May is National BBQ Month!
I just read in a recent poll by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), 6 out of 10 Americans say they can’t wait to fire up the grill!
If you’re grilling burgers, be sure to have all the trimmings. The same poll says that 66% use ketchup most often, and 62% with mustard. (I say, “What about mayo”?)
- Two-thirds of Americans say, “add cheese, please!”
- Overall, 74 percent of Americans add lettuce, onion and/or tomato.
- Women lean towards the veggies more than men (80 percent of respondents vs. 68 percent).
- Seventy percent of adults say they are all about the buns, and prefer a traditional bun to complete their grilled sandwiches.
The good news is that you can stock up on the trimmings , starting now through the end of summer. A quick look into our Grocery Game databases for last year’s savings, turned up the following stats, all for name brand products. By combining sales with coupons, we never paid full price. And in most cases, we stocked up enough to get us through the next three seasons:
- 24 oz. Ketchup: Original price 2.29 – We paid .79-1.00
- 12 oz. Mustard: Original price 2.39 – We paid FREE-.50
- 30 oz. Mayonnaise: Original price 4.49 – We paid .99-1.50
- 18 oz. BBQ Sauce: Original price 1.99 – We paid FREE-.69
Plus, look for sales and coupons to be used on name brand buns. But the best deals end up being the store brand buns, both hot dog and hamburger. Normally, the store brand buns sell for 1.59-1.79. We saw sales during BBQ season (which is starting now), from .79-.88. When you see these sales, buy extra for your freezer!
Hamburger meat can be expensive, unless you stock up when it’s on sale. We’re already seeing 80% ground beef, originally 3.49-3.89/lb on sale for 1.69-1.88 nationwide. And 93% lean as low as 1.97/lb. Fill your freezer, and never pay full price for those burgers!
And thankfully, once BBQ season gets going, and especially just in time for Memorial Day, look for prices on lettuce, like this from last year’s databases:
- Iceberg Lettuce: Original price 1.29-1.49 – We paid .47-.77
Tomatoes are still a little high, even on sale, but they’ll start coming into season soon. Fry’s in Arizona has fresh Roma tomatoes for .50/lb (Today’s the last day!). Last year’s various tomato varieties from Roma to Tomatoes on the Vine ranged as follows:
- Tomatoes: Original 1.89-2.99/lb. – We paid .79-.99/lb.
Assuming all goes well with the crops, we could have some yummy tomatoes on our burgers without breaking the bank!
Final word, again… PLEASE… Never pay full price for groceries!!!
