Ok - You guys and gals from MN. What great sales are on that you know of? what is a good source for this or that? What areas are you from? I am in the Twin Cities. I go to Sam’s Club but often there are great 10 for 10 deals at Rainbow but Cub Foods doesn’t seem to have as good deals. I get Aldi’s ads but have no idea where those stores are. They are supposed to be great for all kinds on long term food according to other folks who have these stores. They must be new here.
There’s an Aldi at the corner of Lexington & University but I’ve never shopped there. Cub doesn’t seem to have the deals lately except on junk food and coke. I was at Cub and the Dollar Store today and the shelves at both had huge gaping holes throughout the stores. Obviously someone is stockpiling and relatively few are talking about it. Imagine how it will be when everyone is talking about it and trying to stockpile but they find they can’t.
That is in St. Paul isn’t it?. I will check it out. I have also noticed that the deals the last few weeks has been frozen and fresh food and not the canned, box or jarred stuff. I haven’t noticed any empty shelves, but I have had to dig deep back into them for some things.
Yes, St. Paul, sorry!
We are just across the river in S. Minneapolis. One of my favorite stores for preps (other than the regular) is the Asian Market which is on 77th St. in Richfield. Really close to the Mall of America. Good rice and all kinds of things fairly cheap. All kinds of sauces, rice noodles etc to dress up the bland preps. It is close to the Menards, Sam’s and Walmart on 80th street on the other side of 494 in Bloomington near Lyndale Ave. I have to get to the dollar stores though! I do not drive and have not asked my husband to take me to one. He would have no problem, but he would probably wait in the car and that always makes me feel like I have to hurry. I would love to find some cheap, large plastic containers for all kinds of stuff.
Hey, Minnesotans! I’m in the TC too.
There are dollar stores all over the cities, it’s just a matter of finding them. I can’t recommend one over another, but it’s worth it to check them out when you get a chance. Also there’s an Aldi on Franklin Ave in Minneapolis. It’s in the “Ancient Trader’s Market” by Snyder’s, across the street from the public library. Aldi sells large plastic containers at a decent price.
I had no idea how Aldi is set up until I walked into one. You have to deposit a quarter to get a shopping cart. At least, that’s how it is at the TC locations I’ve been to. Also, bring cash—they don’t take checks or debit/credit cards. They do take food stamps, however.
I’ve been buying almost all my preps at Rainbow. I barely even look for deals, just get whatever I need most at the cheapest possible price (generic brands). I’m something of a “purist,” though—if I had the funds to spare I’d be getting ALL my preps at the co-ops! :-P
Although I’ve never shopped at Aldi’s I did have a friend in college who worked there and he always insisted they are consistently much cheaper than other stores. So I’ll check it out as it happens to be two blocks from Cub. I never used to drive around looking for deals - I’m a Kowalski’s fan. But stockpiling is different. Now when I see 10 for $3.00 I’m there! I’m buying a few things for extended family too because they won’t hear of stockpiling for bird flu. Actually I decided to put together a huge rubbermaid tub of supplies for each of my sisters’ households. I’m off to Home Depot today for gloves and masks as someone in one of these threads found of box of 20 masks for $16.99 - by far the least expensive of the kind we’ll need. I’m so grateful for all of these knowledgeable and dedicated people who have done the research already!
I will check in to Aldi’s. Pay for the cart huh? That is weird. I will be it is because many of them disappear and they use the cart fund to pay for someone to drive around and pick them up. Kowalski’s and Byerly’s are the only stores in town so far that sell True Lemon (new product). I love that stuff. It is lemon crystals in little packets that taste just like real lemons. You can use it in drinks, make lemonade, on fish, baking or anything. They have True Lime too. Sorry for the drift but it reminded me that I want to stock up on some of that too.
It looks like Flu Wikians are planning to eat well during isolation! How I miss Byerly’s!
Ha! I never go to Byerly’s but I found out that those two stores were the only ones, so far, that carry the lemon stuff. I would feel guilty shopping those stores every day. The prices!!!
Just wanted to let you know Walgreen’s has some very good savings this week. The OTC medicines are all on sale, they are have decent coupons in their Sunday circular plus many OTC name brand medicines have “Save $2.00 Now” stickers on the bottles themselves. I saved $42.00 off of $100.00 worth of stuff. Just thought I’d let you know.
Also went to Acadian Candle on 62 & Penn (on Penn, just south of new Aldi’s). They have their own brand of soy candles that burn excetionally long for reasonable prices and all supplies for candlemaking. Candles are probably not the best for long term but we decided to have some around anyway.
Thanks ks - my husband just got back from picking up my meds at Walgreens about an hour ago. I should have gone too. However, I am very short on cash until the 17th. Shoot! Will check it out then. I really need more OTC stuff, expecially Theraflu and the like. I know it won’t do anything for the BF except make me feel a bit better for a few hours.
Well life will go on during a pandemic. I don’t think it a waste to pickup anything one might need during any kind of quarantine - self imposed or not. They have great deals a lot. Just watch the circulars.
OK - was just getting the urgent need to go buy more supplies yesterday. Went to Cub on University (St. Paul). They have tons of canned goods on sale: veggies for less than 50 cents each, large jars of Ragu spaghetti sauce for $1, pasta for 50 cents - just tons of canned goods on sale. They also had a very large supply of canning supplies. Lots of different sized jars. lids, ingredients, etc… Looks like they just replenished as that section was very small and almost always empty the last several times I was there.
This canned goods sale is definately worth checking out.
I was at the Cub out by 60th, South Minneapolis off 62 (I think?) and they had some great deals too. Got toilet paper, juice (frozen and bottled), snacks, canned stuff for really cheap. I think I like Cub—for stocking up purposes—better than Rainbow. Also they had Luna bars on sale 10 for $10 which is a really good deal. And I would be so very sad if I’m in quarantine without Luna bars…
Anyone know where the nearest Home Depot is (in Mpls/St. Paul)? I don’t have to go to the suburbs do I?
Actually the closest to you if you are shopping at the 60th Cub, is at 494 and Lyndale/Nicolet. You’ll see it on the south side of 494 coming from either way. Just exit when you see it and follow the frontage road. Yep, Cub has very cheap prices for stocking up - if you stock up when the items are on sale. I’ve found that Kowalski’s and Byerly’s have the same prices as Cub if there isn’t a sale; if there IS a sale on something at Cub they are usually very much cheaper than anywhere else. I’ve only learned this since I started prepping.
Any of you planning a garden or belong to community gardens?
Thordawggy - thanks for the bead on True Lemon! I was just a Cub last night and all they had were humungo bottles of Real lemon. I use lemons a lot! I also preserve them, (Yum Yum) but that isn’t the same as fresh lemon juice. I like Byerly’s because you can find interesting pestos, bruschetta toppings, international foods etc. that add some variety and interest to pantry staples. More money, but worth it for a few.
But, this is what I’m really here to say:
UNITED NOODLES! (In Mpls.)
I am an Aldi’s fan - you can’t beat their prices on canned goods. Their regular price on canned vegetables is .35 cents, and cream of whatever soup is .43 cents. I don’t know if any of you are on the north side of town, but there is an Aldi’s in Champlain, Coon Rapids, and also in Blaine.
Yes, you need a quarter for the cart, but you get your quarter back when you return it. Also, please note that they DO NOT TAKE CHECKS - and very few debit cards. If you bank at TCF, forget it. However, they do have cash machines available. I have a spreadsheet showing their prices if anyone is interested. It is helpful to use the spreadsheet to plan ahead so that you have enough cash!
Aldi’s does not provide bags unless you pay for them, so plan ahead & bring your own bags or tote boxes. Or, pick up boxes or flats in the aisles while you’re shopping.
rlm - Thank you! I had asked about Aldi’s but have not visited one yet. But TODAY we drove past one Penn Ave in Richfield (?)and my husband pointed it out because I had mentioned it. It seems like a small store but I am going to check it out now for sure. Do you know if they take Wells Fargo debit cards or Visa? An ATM is good but I want to make sure I have enough cash before I hit the checkout line. At this point, I just need canned corn and canned mushrooms so that will be a good place to start. Question about your spread sheet - how do you know when the prices change? Do you work there or is there a place on the net with the prices? Thanks! Laura
Sahara - what is United Noodles? I am intrigued! Love them noodles!
In MN - we have 3–5 foot by 12 foot garden boxes that are two feet high, but due to health problems, neither I or my husband did a garden last year. However, the garden boxes produced about 100 cat nip bushes. :-) They just reseeded themselves in the boxes and all over the yard. I am considering gardening this year. However, due to trees, I need some vegs that will take shade for 4 hours a day. Our tomatoes get 10 ft tall because they are reaching for the sun. I need small tomato plants if I can find them.
Thordawggy,
I do not work there, I made the spreadsheet by using the receipts. I was always paranoid about not having enough cash!! I update the prices whenever I go there. I have found, however, that their prices haven’t changed much at all since starting the spreadsheet.
You’re right, it is a small store. But they have lots of basic items there.
I don’t know if they take the Wells Fargo debit cards, and I don’t think Visa will work there. There is a sign on the front door that says which cards they take, and truthfully none of them sounded familiar to me.
Good luck!
How many of us MN/Twin Cities preppers are in the work pool outside of the home?
Anyone else notice people getting sick around you? At my work it seems like I’m surrounded by people coughing & sneezing. I know this is just a seasonal thing. However, if you were to apply this to a hypothetical early outbreak of H2H virus, how many of these people would actually just be coming into work thinking they’ve got something that Theraflu is going to clear up in a week?
My guess is most of them.
I have to add that few of them are even bothering to use a tissue, wash hands, etc.
Nothing has been addressed at my work regarding the virus and we have people travelling all over the world and several offices in Asia and Europe.
Have any schools or other institutions outside of hospitals addressed prevention/prep? I know Pawlenty held a conference/symposium last December regarding the threat. It’s available to download and watch via Real Player. Let me know if anyone is interested and I’ll dig up the link. It’s several hours long.
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Thordawggy – at 23:00 I just started purchasing seeds yesterday. Plan on at least two 4×8 raised bed gardens with as many possible different veggies as I can grow. Backyard isn’t that big and I’ve got shade from house on half of it. Still have snow in most of my back yard while front is all dry. Catnip? Well, at least the cats will be in bliss. ;-) I know people have been concerned about soil/compost but I don’t understand that concern. You shouldn’t throw meat scraps in and you can get non-poultry manure. Any commercial bag of manure at a garden center should have the ingredients on them. So, what’s the worry? Also, you can get composting bins that are well covered. Also, I plan on covering the garden with bird/insect netting tunnels.
My parents taught me years ago how to can produce so I’ve got my hot water canner. Check co-ops also for yogurt culture starters. If you’ve got refrigeration still you should be able to keep pots of yogurt. I’d like to find some sort of dehydrator that doesn’t require electricity. I’ve seen some solar powered ovens - basically big boxes with reflectors in them. You can bake bread and loads of other things in them. Takes a few hours but it’s hot food. Regarding stocking canned foods - can someone point me to a thread here or a link somewhere that adedresses how much stocking you need to do for X number of people for X number of days/weeks/months?
United Noodles = Asian Grocery Store (they say the biggest in the Midwest). It is on E 24th St. in Minneapolis. www.unitednoodles.com
Lots of fun to visit.
Sahara—thanks for the reminder. I’ve been meaning to get to United Noodle to stock up. I didn’t realize it was in Minneapolis—someone told me it was out in the burbs. Now it shouldn’t be any problem to get there!
FYI, the is holding a forum on Pandemic Preparations on March 22nd.
Click the programs button at the top. I always enjoy and learn from their programs.
All right, tried to get fancy, screwed up link. Lets try:
Oh my God! United Noodles is about 15 blocks from my house. It is kind of a block behind that Cub Foods isn’t it? I never knew a place like that was tucked back there. Cool! I go past it all the time when I get my New French Bakery fix :-)
Sahara - thanks for the link. I will see if I can get there. Wednesdays are bad.
How many of us MN/Twin Cities preppers are in the work pool outside of the home?
I work outside of the home, and I can tell you that I too have become paranoid about people sneezing, etc. My boss constantly licks his fingers & then touches my papers - YUCK!
Also, there is a lady in my dept that keeps chickens, ducks, & geese on her hobby farm. I can’t help but wonder if the bird flu shows up here if she might be putting us all in danger. (Boy, do I feel rotten for thinking that!)
My employer has offices all over the world as well. And no mention as of yet of any type of emergency planning. Typical though…….
Did you guys get your Aldi’s fliers today? They have Brawny paper towels 15 rolls for $9.99. Thats about 67 cents a roll! Doesn’t indicate that there are limits. These days you can’t even get the really cheap paper towels for less that a buck very often. These paper towels come in a large cardboard box dispenser where you pull out a roll at a time. Great idea! I am going to make a special trip on Monday just for these because an Aldi’s is just 3 blocks off our route home. Maybe they will have some left next Friday too (payday). They have good specials on t-shirts and socks for men and children too. Hey, I will wear mens t-shirts and socks, no problem. Who is going to see me during a pandemic anyway?
Thordawggy,
Where did you get the Aldi’s flyers from? I don’t get any in the mail :( I only get them in the Sunday paper………..
They are in the flyer that comes in the mail called Twin Cities Values. On the outside it is news print that most people just toss. There are Aldi’s and Rainbow sales things inside with some other stuff. It is put out by the Star Tribune (the only thing that they put out that is worth anything :-) The Aldi’s flier is one large slick page. Sometimes it is only printed on one side. The sales are good starting tomorrow. You will probably have yours in the Sunday paper tomorrow. Otherwise, they show them on line.
Thordawggy,
Mine came in the Sunday paper today. I am planning another Aldi’s trip next weekend (gotta wait for payday!).
I am wondering if after these ABC news reports come out tomorrow & Tuesday, people will start to really stock up on stuff & if there will be empty shelves. Wish I didn’t have to wait until the end of the week.
anonyouse - I can only get one box tomorrow otherwise I have to wait until Friday too.
Sales at Walgreens this week. A few things that I will get for preps: Cinnamon and Nutmeg 2/.99. These are the large bottles. Big jars of Welches grape jell 2/3.00, 18 oz peanut butter 2/3.00, Easy Cheese (in the squirt cans) 2/4.00, Imitation Vanilla 2/.99 (large bottles), Bowl Appetites .99 ea. These are for the microwave but can be cooked in a pan on a BBQ or camp stove. Lots of other stuff. Check your fliers or newspaper or on-line. Did you know that you can order just about anything in the store on line and they only charge $4.95 for whatever size? One thing though, if they are out of something, they just leave it off the order and don’t charge or send it later. They will even ship whole meals, like for the elderly in dry ice. Uh, the elderly aren’t in dry ice :-) Just a thought. I once ordered about 8 bottles of vitamins, 3 large jars of peanuts, candy, and canned hams on line along with some bandaids, and pepperoni sticks. Heavy box!
I’m from MN. Don’t know about sales but I went to Cub the other day and they had Angel Soft toilet paper for 89 cents, four rolls only though. Still, I thought it was a good deal so I bought some.
I have a day job also at a very large company. At least, most of the people in my department don’t sneeze all over the place. They do tend to go to work when it’s a minor illness, but stay home for the regular flu.
Anyone know of an Aldi’s in the western suburbs?
I’m from MN. Don’t know about sales but I went to Cub the other day and they had Angel Soft toilet paper for 89 cents, four rolls only though. Still, I thought it was a good deal so I bought some.
I have a day job also at a very large company. At least, most of the people in my department don’t sneeze all over the place. They do tend to go to work when it’s a minor illness, but stay home for the regular flu.
Anyone know of an Aldi’s in the western TC suburbs?
EmilyH,
There are Aldi’s in Champlin & Coon Rapids and a brand new one in Blaine(guess I don’t know exactly what you consider western…) Hope this helps!
EmilyH - Sorry, I don’t know of an Aldi’s in the western suburbs. I googled it and found an article stating Aldi’s isn’t listed in directories - it keeps their costs low because employees don’t have to answer the phone (?!)
Thordawggy - I hit Walgreen’s and Cub each week and buy tons of what they have on deep discount that particular week. I’ve been doing that for awhile and really have picked up a huge amount of my preps from these 2 sources each week. I make ‘the rounds’ each week on Tuesdays or Wednesdays when no one else is there. I’ve recently added WalMart into the mix to pick up mostly non-food prep items - picked up dark towels for about $5.00 each, waterproof mattress pad for a ‘sick room’, 5 gallon collapsable water jugs (which each time I’ve gone there, I’ve bought the last 3 or 4 of them. They seem to be going through them quite quickly) and lots of other stuff.
I also hit the Dollar Store - not for food because they usually have expiration dates that are not too far in advance but I do buy the toothpaste and soap etc… there. But lately there have been huge gaping holes at the Dollar Store when I’ve gone there.
Blaine, Champlin, and Coon Rapids are kind of far for me to drive. I will probably continue going to Cub & Rainbow. I’ve also noticed that once in a while, SuperTarget also has good deals, but they don’t have as big a selection for groceries. I go there when I want to buy something that’s not related to groceries that I know they’ll have.
Kate,
I take it the 5 gallon collapsable water jugs are in the camping department? I think I should pick some of those up soon. Makes more sense than storing water right now I think.
Kate, How much did your 5 gallon jugs cost? I was just at Lakewinds, and they had these really nice 5 gallon polypro jugs (not collapsable) but they were $20 each. Seemed steep to me, but it was Lakewinds…
Cub has GHEE in the ethnic food section. For the uninitiated, ghee is basically clarified butter. It is in a glass jar and shouldn’t need refigeration after opening. (My understanding is that the clarification removes the milk fats which is the portion that goes rancid.)
It’s about $5 a jar/pound
nawty
And it’s essential for curry!
What about other items that don’t need refrigeration?
I was thinking of nut & rice milks that come in those brick containers. They can be stored on shelves until you open them but the sizes are small enough to be able to finish them in a few days (quicker if you have more people in the house). They can stacked for easy storage too. Imo they are better for you than cows milk anyway.
The brick shaped containers are called aseptic. Other liquid products come in those as well like soup broths and juice.
website for Rice Dream - contains info & pics of aseptic packaging
info from above website:
I would project that an opened unrefrigerated container MIGHT be ok for a couple of days. Never tried it of course. You can get small 8oz sizes in packs of 3 or single quart size blocks.
I’ve never liked soy milks - find them too chalky. If you want something that will do a decent job of replacing milk I would suggest Rice Dream original flavor. I’ve found its flavor and consistency is closest to skim milk. However, soy milks have more protein.
According to the manufacturer, Velveeta is shelf stable, and does NOT need refrigeration after opening.
Personally, even though then manufacturer says it’s ok to leave opened Velveeta on the shelf, I would try to use it up as soon as possible…always looking for the green…..
nawty
I was at SuperTarget tonight and noticed they have those big boxes of Kleenex on sale: 3 for $5. I picked some up.
Oops, that was me. Forgot to put the name in.
Does anyone know if there is a store in MN that specializes in bulk and freeze dried foods (such as powdered eggs)?
Sams has the big commercial dispenser type rolls of TP - 6000 ft 2 ply for around $20. This is my last line of defense. It has to be better then the Sears Catalog!
Snap - I don’t know of any place around for bulk and freeze dried but if you find any, let us know. Sam’s and Costco have the large bags of beans, flour, sugar, rice etc, but not the other stuff. Honeyville Grains has the cheapest powdered eggs on line at about $9 for a number 10 can. Emergency Essentials has just about everything.
Thanks for the info Thordawggy
I finally made it to Aldi’s today. Couldn’t go last week because of snow storms etc. They still have the case of 15 Brawny paper towels for $9.99! No limit. They have the canned roast beef in gravy for $1.89, unscented baby wipes for $1.79 (80 count), Giant Northern TP for $8.99 (16 count), vienna sausages for 39 cents each, Welch’s jugs of fruit juice for $1.89. Except for the paper towels, everything above was their regular price. Someone here said that the debit cards they take are not familiar. It is true - there is even one German card listed :-). I did ask if they take a Wells Fargo debit card and the cashier said yes as long as it is a debit card ONLY. Mine is a credit/debit card combined so she couldn’t take it. They did have an ATM machine though. That will cost me a couple of extra dollars. I also got some yummy looking breaded mushrooms for $1.99 and all purpose flour at 99 cents for 10 pounds. No limits. Bring your own bags or find empty boxes in the store. Sorry, I am repeating rlm. That was fun.
Hey Thordawggy—I’ve been away from the board for a while, but I’d meant to ask you if you were still interested in corresponding via e-mail. Dem From CT has my e-mail address, so if you’d like, you can send yours to him and have him get in touch with me.
Thanks! Hope you’re well!
I want to thank everyone for the Aldi’s tip. I went there last week and found some great deals. They have great milk prices and the kids said the chocolate milk was very good. The 15ct Brawny paper towels were still on sale.
Old thread - Closed to increase Forum speed.