My main source for grocery shopping is Aldi. You just can’t beat them when it comes to the essentials such as eggs ($1.35 a dozen) milk ($2.36 a gallon) and bread (.85 cents for a load of white sandwich bread). Since inflation has now reared its ugly head, however, I do find myself scanning the weekly circulars of the other grocery stores in my area. I look for the loss leaders whose prices are substantially lower than Aldi or are being offered on brand name products that I love (but couldn’t afford otherwise).

One of the main brand products I buy as a loss leader is Tuttorosso canned tomatoes. My family loves these tomatoes as they make a great Italian sauce over pasta and are very versatile in many of my soup recipes (i.e. minestrone and Tuscan bean). With expected company coming over my house this holiday season (not once, but twice!) I usually make a lasagna big enough to heartily feed my crowd. Usually when Shop Rite has a sale on the Tuttorosso canned tomatoes (every six months), I stock up. Shop Rite discounts the canned tomatoes from $1.36 a can down to .75 cents a can (when you buy a case (12). The store also discounts mozzarella, ricotta, lasagna noodles, olive oil and grated cheese at the same time. It’s a recipe combo sent down directly from heaven (because everything you need to make the perfect lasagna is on sale)!

Today was the first day of the sale. When I got to the store around 2PM, they were basically sold out! I couldn’t believe it. I knew I should have gotten to the store earlier but never once in all the years I’ve been buying these canned tomatoes (at least 20 years) the grocery store never ran out so quickly! I went to the Customer Desk and one of the clerks looked in the back. Nope. They were gone. I went back to the shelf, got on my knees and shuffled through the shelves. I was able to rustle up 6 cans of crushed tomatoes and 6 cans of Italian plum tomatoes but they were salt free (which does change the taste). Nonetheless, I was happy I got what I got.

Welcome to the new world of real, honest-to-goodness food shortages!

The other products that I bought were the ricotta, mozzarella, Ronzoni pasta, orange juice, Purex laundry detergent, low-fat sour creme, B12 gummy vitamins, Christmas cactus, all on sale. I got an 8oz tube of Colgate toothpaste for only .39 cents!!! The only thing I didn’t buy on sale but I thought was a very good price was a quart of egg nog. And yes! when I got home I made myself a drink! I deserved it! Grocery shopping is very hard work lately. It’s not all fun and games anymore!

All in all, the Shop Rite savings came to $41.68 which included the reduced prices. In reality I saved $26.72 actual cash off of products that I would normally buy. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Even with all those savings, my total still came to $66.23. Ouch. I think we’re all going to be eating lasagna till it comes out of our ears!

Here’s what my sales receipt looked like (it’s a long one) and the total discount receipt follows.

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