

I went to Western Beef to get a deal on sugar: 4 pounds for $1.50.  That's a great deal and I didn't even need coupons!  I also picked up bananas there.  And I went to the kosher butcher to pick up some chicken.  Yes, the numbers below are the real prices.  Kosher meat is very expensive - one of the reasons I coupon is so that I'll have enough money in my budget to afford to buy the meat.

Here's what I got:

Read more »

Read more...

Too much shopping!

I can't believe how much shopping I've done in just the past couple of days.   Check out all my receipts!

I'm already way over budget and I still have shopping at CVS and Walgreens on Sunday to go this week.  Ack!  Here are all the places I've shopped in the past couple of days:

• 2 trips to ALDI
• 1 trip to the kosher supermarket
• 1 trip to Western Beef
• 2 trips to Publix
• 2 trips to CVS
• 1 trip to Walgreens

I'll describe the ALDI, Western Beef, and kosher store trips here; I'll post separately about Publix and the drug stores.

I first stopped at ALDI to pick up just a few things - bread, juice, and veggies.  I also found a great buy in the savings aisle - large boxes of strawberry frosted mini-wheats for 99¢ each.  There were only three boxes left; I was tempted to take all three, but only ended up taking two and left the last one for someone else.

1 multi-colored peppers 2-pack @ $1.39
2 dozen large eggs @ $1.49 = $2.98
4 cans tuna @ 59¢ = $2.36
2 strawberry wheat cereal @ 99¢ = $1.98
2 apple juice concentrate @ 92¢ = $1.84

Total spent: $11.84

The next day, I went to the kosher supermarket to get some meat, as I was pretty much out!  Yes, the prices are real - I haven't added an extra digit or two.  Kosher meat is expensive because the animal feed is more expensive, there is more labor and time needed to kill and butcher the animal, the expense of shipping the meat from kosher butchering plants in the Midwest, and because there is simply lower demand for the meat.

3.48 lb boneless chicken breasts @ $4.99/lb = $17.37
7.47 lb whole chicken @ $2.69/lb = $20.12
2.99 lb ground beef @ $4.99/lb = $14.92

Total spent: $52.41

My old ALDI is just around the corner from the kosher store (I now shop at a newer, closer ALDI), and my husband had asked for some crackers and fruit bars to eat at work, so I stopped at ALDI again.  And I realized I was out of a few things like salmon for my Char Crust Salmon & Veggies as well as cheese, so I picked them up as well.

1 Parmesan cheese @ $2.39
1 2-lb frozen salmon @ $7.99
1 fruit & grain bars @ $1.49
1 16-oz shredded cheddar @ $2.99
1 woven wheats crackers @ $1.39
1 cream cheese @ $1.19
1 Reeva rinse aid @ $1.99

Tax: 12¢
Total spent: $19.55


Lastly, I went to Western Beef yesterday.  It was the last day of their sales cycle, and I wanted to pick up more pasta at 50¢ per 1-pound package that I got last week.  I'm glad I did because this time they had some different pasta shapes that weren't there last week.  I also picked up some produce.

10 Flora 1-lb pasta @ 50¢ = $5.00
1.83 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $1.08
2.41 lb plum tomatoes @ 79¢/lb = $1.90

Total spent: $7.98

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Western Beef: Lotsa pasta

I headed out to Western Beef today to pick up not only the usual produce, but also to take advantage of a great deal: 1-pound bags of Flora brand pasta for only 50¢ each. No coupons necessary. That's my kind of deal!

Here's what I got:

12 Flora pasta @ 50¢ = $6.00
1 head lettuce @ 99¢
1.70 lb plum tomatoes @ 79¢/lb = $1.34
2 scallions @ 43¢ = 86¢
4 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $2.00
2.21 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $1.30

Total spent: $12.49
Total saved compared to Western Beef full prices: $9.48

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

More holiday grocery shopping

Here's some more holiday grocery shopping I did this week:

Western Beef:
1 cantaloupe @ 99¢
2.59 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $1.53
2 heads lettuce @ 50¢ = $1.00
1 parsley @ 60¢
0.88 lb green pepper @ 99¢/lb = 87¢
4 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $2.00
1 sleeve garlic @ 89¢

Total spent: $7.88

ALDI:

1 sandwich bags @ $1.99
1 quart-sized bags @ $1.99
1 apple juice concentrate @ 92¢
1 Parmesan cheese @ $2.39
1 2-lb bag carrots @ 69¢
1 3-lb bag apples @ $2.69
1 3-lb sweet potatoes @ 99¢
2 celery @ 79¢ = $1.58

Tax: 24¢
Total spent: $13.48

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Western Beef: Colorful peppers galore

At Western Beef today, there were two great produce sales: 69¢ per pound for red, yellow, and orange peppers, and 49¢ for Roma tomatoes.  I love living in Florida; we have the best produce in the winter and spring!

Here's what I got:

1.86 lb red peppers @ 69¢/lb = $1.28
1.64 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = 97¢
1.88 lb Roma tomatoes @ 49¢/lb = 92¢
2 scallions @ 3/$1.19 = 80¢
2.47 lb orange peppers @ 69¢/lb = $1.70

Total spent: $5.67

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Western Beef: Eggs for 50¢ per dozen!

My local Western Beef had a great sale this week: medium eggs for 50¢ per dozen, limit 2. This is much cheaper than ALDI, where large eggs are currently running $1.19 per dozen.  I usually get large eggs, but you can substitute 1 medium egg for 1 large egg if what you're making has fewer than 3 eggs.  If your recipe has 4-6 eggs, just add one more medium egg.

I also took the opportunity to pick up some sales-priced produce there.  And because my kids are home for Spring Break this week, I bought some blueberry bagels for them for lunch.

Here's what I got:

2 dozen medium eggs @ 50¢ = $1.00
2 bunches scallions @ 43¢ = 86¢
3 bagels @ 3/$1.89 = $1.89
1.89 lb green pepper @ 50¢/lb = 95¢
2 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $1.00
1.73 lb tomato @ 50¢/lb = 87¢
2.72 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $1.60

Total spent: $9.16

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Western Beef: Play it again!

Last week, I did a great deal at Western Beef: I bought two gallons of milk at $2.50 each, about $5 worth of produce, then bought a 4-lb bag of sugar for 99¢ (with a $10 purchase).

This week, before the shopping week ended, I did the same deal again!

Here's what I got:

2 gallons milk @ $2.50 = $5.00
1 Western Beef lemon juice @ 99¢
2 heads iceberg lettuce @ 50¢ = $1.00
1 celery @ 99¢
2.17 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $1.28
1.23 lb plum tomatoes @ 89¢/lb = $1.09
1 4-lb Domino sugar @ 99¢ (with $10 purchase)

Total spent: $11.34

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Milk for $2.50 per gallon!

I made a special trip over to the Western Beef supermarket in my area because of two great deals there.

First of all, from today through next Thursday, milk is $2.50 per gallon!  There's a limit of two gallons per customer at this price.  That's 39¢ per gallon cheaper than ALDI, which normally has the least-expensive milk in my area.

Second, they have 4-lb bags of Domino sugar for 99¢ with a purchase of $10 or more.

So this seemed like an easy deal: get two gallons of milk, $5 in sales-priced produce, and then get the sugar.  Easy!  No couponing or complex planning necessary.

Here's what I got:

2 gallons milk @ $2.50 = $5.00
3 cucumbers @ 3/$1.00 = $1.00
1 sleeve celery @ 99¢
1.94 lb green pepper @ 89¢/lb = $1.73
2 heads iceberg lettuce @ 50¢ = $1.00
3.92 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $2.31
1 4-lb bag Domino sugar @ 99¢

Total spent: $13.02

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

I miss my produce store

I used to crow about all the great deals I got at my local produce store.  And I loved the low prices - I often bought cheap vegetables even if I didn't have a plan for how to use them.  It gave more variety in our diet and made for a challenge to find recipes to use them up!

But the store closed last summer, so now I mostly buy produce at my local Western Beef supermarket.  It has good prices on some vegetables, but others are very high priced, so I have to be careful with what I pick.  I usually just get some basic salad vegetables.

I'm going to have to find a new produce stores as one of my Three Thrifty Things in a future week!

Here's what I got at Western Beef:

1 head lettuce @ 79¢
2.17 lb green peppers @ 79¢/lb = $1.71
2 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $1.00
3.86 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $2.28
1.09 lb tomatoes @ 79¢ = 86¢
2 lb onions @ 99¢
1 celery @ 99¢

Total spent: $8.62

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Veggie deals at Western Beef

Now that my produce store has gone out of business, I usually go to Western Beef to get deals on vegetables. Their stock is better than ALDI's, and their sale prices are pretty low. One down side is that the area dedicated to produce is tiny; it is always difficult to navigate the shopping cart around.

While at Western Beef, I also found packages of frozen ravioli and gnocchi on sale for $1.50 each. There were only 4 packages left, and I bought them all. I hate buying the last of an item - sorry to my fellow shoppers. But I wish there had been more in stock.

Here's what I got:

2 strawberries @ BOGO $2.99 = $2.99
1.12 lb red pepper @ $1.39/lb = $1.56
4 ravioli/gnocchi @ $1.50 = $6.00
2.00 lb plum tomatoes @ 69¢/lb = $1.38
1 bag baby carrots @ $1.50
3 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $1.50
1 celery @ 99¢

Total spent: $16.91

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.)

Read more...

Avocados and cilantro

I made two trips over to Western Beef yesterday and today to pick up items for my Avocado and Cilantro Pesto Pizza and my Cilantro Pesto Guacamole. (I entered the Guac Off Recipe Contest, but I had misread the directions and thought it was an avocado recipe contest. So I had to make a second recipe.)

Pictured below is from the first trip; I've added the second trip's items to the list and treated it as if it was one trip.

2.73 lb green pepper @ 69¢/lb = $1.88
1.15 lb plum tomatoes @ 99¢/lb = 79¢
1.38 lb Romaine lettuce @ $1.49/lb = $2.06
1 celery @ $1.19
2 cilantro bunches @ 69¢= $1.38
3 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $1.50
2 Western Beef chickpeas @ 3/$2.00 = $1.33
2 strawberries @ $1.50 = $3.00
3 avocados @ 89¢ = $2.67
0.11 lb jalapenos @ $1.99/lb = 22¢
3 lb bag apples @ $2.99

Total spent: $19.01

Read more...

Western Beef: Just a few veggies

I bought a lot of veggies at ALDI earlier in the day, so I stopped by Western Beef to see what other veggies they had on sale. The pickings were slim - I guess the Florida produce isn't yet in season. So I didn't get too much:

1.65 lb green pepper @ 99¢/lb = $1.63
2 scallions @ 2/$1.29 = $1.29
2.09 lb tomatoes @ 79¢ = $1.65

Total spent: $4.57

Read more...

Grocery shopping: Running from store to store

Our grocery stockpiles were pretty full this week, so earlier this week I ended up just running to a few different stores to pick up a few items at each. I wish I could just go to one store, but I feel terrible buying something at full price at one store, knowing that it's cheaper just a mile away!

Here's what I got:

Western Beef:
0.90 lb plum tomatoes @ $1.19/lb = $1.07
1 bunch scallions @ 65¢
1.65 lb green pepper @ 79¢/lb = $1.30
1 3-lb bag Gala apples @ $2.99
3 cucumbers @ 50¢ = $1.50

Total spent: $7.51

Kosher Supermarket:
4.72 lb chicken breasts @ $4.99/lb = $23.55
3.62 lb ground beef @ $4.99/lb = $18.06

Total spent: $41.61

ALDI:
2 gallons milk @ $2.99 = $5.98
1 juice pouches @ $1.79
1 box instant oatmeal @ $1.39
1 frozen juice concentrate @ 92¢
1 cottage cheese @ $2.19

Tax: 11¢
Total spent: $12.38

Walmart:
2.82 lb bananas @ 38¢/lb = $1.07
4 GV Great Northern beans @ 68¢ = $2.72

Total spent: $3.79


Total spent on four trips: $64.22

Read more...

Western Beef: Cheap flour?

I stopped by Western Beef yesterday to take advantage of a great deal that they have this week: a 5-lb bag of Flavorite all-purpose flour (their house brand) for 99¢, with an additional $10.00 purchase.

I picked out a few veggies, a couple cans of beans on sale for 50¢ each, and a salad for lunch from their deli (not counted here - that comes out of my personal expenses budget).  Once I was sure that I had $10.00 worth, I picked up the bag of flour.

As I put it in my cart, a woman came up to me and said, "I wouldn't get that if I were you."

I was surprised.  "Why?" I asked.

"That flour is terrible.  Everything I bake with it doesn't come out right."

I thought for a moment, then said, "You're probably right, but I'm going to try it anyway."

So is it cheap flour in price, or cheap flour in quality?  We'll find out.  Personally, I doubt that it is any different from the house brand flours you'd find at Publix or ALDI, and I've never had a problem with those flours.  So we shall see!

Here's what I got:

1 head iceberg lettuce @ 99¢
2 bunches scallions @ 2/$1.29 = $1.29
1.65 lb tomatoes @ 79¢/lb = $1.22
1.53 lb red pepper @ $1.19/lb = $1.82
2 cans Rico black beans @ 50¢ - $1.00
1 5-lb bag Flavorite all-purpose flour @ 99¢ (regularly $2.09)

Total spent: $7.31
Total saved: $1.10

Read more...

Western Beef: Beans and peppers

My first grocery trip this week was over to Western Beef. They had a good deal on canned beans - 50¢ each. Not as good a deal as they've had in the past, where beans were 33¢, but good enough to add a bunch of cans to my stockpile.

I'm also buying many of my vegetables there now, ever since my produce store closed (sob, sob, sob!). They have excellent prices on some produce there; others are way overpriced. They can't beat the sale prices at ALDI, though.  This week, there was an excellent sale on peppers - 99¢/lb for red, yellow, and orange peppers!  Between the deals on beans and peppers, I can make my recipes for Garlic-Parmesan White Bean Mash or White Beans with Peppers very economically!

Here's what I got:

10 cans Iberia beans @50¢ = $5.00
1.72 lb tomatoes/lb @ 99¢/lb = $1.70
1.48 lb red pepper @ 99¢/lb = $1.47
1.35 lb yellow pepper @ 99¢/lb = $1.34
1.04 lb orange pepper @ 99¢/lb = $1.03
1 scallion @ 65¢
2.34 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $1.38
1 celery @ 99¢
1 head lettuce @ 79¢

Total spent: $14.35

Read more...

Western Beef: More yummy veggies for cheap

The deals on fresh produce have been excellent over at Western Beef. Not sure who their supplier is, but they have been severely undercutting all of the other grocery stores. The produce isn't always picture-perfect - sometimes the peppers are a little curvy, for instance - but it still tastes great.

Although the apples aren't cheap, I like the Western Beef bagged ones because they are very small - perfect for a child's lunch.  Too often the kids eat a few bites of a larger apple, then throw the rest away.  

Here's what I got:

1.29 lb red pepper @ 99¢/lb = $1.28
1.34 lb green pepper @ 89¢/lb = $1.19
2 lb yellow onions @ $1.49
1 lb baby carrots @ 99¢
1.16 lb plum tomatoes @ 69¢/lb = 80¢
1 cantaloupe @ $1.69
4.23 lb bananas @ 59¢/lb = $2.50
2 Florida avocados @ 50¢ = $1.00
1 celery @ 99¢
3 lb apples @ $3.99

Total spent: $15.92

Read more...

Finding fresh veggies

You'd think that it being summer and all, it would be easy to find lots of fresh produce at good prices, would you not?

Here in South Florida, I'm finding that that isn't true.

Our farmers' markets are closed for the summer - it's just too hot and humid to grow conventional vegetables in this weather. My produce store, where I got amazing deals during the summer, is just limping along until the weather gets cooler. 

So I've been going to Western Beef for vegetables most weeks. They have much better prices than Publix or Winn-Dixie or even ALDI (excluding their sale-priced produce). The quality isn't always perfect, but it's acceptable.

Here's what I got this week. Unfortunately I've lost the receipt yet again... I don't know what's wrong with me lately! I recall the prices per pound and the total but don't know exactly how much I spent on each item.

2 iceberg lettuce @ $1.19
1 bunch bananas @ 59/lb
1 3-lb bag Granny Smith apples @ $3.99
4 cucumbers (ate one before I took the picture) @ 50¢
4 tomatoes (ate one before I took the picture) @ 79¢/lb
4 green peppers @ 59¢/lb
5 red Cubanelle peppers @ 79¢/lb

Total spent: $20.12

What's your secret to getting great prices on fresh produce?  Leave a comment below!

Read more...

Western Beef: Amazing deals on eggs and cheese

Besides a fridge-filling trip to ALDI yesterday, I also ran up to the local Western Beef supermarket. I went primarily because of two great deals I saw in their weekly ad:

• Medium eggs, 50¢ per dozen (limit 4)
• Iberia canned beans, 33¢ each (limit 6 with additional $10.00 purchase)

Now I usually use large eggs, but I had to get that great deal - ALDI sells large eggs for $1.29 per dozen, and that's the cheapest price in town.  I looked up the equivalency between egg sizes.  I found that for recipes using 1, 2, or 3 large eggs, you can use the same number of medium eggs as large eggs.  For recipes using 4, 5, or 6 large eggs, add one more medium egg than the recipe calls for.

I purchased black beans and kidney beans at the last Western Beef bean sale, but I didn't have any white beans in stock.  So I picked out a bit more than $10.00 in produce and eggs (and a few bagels as treats for the kids), and got 6 cans of white beans.

After I picked up the eggs, I was ambling down the rest of the dairy aisle when some orange discount tags on shredded cheese bags caught my eye.  The tags were on 8 oz packages of Kraft pizza cheese (a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar).  All of the packages were marked down to 69¢ each!

What a great deal!  I checked to make sure that they weren't on sale because they were going bad, but the sell-by date was several days away. I restrained myself from clearing them out, but I did get eight packages.  Shredded cheese freezes well, so I'll have a couple months' supply of cheese for my homemade pizza, quesadillas, chili, and lots of other recipes.

Here's the rundown of the deals:

4 dozen medium eggs @ 50¢ = $2.00
6 Iberia white beans @ 33¢ = $1.98
3 bagels @ 63¢ = $1.89
8 Kraft pizza cheese @ 69¢ = $5.52
1 iceberg lettuce @ $1.19
0.96 lb tomatoes @ 69¢/lb = 63¢
1 romaine lettuce @ $1.29
1.95 lb grapes @ 99¢/lb = $1.93
1.38 lb green pepper @ 69¢/lb = $1.09
2.09 lb bananas @ 39¢/lb = 82¢

Total spent: $18.23

Read more...

Western Beef: Beans, beans...

Western Beef is a grcoery chain consisting of about 20 stores in New York and 2 in Florida. Their specialty is, well, beef, and other meats. Instead of a freezer case, they have an entire freezer room dedicated to cuts of meat. Wear your jacket! They also have some pretty good deals on produce.

I used to go there a lot until ALDI opened and until I discovered the produce store. But I saw a great deal there - Goya beans were on sale for 33¢ a can, limit 6. So I took a trip over there today. My plan was to have four or five transactions and get six cans each time, and have enough canned beans to last quite a while.

When I got there, I discovered there was another caveat. It was limit 6 with an addition $10 purchase. Ack! So I looked around the store for what else I would buy.

I found some good deals on tomatoes, red peppers, scallions, and cherries (only $1.99 per pound). I also picked up some lettuce as we're finally out. I picked up a bottle of lemon juice - at 99¢ per quart, it beats ALDI's price by 70¢. I got some packages of frozen ravioli, which were on sale for $1.50 each. And I bought a small amount of a salad from their deli (not pictured below). I split the items into two transactions.

The first transaction ended up being $12.60 before the 6 cans of beans. Great. But the second totaled $9.86 before the other 6 cans. What? I checked the register, and the scallions (whose sign said they were 2/$1.00) scanned at 3/$1.29, cheaper than I expected, but set me below the $10 minimum. At first I tried to talk the cashier into raising the price... and then realized how dumb that was. Instead, I grabbed a pack of gum, which cost 30¢ and put more over the minimum. Whew!

All right, here's the details:

Transaction 1:
1.43 lb tomatoes @ 59¢/lb = 84¢
1 romaine lettuce @ $1.29
0.87 lb cherries @ $1.99/lb = $1.73
1 salad @ $3.20
2 ravioli @ $1.50 = $3.00
1.57 lb red pepper @ 99¢/lb = $1.55
1 lemon juice @ 99¢
6 Goya black beans @ 33¢ = $1.98

Total spent: $14.58

Transaction 2:
6 ravioli @ $1.50 = $9.00
2 scallions @ 3/$1.29 = 86¢
1 gum @ 30¢
6 Goya kidney beans @ 33¢ = $1.98

Tax: 2¢
Total spent: $12.16

Total spent in both transactions: $26.74

Read more...