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I recieved the below e-mail from reader Jane and thought that I would throw it out to all of you…
Hi Jennie,
I try to use coupons on most of the items that I buy, but sometimes there are just not good coupons available and the item rarely goes on sale.
One example of this that I run in to all the time is parmesan cheese. My family loves Italian food, so I need this ingredient that I use often, but I feel like it costs “an arm and a leg”.
I was wondering if you or any of your readers have a suggestion on where I can get it for cheep or if there is a good substitute.
Thanks so much!
Jane
Do you have a question to ask your fellow Bargain Blessings readers? E-mail me at bargainblessings (at) gmail (dot) com
Robin says
At my Ralph’s (Kroger), I found in the cheese bin by the deli, that they put parmesan cheese wedges on sale when they have an expiration date of @ 2 months away. It’s marked down @ 50%! Check out your store.
A. Oliver says
I buy the bagged Kraft or Sargento’s Parmesan or Italian Blend cheese. These go on sale often and we usually have coupons for them. Also, in your deli there may be small blocks of parmesan (or other hard cheeses) and these are sometimes clearanced. I know there’s no replacement for a good block of pecorino romano to freshly grate over your spaghetti ( I come from an Italian family too!) but if you need to pinch a penny, these are not bad substitutes. As a splurge I will once in a while buy a block of Parmesan or pecorino romano at Sam’s Club.
Jennie says
You all are awesome! Thanks for sharing your tips with Jane! 🙂
Sarah says
I used to buy the container of already grated Parm at Costco, but it’s really not a bargain. So, now, I buy the wedges of Pecorino Romano at Costco (so similar to Parm that it works) and its only $1.96 per pound. I bought one of those handheld graters like the waiters at Olive Garden use and in the fridge I have the grater with chunks of the cheese ready to go. You could also grate with a food processor and freeze or store that way.
Andrea - The Greenbacks Gal says
I don’t. I’ve never found a Parmesan cheese that I like better than the really good kind that you grate yourself. But hey – I’m buying whole wheat pasta for .15 or less, and making my own sauce for uber cheap – so I splurge.
Probably not the answer your looking for though. But sometimes its just good to know your in good company!
JoAnn says
We too are like Nicole’s family and prefer freshly grated cheese. Do not get us wrong we do still buy jumbo shaker cans from Sam’s Club when we are running low, have no sales in sight, and a recipe calls for a ton of parmesan. But look for sales for now and when one comes around really stock-up.
Angela says
For those of you in the Denver area, there is a quirky store to check out in the Arvada area called The Friday Store (near Wadsworth & I-70). It’s a salvage food store only open on Fridays and Saturdays. They carry discontinued and expired (but still edible) goods. Some things you can get cheaper with coupons elsewhere, but I have scored some good deals on cheese. I drive 45 minutes to go there, but stock up so it lasts me since harder cheeses like parmesan freeze just fine.
Jessica says
I buy it ground in a bag from Kraft or Sargento when it goes on sale. I don’t like the kind in the shaker.
Don’t know if that’s what you like, but I buy tons of it and freeze it when it goes on sale. I still have some in my freezer from last year when I got it at Safeway ($0.38 a bag, I believe).
Nicole says
We buy our cheeses at Costco too – although we prefer the taste of freshly grated so we buy the big block of parm. When I get home I chop it up into four big chunks and store three of them in freezer bags. We grate as we go for the one in the fridge.
Holli says
I have a HUGE container from Costco in my freezer. I run into the same problem every once in a while when I run out of something in my stock pile and it isn’t on sale. I usually will try to buy in bulk at Costco to tide me over until I can stock up again. What I have found is if Costco has a container that is a bigger one than at the grocery store, it is usually cheaper there than a decent sale without coupons at the regular store (though coupons + sale are almost ALWAYS cheaper at the reg. store.) But if the containers are the same size and just packaged together (bulk mac and cheese for example) there isn’t much price difference.
AMY says
Jane,
Target often has the Kraft Parmasean, Asiago, Romano in the shaker marked down to $2.20 and you can use a Target coupon with a Manufacturer’s coupon to get it really cheap. Kerry at TotallyTarget.com will post when she finds these marked down. I try and stock up when I see them on sale (I have 6 in my refrigerator right now-LOL). I hope this helps.