RVA Deals
It’s CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) sign up time! Find out how to pick one that works for you – and check out the best deals around Richmond this week, of course.
We finally did it. After making profuse promises to my husband that I will cook and eat everything, we finally signed up for a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) half-share. As if saying goodbye to snow wasn’t enough reason to yearn for summer, now I’m eagerly anticipating having a selection of fresh, local vegetables, and learning about new tastes and cooking methods.
Starting in May, we will be regular visitors at St. Stephen’s farmers market, picking up our Fertile Crescent Farm veggies. I calculated that the cost for our half-share works out to $13.75 a week; it will be interesting to see what kind of value that yields.
I realize “getting a bargain” generally ranks low or non-existent on the list of people’s reasons for buying into a CSA. But I’ll ask anyway: Do you think CSA’s are a good deal? And by good deal, I mean pretty much whatever you want it to mean. Did you do a cost comparison before signing up? Have you decided against them because you prefer the freedom of choosing your own selections at the farmer’s market? Are they just too expensive for your budget right now? Do some farms offer more bang for your buck? Can you put a price on supporting local agriculture?
If you are interested in buying a share this summer, check out Local Harvest and Richmond Food Collective for information on local farms offering CSA options, prices, and pick-up locations.
Did you read about the latest Ukrop’s-to-Giant news?
This week, Kroger has a “Buy 10, get $3 off” Daytona 500 promo. And tomorrow (Thursday), look for its one day “Cupid’s Specials” sale.
Meat Top Pick
$1.78/lb Tyson boneless skinless chicken breast at Kroger
Veggie Top Pick
Asparagus $1.99/lb at Ukrop’s
Fruit Top Pick
$1.48/lb red or white seedless grapes at Kroger
Dairy Top Pick
Country Crock margarine (45 ounces!) $1.69 at Kroger when you buy 10 participating items. Use $.30 coupon from 1/31 Red Plum insert.
Staples Top Pick
Bertolli pasta sauce is $1.50 a jar at Ukrop’s
Snacks & Sweets Top Pick
Banquet frozen entrees or brown ‘n serve sausage are $.58 at Kroger when you buy 10. (Yes, Banquet is pretty lousy, but $.58 is pretty cheap)
Beverage Top Pick
Receive 15% off a purchase of 6 or more bottles of wine at Kroger.
Household Top Pick
Softsoap hand soap bottles $.88 at Kroger. Use $.35 coupon from 1/31 insert.
Find more deals by accessing the stores’ weekly ads online:
- Prices valid 2/7-2/13: Kroger, Ukrop’s, Target, Walgreen’s, CVS
- Prices valid 2/10-2/16: Tom Leonard’s, Whole Foods, Fresh Market
Monthly ads online:
- Prices good for all of February: Ellwood Thompson’s, Good Foods Grocery
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Alison Brown
Check out more of Alison’s stellar cost-cutting tricks and tips over at Richmond Bargains or follow her on Twitter. Your wallet is sure to thank you.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
It seems that a lot more things at Ukrop’s are on sale. I’m guessing they’re trying to clear out the Joe’s Market and Full Circle organic before whatever organic store brand Martin’s has comes in.
I’ve been in 2 CSAs. The first was one where you get a box every week, and it was a fun challenge to try to use everything I got. Last year I was in one with a debit system where I could pick what I wanted throughout the season, but this year they changed it a little so there’s no longer a discount when you buy the debit (only after you use it up), so I haven’t decided whether to go back to a box-type CSA or just buy by the week.
We’ve loved being part of a CSA. It’s especially great if you’ve got a little one starting solids. We made the majority of our kids first veggies from the stuff we got from Victory Farms.
We did https://www.dominionharvest.com/ until a job loss forced us to cut back our bills… hopefully we’ll be able to join again this year!
Kelly – Thanks for the tip, I hadn’t thought about that!
Melissa – Yeah, we debated the debit vs box too. I heard from lots of people who love the Victory Farms debit system. But not knowing if they were doing a pickup location near us, we went with a box pickup.
Val – JR’s a lucky little guy!
Kathy – Heard great things about Dominion Harvest too, and it’s so nice that they deliver