Most of the local IGA stores in my area closed about ten years ago, when large supermarket chains started to become more popular. However, I found a nearby IGA grocery store in a small, rural town nearby. I have found the best deals on meat and cheese each time I visit! Here are the items I scored on today:Whole Spiral Sliced Ham .99 cents per pound. I bought 2 and plan to cut the hame into smaller slices to use as lunch meat for sandwiches, subs, homemade pizza, and soup. Ham freezes very well, so if needed I can always freeze one ham and use the other.Colby Jack cheese 8 oz blocks, $1.25 each. I bought 8 blocks, and plan to slice it for sandwiches and subs, and shred some of it for other recipes.There were other great deals on meat that I was tempted to purchase, but I refrained from doing so, as I did not really need much more than I bought. For example, the store had assorted pork chops and pork roasts for only $1.29 per pound. These local meat and cheese prices are much less expensive than the large supermarkets nearby. It makes me wonder if shopping the larger supermarkets is worth it? Do you prefer to shop at smaller, locally owned grocery stores, or large supermarket chains? Where do you find the best deals on groceries?
I have an IGA shop in my town, but I don't get there very often. The prices tend to be higher than at the other stores, which is one reason I don't shop there as much these days. Back when I had more money, I would shop there because the parking lot was nice and open and convenient to the street. The store has a great location, and I'd pass it at least twice a day, which would be very handy when I needed to pick up a few items. The store doesn't have the variety of the larger grocers in the area, but I still enjoy shopping there when I can. Those are some great deals you found. I'd love to be able to stock up on cheese and ham, they're two of my favorites, and with Easter coming, it seems the ham prices are rising. When I was at the store last, I noticed that although their cat litter price was $2 higher than Walmart, it was still $1 less than Kroger, so perhaps I'll pop in there soon and compare prices on the meat and cheese.
We have a small grocery store, in this area that is probably not technically an IGA but it is the same type of store. Most things in there are a bit overpriced, but you can sometimes find great deals in their clearance cart. I have found everything from potato chips to chocolate chips, oils, and socks in the reduced cart. They do carry some of the My Essentials Brands that I like, and they are low priced items.
We have an IGA near us as well, and I primarily shop there and Save-A-Lot for most of my groceries. I also shop at Sparkle market, which is another locally owned grocer. I agree, you can save way more money by supporting these smaller grocery stores - and you don't even need to mess around with coupons or waiting around for sales, they're just cheaper overall every day. My dad and I were in Giant Eagle the other day, and he wanted to get some lunch meat from the deli. I was shocked to see they wanted $7.99 per pound for just some basic ham and turkey, not even any special variety or premium brand. I could get that for $3.99 per pound or less at places like Sparkle. Practically everything I buy normally costs almost double at the larger grocery stores. Even stuff like salad mix ($3.99 a bag, vs $1.29 a bag at Save A Lot) to Celery ($4 a bunch compared to $1.99 at Save A Lot), tomatoes, etc...
