Recently in Grocery Category

Safeway, Vons and Pavilions have a deal through July 29, 2008 that gives you a store rewards coupons when you purchase a number of specially designated items. Buy 9 to 14 of the items and you get a $5 coupon. Buy 15 to 24 of the items and you get $10. Buy 25 or more and you get $20.

Qualifying items are marked in the store. The coupons are good on future purchases but it is unclear if they have an expiration date.

Caveats: participating items must be purchased in one transaction. Limit one rewards certificate per transaction per day. Find a Vons, Safeway or Pavilions near you.

ThriftyKitchen.com takes coupon clipping to the next level. Lisa Leete, who runs the subscription site, plans a week's worth of dinners around items that are on sale with recipes and directions for each night. She promises to feed a family of four for about $60 a week. Six dinners are included, but no lunch or breakfast. Joining costs $10 a month and you can get a free one-month trial here.

The sample menu looks appealing, with ginger glazed Mahi Mahi on one night and chicken with a spicy Chicago rub on another night. Each dinner includes a starch and vegetable or salad.

Looking over her sample menu, however, I see she cuts a few corners to bring the weekly price down. Above the week's grocery list, which lists each item's approximate cost, Leete lists dozens of "pantry items" that are not factored into the $60. The sample menu "pantry items" include six cans of chicken broth, eggs, milk, oil and spices. That really adds up.

I'm also curious how she got 2 pounds of Mahi Mahi for $1.49 or 1 pound of russet potatoes for 68 cents. Perhaps she is buying in bulk then calculating the cost of each meal's portion. That would make sense.

Other than that, the site carries out a cool idea in an easy to use way. Thrifty Kitchen is geared towards Vons and Albertsons shoppers in Southern California but Leete has a "shop anywhere" plan for other subscribers. It may not be a bad idea to join for a month or two and test it out.

Is it just me or are the types of coupons in the Sunday newspaper inserts expanding? A recent insert had a $1 off coupon for Real Simple and 40% off any one item at Avenue. I'm wondering if the coupon people are trying to attract new clippers by expanding the offerings or if retailers are getting so desperate they are using new means of attracting shoppers?

Whatever the case, more folks are clipping coupons, according to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times.

"Amid soaring fuel costs and a housing and credit crisis, Americans last year halted a 16-year trend of declining redemptions by turning in 2.6 billion manufacturers' coupons, according to CMS Inc., a coupon-processing agent and promotions logistics service based in Winston-Salem, N.C. That marked the first year since 1992, when nearly 8 billion coupons were used, that redemptions had not fallen."

Coupon redemption usually rises when the economy gets tough.

I wonder if this deal is a reaction to outrage over Ralphs limiting their coupon doubling program. Many grocery shoppers said they would stop patronizing Ralphs because coupon doubling maxes out at $1. (A 50-cent coupon will be doubled to $1 but a 75-cent coupon will max out at $1.)

This deal may get them back, however. Buy a Ralphs gift card for $300 and they will put $330 on the card. Buy a gift card for $600 and they will put $660 on the card. That's a 10% bonus! The deal ends July 31 and requires you to have a Ralphs loyalty card, which is free.

Caveats: Offer applies to in-store purchases only of new gift cards and does not include re-loads on existing gift cards. Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. One per household. Bonus amounts cannot be redeemed for alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals or lottery tickets.

Find a Ralphs near you.

My eight-week $1 trial of the Grocery Game ended last week and I decided not to join up for $5 per month because I so rarely used the coupons. The concept is very cool, however, and may work for many shoppers.

The site crunches sale prices, coupons and spits out a list of freebies, great deals, and buy-only-if-you-need-it items. You check off what you want then print your own list, which takes about five minutes. Bring the list to the store with your own coupons and save money, in theory.

After the $1 trial ends it costs $10 per every two months for one store plus $5 for every additional store. That means you need to save $1.25 per week - about one or two coupons - to break even.

In practice I rarely purchased the items on the list and found I could save plenty of money by sorting through the Tuesday grocery newspaper circulars, clipping coupons for products I actually buy, and closely monitoring sale prices at the store.

On a recent trip I combined coupons, a 5% off certificate and holiday sales at Albertsons to save 37% off my grocery bill. I got Cheerios for $1.50 per box, cans of tomato paste for $.50 each, 5lb bags of sugar for $2.50 each, ribeye steak for $4/lb, and skinless chicken breasts for $2/lb. In the end I spent $187.59 and saved $110.90!

You should consider testing the membership yourself. The trial is only $1 and it is very easy to cancel.

A new policy at Ralphs limits the maximum savings from any one coupon to $1, according to a story in today's Daily News. Coupons for 50 cents or less will be doubled in full, but coupons for more than 50 cents will be limited to $1. The new policy begins today.

"That new program will include lower prices on thousands of items that customers buy most often," the story says. "It will also introduce a customer loyalty program that will use a "rewards card" to earn shoppers rebates of up to $1,000 a year." Read more about Ralphs reward program.

Vons still doubles coupons. Is it time to switch grocery stores? Depends on how many coupons you use.

I'm testing out the Grocery Game as part of my attempt to rein in my household budget and spend less on food. So far, so good. I paid $1 to join for 4 weeks and have gotten some good tips.

For instance, the chain grocery stores put out their weekly sale flyers in Tuesday's newspaper. The best grocery prices are generally Sunday to Tuesday and Vons has lowest *sale* prices, according to Teri, who runs the Grocery Game.

Here's how the Grocery Game works: you clip your own coupons (from the paper and online) and she does the math. Each list notes items that are free in green, items that are a great deal in blue, and items that you should hold off on in black. A sample list is above. The list assumes you have coupons.

As part of the trial I get access to Teri's lists for as many stores as I want - Vons/Pavillions, Ralphs, Stater Bros, Whole Foods, Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens. After the 30-day trial ends it costs $10 for one list for 8 weeks and $5 for each additional list. If you sign up use my email as a reference, please.

The process is arduous to set up - there is a long list of directions and tips to maximize your savings - but I think once I get into the swing of things it won't be hard to maintain. First trip to the grocery store with the list will be this weekend and I have my fingers crossed. Come on, baby, work for me!

Albertsons has a few deals on food now through Tuesday, May 20. Boneless London broil beef round is $1.69/lb, 64-ounce containers of Tropicana Punch are 10 for $10, Aquafresh Direct toothbrushes or toothpaste are 10 for $10, and fresh limes are 4 for $1.

During their three-day sale Friday, May 16 to Sunday May 18 a max pack of pork spare ribs are 99 cents/lb and a 1.75 liter of Absolut Vodka is $22.

Find an Albertsons near you and look for your local sales flyer here.

Here are a bunch of Web sites where you can download grocery coupons. Some are free, others charge. Please share your favorites coupon sites by leaving a comment (click on the tiny "comments" link underneath this post). That way everyone can benefit. Good luck finding one that makes money for you!

CouponMom.com--Run by coupon clipper extraordinaire Stephanie Nelson, who once paid $18 for $103 worth of groceries. Nelson shares her secrets on this site, which boasts hundreds of dollars worth of coupons. The site's virtual coupon organizer lists the date and page coupons can be found in a Sunday newspaper, but no actual coupons. You have clip and organize them yourself.

CheapCooking.com--Just what it sounds like, a site with recipes and ideas to make cheap meals at home. Check out their serving calculator to figure out how much meat at a certain price costs you per serving (it assumes you are cooking one serving/person).

FrugalFamilyKitchen.com--A well-written site that combines frugal ideas on cooking to stories about the writer's life as it relates to food. I loved her story about a resilient turkey that escaped...

Today through Tuesday, May 20 Ralphs advertises these sale prices: four boxes of Post cereal (Raisin Bran or Honey Bunches of oats) for $6, 10 Ralphs brand yogurts cups for $5, whole tri-tip for $2.99/lb, boneless pork sirloin chops in value packs for $2.49/lb, sirloin or blade pork loin chops for $1.99/lb, Gold Medal bread for $1.79/loaf, Barilla Pasta is 10 for $10, two packs of GE compact fluorescent light bulbs are $6, plus there are buy one get one free deals on a handful of toiletries. Caveats: discounts require you to have a club card. You can use coupons on top of these sales!

Browse the weekly ad for your zip code. Print up to 68 coupons at home through Ralphs Web site. Note, you need the Smart Source Coupon Printer to do this.

Ralphs also sells some generic prescriptions for $4 and 90-day supplies of some prescriptions for $10. Find a Ralphs near you.

Hubby and I spend a lot of moolah on groceries, between $400 and $600 a month. I came across this horrifying number while writing a story about trimming my household budget during a lean economy. Seeing the number in print - and realizing it obliterated my clothing budget - pushed me to use grocery coupons. Again. Would it work this time? Past attempts have been so frustrating or a huge waste of time. Ocassionally both!

This last try I stuck to the basics - clipping coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Master this and I might delve into the graduate school of grocery coupons - online savings programs. I made my shopping list first, noting several items that we could stock up on if they were on sale, like meat and cereal. Then I pulled out my coupon organizer and tossed out my expired coupons, slippery reminders of my failed attempts.

I clipped coupons only for products I buy, leaving behind ones for pet food, processed cheese, and instant rice. Coupons that I wanted to use that very grocery trip I put in front. Others I filed into categories for dairy, cereral/bread/grains, and the bathroom.

At Albertsons I flipped through the coupons I had pulled for the trip to remind myself to look for these items. A better idea would be to add them to my list with a -c at the end so I know I have a coupon for them.

I used five of the seven coupons and was like a hawk when it came to store sales. 20 yogurts for $10, load 'em up! Generic brand brown sugar packets for 69 cents, you bet! I also carefully did the math to discover fresh squeezed OJ on sale was actually cheaper than frozen OJ.

The checker rung me up. I owed $89.64. Then I gave her my club card and coupons and we both watched my bill jump down, down, down to $61.23. I saved $28.41, including $4.75 in coupons!

I hope my bill will drop even more as I build up my stash of coupons. I may start shopping at Ralphs, which doubles coupons. (I have resisted until now because my sense is their prices are higher than the Albertsons in my neighborhood.) My next step is to check manufacturer Web sites for coupons and get Hubby on board. My coupon career has set sail!

I rarely read the OC Register but a friend brought me the Sunday paper recently and I found tips to tame grocery prices by Reuters columnist Linda Stern buried on page 9 of Marketplace. Some of her best ideas:

+Buy frozen fish. Even the "fresh" fish at the meat counter has probably been frozen before. Prices on still-frozen fish in the freezer section are often cheaper.

+Use meat for flavor, not bulk. I've started to cut the meat we eat into smaller portions and use slightly less overall. So far, Hubby has not noticed and he is a carnivore through and through. Cooking with chicken or beef stock will also up the meaty flavor of a dish without requiring the real thing! A serving of meat is roughly the size of a deck of cards.

+Buy containers, then repackage bulk goods on your own. You can do this even if you don't shop at Costco. This works for chips, yogurt, veggies, and lots more.

+Stock up on sales. Stern recommends this for pasta, lightbulbs and toothpaste, and I would add to that list cereal, baking ingredients like flour and brown sugar (if you bake, like me), meat, bread, nuts, vitamins, canned goods (duh!), and anything else that you use regularly and that has a decent shelf life or can be frozen. Bread products freeze particularly well.

Thanks, Scottie!

The future of the Bargain Hunter is themed days, my sister and loyal reader advises me. You know, a slew of blog posts devoted to one subject, like the beach, or green clothes, or kids.

"Oh, really?" you say. Me thinks so, plus my sister is a smart gal so I'm giving her suggestion a trial run. Once a week I'm going to have a theme to my posts (other than saving a buck), starting with groceries. I'd love your feedback, whether you love/hate the concept or have great/terrible suggestions for a theme.

Please leave theme ideas as a comment on the blog. Thanks! ~Julia

This ends Wednesday, so don't delay. Participating General Mills cereals and food products are $2.50 each (they can cost up to $4) at Albertsons. If you buy 10 at once they knock $10 off the price so you get them for $1.50 each. Combine that with a coupon, like Hubby did, and the price is even better. He used four coupons that knocked 75-cents off every two boxes, bringing his final price down to $12 for 10 boxes of Cheerios, which are stacked high on our kitchen table.

The deal applies to Cheerios, Chex, Trix, Fruit Rollups, Curves Granola Bars and more.
The flyer says you can mix and match. Find the weekly flyer for your local Albertsons to confirm they are offering the deal.

My friend Maggie told me about this site and it sounds too good to be true. At Shortcuts.com you register your grocery store frequent shopper cards then add coupons to your cards. When you buy the item at the store the card remembers the coupon and automatically deducts the savings. To join the site you give them your email address, they email you to confirm the request to join, then you register your name, address, and club card numbers.

The only grocery store it works with around here is Ralphs, unfortunately. The whole process of joining and finding coupons took me less than 10 minutes, and I was disappointed to find they only had 12 coupons. I added five coupons totaling $4, including three for cereal, one for tp, and one for yogurt. Read more about how it works.

I guess they add new coupons each week and they can only be added a certain number of times so the good ones go quick. The best part about the site is not having to clip coupons *and* remember to use them. Shortcuts lets you make a shopping list and add your coupons to remind you which ones you have on your card. Expired coupons are automatically removed from your account. Not too shabby. Thanks, Maggie!

Albertsons is having an eight hour sale tomorrow, Thursday May 1 from 1 to 9 p.m. The prices are super low on select items, so stick to your list and you will come out ahead.

Bottles of Gatorade are 69-cents for 32 ounces, Ultrabrite toothpaste in 6 ounce tubes OR Colgate Plus toothbrushes are 10 for $10. Large sweet mangos are 2 for $1, a 35-pack of Crystal Geyser Spring half liter water bottles is $3 +CRV. Albertsons brand cheese in 8-ounce chunks are 2 for $3. Get meat sliced at the deli (Hormel Honey, Virginia or Cooked Ham or Jennie-O Oven Roasted Turkey) and it will cost you $3/lb. A set of 18 fresh baked chocolate cookies at the bakery is $2.

Sales may vary by store. If they are out of an item ask for a rain check. The number of items you can buy in each sale category may be limited. Find an Albertsons near you.

Shop at Buck-a-Roo$ with nine friends and everyone gets 10% off their purchases. The host of the party gets 15% of the group's tab (after the 10%) back in cash, according to this flyer. Wow! It's kind of like a Tupperware party at a grocery/supply store. The discount store is in Van Nuys and carries everything from pasta to shorts and yard supplies. Read more about the store in my blog post from last month.

To book a shopping party call Erin Mahoney at (818) 758-6500 x 33. She will arrange a date and time for your group to shop so the manager knows you are coming. The store tracks how much your group spends by giving everyone a five-digit code. There is no minimum purchase. Locations in Van Nuys, Bellflower and Pico Rivera.

Note, shopping in groups can lead to buying more because you see a friend get something and you feel you should have it too. But don't give in! Make a list beforehand and stick to it.

A few grocery stores are giving away reusable shopping bags today in observance of Earth Day, KTLA reports. The California Grocers Association and the city of Los Angeles "are teaming up to give away about 50,000 bags at about 40 grocery stores to encourage consumers to use reusable bags." One bag per customer while supplies last. The deal started yesterday so best to call first to see if any are left. Participating grocery stores include:

+ Albertsons: 9022 Balboa St. in Northridge; 6240 Foothill Blvd in Tujunga; 7224 Mason Ave. in Canoga Park;and 7227 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys.

+ El Super at 12727 Sherman Way in North Hollywood and 14620 Parthenia St. in Panorama City.

+ Ralphs at 4760 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles; 12057 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; 19871 Rinaldi St., Northridge; 1050 N. Western, San Pedro; 21909 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills; 10901 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; 10861 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; 14049 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; 17250 Saticoy St., Van Nuys; 10400 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills; and 645 W. Ninth St., Los Angeles.

+ Superior Super Warehouse at 6140 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood; 9801 N. Laurel Canyon in Pacoima.

+ Valu Plus Food Warehouse at 6820 De Soto Ave. in Canoga Park.

+ Vons at 20440 Devonshire St. in Chatsworth; 7311 N. Figueroa St. in Eagle Rock; 7789 Foothill Blvd. in Tujunga; and 10321 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills.

Shoppers who check the total at the bottom of their grocery receipts already know food prices have gone up, but now an Associated Press story lets us know exactly how much we are getting fingered. "The U.S. is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years," the story says. "Food prices rose 4 percent in 2007, compared with an average 2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the agency says 2008 could be worse, with a rise of as much as 4.5 percent."

Time to start clipping coupons in earnest! If any of you guys have tips or strategies to save money at the grocery store, please share them by clicking on the tiny "Comments" link underneath this post. That way everyone can benefit.

Also, I've heard small grocers and "ethnic" markets often have really great prices on produce. If you have a favorite place send me the name and I'll do my best to check it out. Thanks, Dana!

Grocery prices are not cheaper in poor neighborhoods and are sometimes higher priced than in affluent neighborhoods, a story by the Denver Post claims. The paper compared 11 staple items at eight stores, two from each chain. The stores were Safeway (Vons), Wal-Mart, Kmart, and King Soopers.

"Stores that cater more to the lower-income shoppers — many of them recipients of government benefits such as food stamps — on average didn't provide lower prices than stores in areas whose shoppers are better off, the review found. And when differences were noted, they tended to favor the affluent areas, meaning lower-income customers generally paid more for the same bag of groceries purchased closer to home," the story said.

Prices at a store serving food-stamp shoppers could be as much 20 percent higher than a store of the same chain located in an affluent neighborhood. No idea if this trend is also true for Southern California, but something tells me it probably is.

It seems everybody has a key product they go to Costco for, be it baby wipes, cheap booze or groceries by the van load. Members insist that shopping at the warehouse is a good deal, but I'm not convinced. Since when is buying a $50 membership for the privilege of overspending a deal?

It's not that I hate Costco. It's that 12 of the 14 cans of tomato sauce I impulsively purchased at the store two years ago are still in my cupboard. Somehow, I don't think I'm alone. Costco's prices are generally lower, but overspending and being unable to eat the massive portions before they go bad could erase those gains. Overall, I wanted to know if shopping at the warehouse store makes sense financially.

For starters, I set out to confirm that Costco's grocery prices are lower. I compared the cost of 22 basic items at Costco to prices at Vons, Trader Joe's and Food 4 Less. I stuck to food items to create a fair comparison to traditional grocery stores.

Costco was the price leader for 12 of the 22 items, including apples, sugar and butter. But when it came to potatoes, bread and cranberry juice, Costco prices where higher. For the full comparison, scroll down and look for the post titled "My Nitty Gritty Grocery List."

Richard Galanti, Costco's chief financial officer, said the supersize store would have done better...

SECOND UPDATE: I've updated my list to include Costco prices, which beat or tie Trader Joe's, Vons and Food 4 Less in many categories. Unfortunately, Costco sells a narrower range of products so many categories are blank, like black beans. I missed the lettuce, so that is also blank. Note, I originally created this cheat sheet while writing about coupon clipping, but you can use it as a rough guide for what is a "good" price for something when shopping.

UPDATE: My Nitty Gritty Grocery List now includes the Food 4 Less prices for all 35 items. Shoppers not familiar with Food 4 less may be surprised that for many items the grocery chain bumped Vons and Trader Joe's from being the low price leader, which I mark below in bold.

I totally redid my grocery cheat sheet to list just what I consider a "good" price for each item so you don't have to comb through all three store columns. This way if you can't remember the lowest price you can get for an item, just pull out your cheat sheet and the decision is easy.

Remember, grocery prices fluctuate greatly so you will have to update your own list every few weeks.

PREVIOUSLY: Old school coupon clippers make it seem as if saving 50% off your grocery tab is no big deal. As the Bargain Hunter, I figured it would be a cinch. So for "work" I dug through the Sunday newspaper circulars, surfed the Internet for the best online coupon sites, and looked for coupons everywhere. Was I able to drastically reduce my grocery bill? Check out this Sunday's LA Daily News for the full scoop. In the story I tell readers to come here for a full comparison of prices (my "cheat sheet") at two supermarkets I frequently shop at. So without further ado...

Bolded prices mean that store is the clear price leader. If neither price is bolded it means the item was a draw. Items marked with an * frequently go on sale or have coupons available. Use all your willpower to buy them only at these lowest prices!! And remember, sales and coupons can often tip the price in favor of Vons, which doubles coupons up to $1.

Assume items from Trader Joe's are sold under the private Trader Joe's brand unless otherwise noted. A price range is listed for items from Von's because the chain offers a variety of brands. Lower range prices are often the store's own Safeway brand of food.

For all you coupon clippers and coupon wannabes, the Coupon Wallet is the ultimate in coupon organizing. It's a little pricey - $20 plus shipping - but you can get 10% off now with coupon code BHSAVE. (Just for Bargain Hunter readers!) The code expires April 30, 2008.

Nancy Kremin in Granada Hills sells the Coupon Wallet, which comes in a case that has a grocery club card holder, a pen, solar calculator, pocket for your cash and credit cards, scissors, and of course, lots of folders to hold your coupon. It even attaches to your grocery cart.

Kremin said she created the specialized organizer after being frustrated with trying to organize her own coupons. The wallet comes in six colors. You can buy it through the Web site or call (800) 993-3308 or (818) 360-8327.

Have you heard of Buck-a-Roo$? Besides from having a really silly name, the discount home goods/grocery store in Van Nuys has some really good deals. Not everything is a bargain though, so shop with a discriminating eye.

Here are some deals I found there. Three Oral Fresh Plus toothbrushes for $1 (now I'm wondering why I only bought three!), two pint glasses for $1, Wet 'n Wild nail polish for $1, Herbal Essences 23.7 fl oz for $5, maternity jean shorts with an elastic band for $5, two 24-oz packs of Nestle chocolate chips for $5, and 5lb of long grain white rice for $2.

Some suspect prices I found there. Six packs of Ramen for $1 (a really good sale is at least 10/$1), 16 oz of pasta for $1 (you can get the same amount for $.79 at Trader Joe's) and camping chairs for $15 (they go on sale for $10 or less).

About 2/3 of the store is home goods and the rest is grocery. No fresh food was being sold when I dropped by. Here is a coupon for 15% off any purchase, good through April 15, 2008. Buck-a-Roo$ has such low prices because it buys overstocked items, orders that were canceled and items that have old packaging (not expired, just old). That means the stock is inconsistent - a deal you see one day may not be there the next day. Read more about the company here.

The Van Nuys store is new and clean, the aisles are wide and the place is well lit. Parking in back and in front. Note, they do not accept personal checks. Visit them at 17641 Vanowen St. in Van Nuys. (818) 758-6500. Open 8 to 9 everyday. Other locations in Bellflower and Pico Rivera.

UPDATE: I stopped by Thur night and about a third of the store still had items on the shelves. But it was barren, like buying groceries in a third world country. Checking out also took 20 minutes. I bought about $75 worth of cereal, power bars, chips, shampoo, chocolate chips, and random other items that will stay for awhile. With my Vons card and the 50% off discount I saved over $100. Cha-ching!

PREVIOUSLY: The Vons grocery store on Ventura Blvd. between Canoga and Topanga Canyon in Woodland Hills is closing and everything is 50% off (except dairy and tobacco products, I'm told). Haven't gotten a chance to check it out but I hear people are leaving with cart loads of stuff. Last day in business is Saturday.

Visit them at 21821 Ventura Blvd., in the same plaza as Jerry's Deli and Ralphs.

Easter is this Sunday and that means time to eat ham (jellybeans and chocolate are just foreplay). Here's a survey of prices so you can get the best deal.

Ralphs has a Farmer John half ham for $.89/lb and a spiral sliced half ham for $1.29/lb. Vons has the Farmer John whole or half ham for a bit less - $.67/lb and the spiral cut for about the same price, $1.27/lb. Albertsons has the spiral cut ham for $1.29/lb and Smart & Final has the Farmer John spiral cut ham for $.179/lb, the worst deal of the bunch. If you want the spiral cut any of the three chains will do. If you do your own cutting, head to Vons.

Costco has a high end Niman Ranch 6.5lb ham for $70 (that $10.77/lb). No idea if they also sell regular hams. Anybody seen ham prices at Food 4 Less or Trader Joe's?

Caveats: grocery prices come with loyalty cards, which are free and easy to sign up for.

Opening day for the new Trader Joe's in Woodland Hills is Friday, March 7 at 8 am. Earlier I blogged that it was opening February 29, but that was incorrect. The new store is at 21054 Clarendon St where Long's Drugs used to be, right across from the Holiday Inn. It's basically on Ventura between Canoga and DeSoto.

The entrance to the store is off the parking lot in back. A flyer said there would be a party from 8 to 9 am on opening day. Hmmmm, wonder if that means free food...

Recent posts on coupon clipping got such a great response I decided to follow them up with a trip to Food 4 Less, which a reader named Patti suggested I check out. The store is owned by Kroger, which also operates Ralphs. Food 4 Less is not as swanky as Ralphs – no faux wood shelves or fresh bakery here – but the store is clean, well lit and has wide aisles. Many prices beat Trader Joe's and Vons, but not all.

I'll update the cheat sheet soon, but for now here are some of their best bets. Meat. Chicken thighs were $.87/lb, ground turkey was $1.58/lb, cubed beef chuck for stewing was $.98/lb! Staples. Sun Vista black beans were $.58 for 15oz, C&H sugar was $2.48 for 5 lbs, Ocean Spray cranberry juice was $1.88 for 64 oz.

Produce had great prices and everything looked fresh and tasty. Bananas were about 4 for $.98, a 10oz bag of baby spinach was $.88! Potatoes were $.248 for 10lbs and carrots were $.88 for 2lb.

Dairy also had many winners. Tilamook cheddar was $4.98 for 16 oz or a Kroger chunk of the same size was $4.48. Yoplait 6 oz yogurts were 10 for $6, Kroger 32 oz yogurt containers were $2.38. Breyer's 1.75 quarts of ice cream were $3.98.

The store carries upscale...

Coupon clippers will tell you shaving 20 percent to 40 percent off your grocery tab is a cinch. Clip a few coupons, combine them with in-store sales, and BAM! - your grocery bill shrinks. As the savvy spender behind the Bargain Hunter blog, I figured I would whittle my weekly food budget from $130 to $100, a mere 23 percent. What could be easier?

A lot, as it turns out. The vast majority of print and online coupons are for packaged and processed food I don't buy. And alternative spots such as Trader Joe's and the local farmers market, where I do the bulk of my shopping, don't accept coupons.

So what's a bargain hunter on deadline to do?

I rambled on plenty long about coupon clipping in my Sunday Daily News story, but still couldn't fit it all in. Here are a few extra tips that pay off at the grocery store. I hope they prove useful.

**Stores often have a discount bread rack with day old offerings. But you won’t find it easily. Often it’s far from the rest of the bakery items, stashed near the meat or daily coolers. Ask where day old bread products are sold. Bread products freeze well.

**Meat prices are often lower from the butcher’s counter than from pre-packaged refridgerators. Check for the best price and watch for bulk savings. Meat freezes well.

**Manufacturer coupons are often better than the ones available in the Sunday newspaper circular. Take a few minutes to visit the Web sites of the brands you are loyal to. I got four $1 coupons for a half gallon of organic milk.

Don't scoff (like I did). People go crazy over the rock bottom prices during Albertson's eight hour sale and looking at the ad prices, I'm wishing I lived closer to home. That way I could hit the sale on my lunch break and drop the food at home afterwards. For now I'll have to live vicariously through you.

Here are the deals: 5 oz packs of Fresh Express lettuce are 99-cents (usually at least $3), boneless chicken breasts in packs of 5lb or more (so you freeze a little bird) are $1.69/lb (usually $3/lb or higher). Chunk or shredded cheese is 2 for $3 (not sure about shredded cheese, but for chunk usually the sale price is 2 for $5). 30-packs of Miller Lite or Miller Genuine draft is $15 (I don't know the usual price but $.50 a beer sounds pretty good.)

The sale is from 1pm today to 9 pm today ONLY. Find an Albertson's near you. And expect crowds.