Looking Beyond Grocery Stores for Food Deals

While researching grocery deals, it dawned on Frugal Family that we needed to think outside the box store. Food deals can be found at drug stores just as they can at our usual grocer. That is this week’s focus – the top four drug stores right here in Moorpark. 

We realize, of course, that you can’t find everything on the grocery list at a drug store, but since drug stores typically offer better prices on nonfood items, why not take a look at their pantry specials? We’ve included prices for some common items to also be included in your price book (See the Household Tips portion of this column for an explanation of price books). Perhaps your price book is beginning to reveal some patterns to you by now?

• – Rite Aide offers a club card called the Wellness Card. Like most store cards, you get special deals and accumulated points for customer loyalty. This week, Rite Aide is offering many buy-one, get-one free deals—such as Kellogg’s cereals and cereal bars, plus Purex laundry supplies—for card holders. Rite Aide specials tend to run on a slightly different schedule than other stores, in that these deals are ending tomorrow, April 28, and the new cycle will begin Friday. For new deals check RiteAide.com on Friday and see what else will become available.

• CVS – CVS’ loss-leader deals are always on the front of its weekly flier. Such deals include the following: multiple snack items at 12-for-$10, two-liter bottles of Coca Cola for 88 cents, five ounce cans of Bumble Bee chunk light tuna for 59 cents, Post cereals are three-for-$8, with $3 extra bucks earned. Prices are good until Saturday.

• – Walgreens always has a big yellow highlighted box on the front of its flier offering deals for less than a dollar. This week’s featured products are Fla-Vor-Ice and Jelly Belly frozen treats at 59 cents a box, perfect for stocking up for your pre-summer needs, and candy varieties at 39 cents each. Additionally, with flier coupons, there is Kleenex tissue at $1.09 a box, Geisha or Chicken of the Sea canned shrimp or tuna at two-for-$3, and Walgreens pure honey, 32 oz. bottle for only $3.99. These specials are available until Saturday.

• – Target’s flier reflects specials of Market Pantry shredded cheese for $2.15. Hillshire lunch meat 8-to-9 ounce containers are offered at $2.89. If you have a little one that needs formula, Target is offering a $10 gift card when you buy any two 33.2 or 35 ounce Enfamil refills at $32.99. Prices are good until Saturday. For additional savings, Target offers many coupons on their products online at MyWeeklyTarget.com—a sure way to double up on the savings opportunity.

Household Tip of the Week – Have you given up on saving on the cost of gas?  Don’t! Frugal Family did some research and found 66 Ways to Save Money on Gasoline at TreeHugger.com. The site provides some old as well as some innovative ideas to save. They also provide additional information on having a greener auto. Take a look at this page on the site.

For an additional way to save some gas—and time—Frugal Family tried to find a web site devoted to researching the cost of groceries without running all over town. We didn’t find one for regular prices, but we did find one that shows current sale prices. You can literally choose more than one store to compare any current sales price on a particular item. GroceryGuide.com is definitely an avenue to streamline the process of choosing the best location for shopping at the lowest current price.

Now for that Price Book: We've gathered some non-sale prices on common items so you can compare and track who has the best deal on regular prices of foods that you buy on an ongoing basis.

Rite Aide

Dozen eggs $1.99

Butter, ½ pound $3.09

2 percent fat 1 gallon milk $3.09

CVS

Dozen eggs $2.79

Butter ½ pound $2.59

2 percent fat 1 gallon milk $3.09

Walgreens

Dozen eggs $1.99

Butter 1 pound $3.99

2 percent fat 1 gallon milk $3.12

Target

Dozen eggs $1.79

Butter 1 pound $2.99

2 percent fat 1 gallon milk $3.04

   About this column: We're all watching our family budgets these days. Whether shopping with coupons or looking for two-for-one deals, we're taking advantage of all sorts of offers and savings that help us stretch our dollars. This column is dedicated to giving you great local deals each week that will help your family’s bottom line. Since we do the scouting for you, you can save time as well as money. You, readers, are a big part of this column. Let’s hear about the deals you've seen. Just add them to our comment box. Come back each week and see what we've uncovered, together!