Under the Median: Timely Tip From A Reader Leads to GREAT Kroger Markdowns!

I received a message from a faithful reader this afternoon relating the glorious news that there were a ton of markdowns at our local Kroger in the produce department. That news got my attention! Making sure that I had the right Kroger location, I immediately headed out the door.

Ten minutes later I found myself in the store, staring at a glorious amount of bright yellow and orange markdown stickers.

Not only did I find half price produce, I also scored some great deals in the general merchandise markdown area.

Deals like this are exactly what I rely on to keep my grocery budget in line! I feed my family a whole foods diet for just $400 a month!

You can read my best grocery saving tips in these posts:

Three Food Prep Techniques Guaranteed to Save You Money

My Five Step Plan for Stretching Food Dollars

Before You Head to the Store, Do These Six Things

Without further adieu, let's take a look at the deals I scored today!

Produce

$2.79 - 1 pound organic salad greens

How about 1 pound of organic salad mix! Yes, thank you! This is headed to church with me tomorrow night for Bible study. TIP: When you are following a specific diet (like I'm vegan) be sure to take at least one dish to every social occasion. That way you are sure to have something you can eat.

By the way, I have taken my homemade oil-free salad dressings repeatedly to church functions and not one person has ever told me that they either missed the oil or could tell that it was absent.

$1.39 - 12 oz. salad mix

My 11 year old absolutely adores this salad mix! Yes, it's got some regular iceburg lettuce in it. But, it also has a nice mixture of romaine as well as other veggie chunks. He likes that he can throw it in a bowl and have a complete salad right off the bat without needing to cut up anything else. On a side note, he often eats salads without any dressing at all. Several of my other children do this too. They say that if they add dressing, they can't taste the greens well enough.

1 pound bags of sugar snap peas - $1.49 each

I have NO idea what I plan to do with these. Honestly, the kids just like them washed and set out on the table. They snack on them throughout the day. But, I may save one back for a recipe. Last time I scored this deal, I made an interesting soup with some of them.

Any ideas? What can I do with my sugar snap peas?

Kroger Stir Fry Kits - $1.49 each

I am seriously in love with how simple and easy these are to use! I am not eating added salt products, so the flavor packets will either go in the garbage or be served separately for those who want to add the sauce. But, for $1.49 each you simply cannot beat the convenience of this great product! Dinner is on the table in 15 minutes when I use these!

100% Juice smoothie - 59 oz. - $2.09

I very rarely purchase juice. If my kids want juice, they get it while eating the piece of fruit which contains the juice. Really, juice is no more than glorified sugar. I want them to learn that we don't drink our calories. However, clearly, I made an exception. This product has no added sugar and a pretty decent ingredient list. So, my plan is to use it to make smoothies with actual fruit that I have in the freezer. I have a LOT of fruit left in the freezer from the winter and I need to use some of it up before this year's growing season.

General Merchandise

Zevia mardarin orange sparkling water - 8 can packs for just $2.29 each!

You can never predict when you will find the perfect product in the general merchandise markdown bin! Our youngest son turns 11 this week and that means a birthday party is coming up soon with some of his favorite friends. This will be a wonderful natural product to serve at the festivities!

Yep! I bought 4 cases. Just one case is for my son's party. The rest are for our weekly Friday evening picnics. Spring has sprung and soon we will be packing up supper and heading over to the river overlook on Friday evenings to connect as a family! My grown sons voted "Friday night picnics" as their very favorite childhood memory!

Dandruff shampoo - $2.99 each

Suave Professionals shampoo - $1.59 each

These were the big 28 oz. bottles! The 16 oz. bottles were the same price! So, of course, I cleaned the shelf of the larger bottles of shampoo.

This is where I tell you that I am aware that there are some pretty awful chemicals in most shampoos and bath and body products. It's not that I don't care. It's that I have to pick my battles carefully on my budget. And right now, shampoo is not it.

Insulated gloves for just $2.49

By the time my youngest inherits clothing, which has been previously worn by three siblings, it's in pretty sad shape. Such was the case with his winter gloves. I found these marked down to $2.49. They were just a tad too big, but should be perfect by November when he needs them.

What did I spend?

This was a serious amount of food and household items for just over $35.00!

A special shout out to my reader, Stacy, who put me wise to the tremendous bargains on my local Kroger's shelves! I love it when my readers give me their tips or offer a "heads up" on bargains and sales! If you have any advice or tips, we'd love to hear about them in the comments section below.