Super Shopping Report: Deal-Hunting around the Perimeter

We headed to VG's this morning to take another shot at the triple coupon deals. We were hoping to find DiGiorno Flatbread Melts and Ragu sauce in stock, but the shelves have been empty on both attempts (we did get rainchecks).

On a whim, I decided to check out the meat case and quickly grabbed these 65-75% off meat markdowns (keep in mind we left quite a bit behind)!:

$0.89 (reg $3.50) Spartan Chicken Drumettes
My husband loves his chicken wings/drumettes!

$1.75 (reg $6.99) Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Breast, 20 oz
We bought 6 packages!

$1.07 (reg $4.29) Jennie-O Ground Turkey Burger Patties

$1.50 (reg $5.99) Smart Chicken Ground Chicken, 1 lb

PLUS,

$2.55 (reg $7.29) Angus Boneless Eye of Round Steaks, family pack
$0.89 (reg $2.55) Angus Boneless Eye of Round Steaks
$1.15 (reg $3.29) Angus Top Round Steaks

$1.06 (reg $3.04) Angus Top Round Steaks

TOTAL: $75.39 of meat for only $20.50!!!

All of the meat was dated with tomorrow's date, so the steaks and chicken drumettes will be packaged and frozen. As for the ground meat, today became an impromptu cooking day. We'll be making multiple batches of:

• Taco Rice from 30 Day Gourmet
• Tammy's Spicy Grilled Turkey Burgers (we omit the red pepper flakes) and I'm tempted to try her Grilled Garlic Herb Turkey Burgers as well
• Spaghetti Sauce (nothing fancy here, we'll just use McCormick seasoning packets!)

And we continue to be amazed at how God has once again provided for our needs. After last week's power outage (and being out of ground turkey anyway), He not only gave us the means to purchase all of the ground turkey we needed, but plenty of added bonuses! Ground turkey is one of few meats I can eat on a restricted diet; we buy 93% lean because it's more affordable, but we were able to get 99% lean turkey breast (even better!) for less than we'd normally pay. We don't usually buy steaks (except for a Father's Day treat), but my husband will really enjoy these super trimmed meats on the grill.

When you're shopping (and you have a minute to spare), take a look around the perimeter of the store. You may find great close-dated markdowns that you'll be able to use in time. Kroger and VG's are great places to look for these and even Meijer has them occasionally. Today VG's had a number of dairy markdowns as well, including gallons of milk for $1.39 (chocolate and skim varieties), cheese and yogurt products. When you can combine these with coupons, you'll stretch your money even further!

CVS: Glucose Meter Moneymaker (and charity request!)

The following deal is listed in the CVS July Clip-Free Booklet (and is valid through the end of July):

$19.99 Bayer Contour Glucose Meter (limit 2 offers per card)
-$30.00/1 Bayer Contour coupon (from 2-1 RP or 3-22 SS), coupon will need to be adjusted down to item price
FREE after coupon, plus you'll get a $5 CVS Extra-Care Buck (ECB) to spend on your next transaction! Thanks, Mommy Snacks!

Note: You'll need a CVS ExtraCare Card for this deal, available in the store if you don't already have one.

Various local charities (plus nursing homes, free clinics and more) would love to be able to share medical equipment with those less fortunate. If you're able to participate in this deal, please consider sharing some glucose meters with others! If you don't know of a local charity that could benefit, simply drop the meters off at the front desk of Trinity Lutheran Church in Utica (45160 Van Dyke at Hall Road). Trinity's Social Ministry director will gladly direct them to local ministries for you.

Kmart: Super Double Coupons July 5-11, 2009

Well, the good news is that Metro Detroit Kmart stores are participating in next week's Super Double Coupon event. The bad news is that Kmart has once again altered the details of the offer. Take a look at this rather large change:

"Super Double Coupons
with purchase of $25 or more in grocery and drugstore merchandise"
According to Common Sense with Money, this $25 requirement is BEFORE coupons.

Limit 10 coupons per customer per day. You may only purchase 4 of the same item using double coupons.

Recipe: Berry Shortcakes

These shortcakes, when topped with strawberries and blueberries, just might be the easy patriotic dessert you were looking for this weekend! Not only that, but they're made with ingredients you already have on hand. And you can bake them ahead of time and freeze (or bake extras for later) for the most convenience. What's not to love?

Berry Shortcakes from 30 Day Gourmet

Be sure to let us know if you give them a try...

Worth Reading: Be your own vending machine

Monroe on a Budget (Michigan Blogger/journalist Paula Wethington) recently wrote an interesting post on how to Be Your Own Vending Machine. There's plenty of money to be saved when purchasing convenience foods and taking your own items to work or school! Read on...

Randazzo: July 1 - 7, 2009

PRODUCE
$0.89/lb Peaches or Nectarines
$0.89/lb Green House Tomatoes
$0.89 Aunt Mid's Snow White Mushrooms, 8 oz
$1.29 Earthbound Farms Organic Carrots, 2 lb bag
$1.99/lb Jumbo Bing Cherries

MEAT/DELI
$2.59/lb Ground Beef from Round, 3 lbs or more
$2.89 Baby Back Ribs, 3 slab pk
$3.99/lb Sahlen's Smokehouse Deli Ham

DAIRY
$0.59 Extra Large Eggs, dozen
$1.50 Country Fresh Sour Cream or French Onion Dip, 16 oz

Come celebrate Randazzo's 1 Year Anniversary - food tasting at the Garfield location July 1-5!
Randazzo's will be open from 8 am - 5 pm on July 4th.

PRINTABLE COUPONS
$1.00 OFF One Large Fruit Salad
$1.00 OFF One Whole Watermelon
$0.50 OFF One 24 pk Randazzo Water


View the entire Randazzo Fresh Market ad this week for more specials, plus store locations and hours.

Nino Salvaggio: July 1 - 7, 2009

PRODUCE

$0.69/lb Sweet Vidalia Onions
$0.99/lb Stem Tomatoes
$1.50 Blueberries

DELI/MEAT
$2.99/lb Winter's Deluxe Ham
$2.99/lb Winter's Garlic Bologna
$3.99/lb Hoffman's Hard Salami

$1.99/lb Nino's Mild & Hot Italian Sausage
$2.39/lb Pork Country Ribs
$2.99/lb Pork Chops
$3.99/lb Baby Back Ribs, 3 pk

GOURMET to GO
$1.69/lb Mustard or American Potato Salad, Creamy Cole Slaw or Macaroni Salad

Take a look at all of the specials this week at Nino Salvaggio!

Home Depot: Kids' Workshop Picnic Caddy July 4

Home Depot Kids' Workshops are FREE "How-To Clinics" designed for children ages 5-12. The workshops are offered on the first Saturday of every month between 9 am and noon at ALL Home Depot stores. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin.

The July 4 project is a picnic caddy - perfect for summer! And projects like this also make great gifts for grandparents, etc! Call your Home Depot location to learn more.