What's really a deal at Kroger this week?

Now I'm going to assure you that I'm the biggest price nerd you know.

I opened the Sunday newspaper this morning to find Kroger's weekly ad, featuring a "Case Sale!"

I thought it could be promising. We are conditioned to think that if we buy in bulk, we are getting a great price.

Here are some examples of the Kroger Case Sale and my comments:

Kroger Canned Vegetables. Case of 24: $13.20.
The little red graphic star reads "Wow! Just .55 cents ea."

I know this isn't the lowest price. At least a couple times per year, Kroger puts their brand of canned vegetables on sale for .50 cents each. You can make that into your case sale when they go to that lower price. Help yourself to the cardboard "flat" on the vegetables shelf, and create your own mix of canned veggies then. 24 cans would be $12, or you could just buy 12 cans for $6.

Kroger Chunky Soup
Case of 12, $15.48
Advertising text reads: "Wow! Just $1.29 ea"

Again, the Kroger soups is another item that goes on a deeper sale. I've seen this on sale at Kroger for $1.00 each.

Kroger Cheese
Case of 12 for $18

This is one deal I might consider and freeze it up. By getting 12, the price each is $1.50.
Usually, the lowest price Kroger has on their cheese is 3 for $5 ($1.66).
Choose from selected varieties, bars or shredded cheese, 8 ounce sizes.

Pillsbury Cake Mix
Case of 12, $10.68
Advertising text reads: "Wow! Just .89 cents ea"

My eyes got wide on this one. This is not a deal, and I'll tell you how to get a deal.
Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, etc regularly compete with each other. Very often, a store will have the cake mixes on sale for .88 cents each (remember their .88 cent sales?!?) or even a dollar each. There are very often .50 cents off coupons, which double to make the item free - or almost free, if you have a smaller value coupon.

Last week, on Publix's Buy One Get One Free sale, I was able to get a package of Pillsbury Cake Mix for only .05 cents (FIVE CENTS PEOPLE!!!) because I only bought one at half price, then used a coupon that doubled.

So if you are a professional cake baker, maybe the Kroger Case Deal would be a good deal by making it easy for you to buy a lot. But for the average consumer, this is not a deal.

BEST DEALS:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (Thin sliced or Tenders, Perdue) on a buy one get one free sale.
• Also Ready Pac Garden Salad (bagged) .99 cents
• Tyson selected varieties are .25 cents off.
• Pork Chops, $1.99 per pound.
  

Sale runs Sunday February 8th through Saturday, February 14, 2009.

FINAL VERDICT:

Kroger really needs to try harder to present some real bargains to consumers.

Links:

Save money by buying ahead (stockpiling)

Snellville Kroger Deals This Week

I continue to be greatly disappointed by Kroger's recent sale offerings, but here are the 'stand outs' this week, valid 8/17 - 8/23.

Many of the Kroger branded products are on sale for a dollar:

• Kroger pretzels (sometimes these can be rather bland)
• Kroger sour cream (16 ounce) ... really good deal for this, usually it's only the 8 ounce container that will go on sale for a dollar.
• Kroger Cream Cheese - $1
  
• Kroger saltine crackers - these are good crackers - I grew up on them! However, they are very crumbly. They don't hold up well to a slice of cheese or a spread, unless you are very very careful. But, if you have children who love crackers like mine do, these are a fantastic deal. Compare the price to Nabisco Premium Saltines, usually $2.79 at most stores. The Premium Saltines are wonderful though and they should be, at that price!

Another good Kroger brand deal is the Kroger Premium Ice Cream, $2 each half gallon. Buy two of them using your Kroger Plus Card, and you can get a 2 ltr of A&W Root Beer (regular or diet), free! This is great ice cream. The packaging is "old style" but the ice cream is excellent. It's root beer float time!

Buy the FlavorSeal Ground Beef in the 5 pound package (the one that looks like a freakishly huge sausage roll) for only $7.95. This averages out to $1.59 per pound. I portion it into five 1-pound packages when I get home, keep a pound or two to use for the week, and freeze up the rest.

Kroger Self Rising Pizza is on sale for $3.50.

Land O'Lakes Butter Spread Margarine in the 8-15 oz size is also on sale for $1.

Bounty Basic Paper Towels on sale for $1

Kleenex Olympic Tissue (I think it probably just has Olympic graphics on the package): $1

So, there are a few good basic deals, but it's not a week to stock up much.

Kroger Sale List - Today Thru Saturday July 19

Here are some of the Kroger deals this week. To view the circular, click here, but I will give you an overview of what is a deal and what might not be a deal here.

Kroger is having their 10 for $10 sale again. Keep in mind that some things for a dollar are a great deal for the dollar, but on some of them a dollar isn't really a super price. I haven't listed any of the dollar deals that are mediocre.

If there is a coupon circulating for the item and I know about it, I'll put an asterisk before the item. This is not a complete list, but just a list of some of the things that caught my eye.

Kroger frozen vegetables, $1

Pictsweet Steamers, $1

*Bounty Basic Big Roll Paper Towel $1 - look for free printable coupons
July 6th Proctor and Gamble Sunday Insert had .25 cents off coupon. Doubled, it would take .50 cents off each roll, making it only .50 cents your final cost.

Kroger Saltine Crackers $1 ... these aren't strong saltines...they don't hold up to a spread and they are very crumbly, but if you don't mind that, they are a great value.

Kroger Waffles (Frozen) $1 - I'm not a fan of these. They aren't very tasty and sometimes have a 'freezer' smell and taste. I'm an Eggo Waffle enthusiast. You can often get Eggo Waffles on sale for $1.12, so I would wait.

Everyday Living Bleach $1...This is the Kroger brand generic bleach. I think bleach is bleach, so this is a good price. Sometimes Clorox brand bleach will go on sale for $1.50

*Rice a Roni/Pasta Roni $1 Stock up if you have coupons...check the expiration dates on the packages and add to your stockpile as appropriate. It usually keeps a long time. Look for free printable coupons

*Hunts Snack Pack Pudding $1
If you don't need/want pudding in individual cups, keep in mind that Publix has the tubs of Kozy Shack Pudding on sale Buy one Get one Free this week. It is delicious but the Kozy Shack isn't individual cups, like this Snack Pack deal. These are nice for school lunches. Look for coupons

Glade Air Freshener Aerosol $1...

Kroger Cream Cheese Bar $1

*French's Yellow Mustard $1...there is a .30 cent off coupon circulating, and once Kroger doubles it, then your mustard ends up being only .40 cents Look for coupons
The coupon was in the June 22 SmartSource Insert.

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce $1

Betty Crocker Cake Mix $1...ever notice that frosting will never be on sale the same time as the cake mix? Get the cake mix when it's a good deal, but avoid the temptation to buy the frosting. The frosting will be on sale later on. Once you have a bit of a stockpile going, you can always afford to wait for the best price.

*Duncan Hines Brownie Mix $1, wonderful to have on hand. Check for coupons.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast $1.99 lb...good price...stock up if you have a freezer

Keebler Town House Crackers, buy any 4 selected Keebler cracker and cookie selected varieties and get $6 off your total at checkout when you use your Kroger Plus Card. Makes the final price $1.50 each.

Half Gallon Milk is $2.27. The way I figure out if it's a good price is by doubling it to get what the price would be per gallon. 2.27 x 2 is $4.54, which is a fairly good price. It works out to about a .50 cent per gallon discount.

Bone in pork chops 1.99 lb. Pretty good price for pork chops, but the kind Kroger has with the bone in are kind of hit and miss. Often the pork chop on top in the package looks great and the pork chops underneath are a disappointment.

*Carolina Pride...the full line of Carolina Pride meat products is 40% off. Look for coupons

Tostitios 2.50...fairly decent price

*General Mills or Post Cereals 2.50..some stores have had cereal on sale for 1.99 lately so I'd just buy what I need and save stocking up for another time and a better deal. Look for coupons

*Tide 2x detergent, 24-32 load bottle ... $5.99 ...I don't usually buy Tide because it is so expensive, and I still think this is expensive, but it's a good price for Tide brand. Look for coupons
.35 cents off coupon was in the July 6 Proctor and Gamble Sunday Coupon Insert. This coupon will be worth .70 when doubled.

Popsicle treats Buy one Get one Free

Pepsi 12 pack fridge cans 4 for $12...don't you hate how they do that? Why don't they just say $3 each?

*Tropicana Orange Juice Carton $2.99...typical price but look for coupon

Freschetta Pizza $4.50 ... Kroger has had this special price a lot lately. Publix had these for $5.00 each.

Breyer's Ice Cream 2.27

*Suave Shampoo 1.50 Look for coupons
Suave Coupons were in the July 13th Red Plum Sunday Insert.

*Suave Conditioner 1.50 Look for coupons
Suave Coupons were in the July 13th Red Plum Sunday Insert.

*Suave Deodrant 1.50 Look for coupons
Suave Coupons were in the July 13th Red Plum Sunday Insert.
Suave Deodorant Coupons also were in the May 18th Red Plum Insert (.75 cents off)

Suave or Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion 2.49 Look for coupons
Suave Coupons were in the July 13th Red Plum Sunday Insert.

Orbit Gum $1

Hormel Natural Choice Lunchmeat $2.50 Look for coupons

Kroger is moving out their summer furniture and merchandise (patio sets, pools, etc) while supplies last, clearance for 40-50% off original retail. If you have been thinking about getting a patio set, you should check it out immediately for the best selection.