Fresh & Easy

When the price of gas skyrocketed so did the price of groceries. Now that gas is cheaper, it seems that groceries are still as expensive. Because of that I'm a coupon clipper, I read the grocery ads when they come in the mail, and I love Fresh & Easy. This store has been open in our neighbordhood for a little over a year now, but I didn't discover it until recently when a co-worker told me about this place. I describe Fresh & Easy as a neighborhood shop like Trader Joe's but with a Costco-esque feel to it. No, they don't sell stuff in bulk. They have a great selection of foods under the Fresh & Easy brand but they also sell a lot of of name brand products you'll find in your major grocery store chains such as Ralph's, Von's, or Albertsons'. I love Fresh & Easy for their selection of produce, meats, and pre-made meals and their prices are great. The best thing is there are coupons that come out in the mail for $5 off a $20 dollar purchase so the savings are even greater. The only caveat is that the checkouts are all self checkouts and you pack your groceries yourself. However, there are always 1-2 employees up front who are there to help and often they'll even pack your groceries for you.

Here's a little sample of great savings. These are the ingredients for my chicken noodle soup I'm making tonight as the hubs is a little under the weather. All this cost me a whopping $8.38! My soup should make about 6 servings so that's $1.40 a serving!!!

Products that are sold under the Fresh & Easy brand are often cheaper than other name brand products. This 48 ounce bottle of vegetable will easily cost you between $3 and $5 at a major grocer when it's not on sale, but at Fresh & Easy it's $2.55 all the time.

A 32 ounce package of chicken broth is easily $3 + dollars at a major chain and at Fresh & Easy it's only $1.98.

Okay, okay, I'm beginning to sound like a bit of an infomercial but I love Fresh & Easy and for those of you who have never checked it out should. :-)