I’ve mentioned Strategy Number 4: Take Advantage of Cyclic Changes in the Market, many times, on every Holiday post. While we think of cycles in food as being seasonal, seasonality isn’t the only, and maybe not even the most important, cycle affecting grocery store prices.

Why are Easter Grocery Sales Special?

Every Holiday allows retailers to lure you into their stores with great prices on specific items. But of the Big Six food holidays: the Super Bowl, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, Easter is special because it is preceded by Lent.

Lent, with its 40 days of fasting, drives sales uniquely: there are days when the eating of meat is put aside, and many families eat fish or seafood instead. You’ll find great prices on these, especially frozen and canned items that can be stored for the coming months, as well as all the expected sales right before Easter.

How do Grocers Make Money on Holiday Sales?

If you cook, if you eat, you should be thinking about these Holiday Sales when you’re planning and budgeting. Retailers are not afraid to post low, low sales prices on some items, designed to get you in the door, because they’re playing a game. A game that has three strategies:

• Get you in the door to buy the sales, then hope you’re so tired, busy, or overwhelmed that you’ll buy all the things you need in that one shop, even items that aren’t on sale.
• Hope you’re spending so much money during the holiday that you’ll buy just what you need for upcoming feasts, parties, and baking & you won’t take advantage of the lowest prices of the year on some items, stock up for coming months.
• Know that you won’t take advantage of the biggest sale items, particularly large cuts of meat like ham, pork shoulder, and lamb shoulder, or rock bottom pantry items and stock up, because most people aren’t going to have the ability to store them. (Get yourself a freezer & organize a pantry!)

How You Can Take Advantage!

Sales like these can be leveraged to YOUR advantage instead of the retailer’s, once you recognize the “cycles” of sales. Your mission in this game is always to get the most for the least. Shop not just for the holiday, but beyond, know when the NEXT great sale price will be and shop accordingly:

• Shop Around: Look through the flyers and check coupon-matching sites for the best items and cherry-pick those sale items. (Coupon sites list great sales that don’t involve coupons, too.)
• Budget & Buy Low: Prepare to spend a little extra money to stock up on items at their lowest prices and use them in the next few weeks to months.
• Store as Needed: Make sure you have a place for extra items, and consider a freezer. Buy it during the Black Friday sales. (The cost of running a new freezer is less than one Big Mac a month.)

Even if you don’t practice Lent or celebrate Easter, you should be setting aside a good portion of your food budget to take advantage of sales items that may not be at their low again until either the next major holiday or, in some cases, the Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s sales.

If you can wrap your mind around buying food this way, at rock bottom sale pricing, and if you have an idea of when items might next be on sale, you can come up with a strategy of not only what to buy but how much of each item to make it to the next sale.

• Think of it as skipping along from holiday to holiday, taking advantage as items present themselves.
• “Experts” suggest having a set amount of $$ every week to stay on budget. This is nonsense – food does NOT cost the same every week.
• Instead, always put the largest amount of money on the best bargains. Just like the stock market, always buy low.

Spring Holidays

Some of the items you’ll find on sale during Lent and/or Easter might just surprise you! The dates for Easter and Lent vary every year (determined by the Lunar cycle), so other sales might overlap.

They include Mardi Gras (the day before Good Friday, which is the start of Lent, and might include the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, and Passover.

Keep in mind, the grocery market (there’s a reason they’re called that!) is like the stock market. I’m giving you my advice based on experience, but only you know about any particulars specific to your area. Always use your own good judgement.

Where’s the Beef:

• Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are all great times to stock up on the larger, premium, but sale-priced roasts. Easter is second only to the winter holidays for these items. Look for Tenderloin and Rib Roasts: They often drop quite low, but consider watching for them at your buyers’ club. Sometimes the buyers’ clubs sell these roasts for a great price after the holiday, too, while the regular grocery stores usually take them off sale.
• After Easter, watch for good prices on chuck, sirloin, and round roasts, although rock-bottom pricing is generally in January and February. Holiday demand for premium roasts triggers sales of the more economical cuts. (The rest of the steer has to go somewhere.) As we move into summer, a good amount of these lesser cuts is diverted to meet a higher seasonal demand for ground beef. Prices on these lesser cuts rise, and sales become unpredictable. If the sale is good, stock up thoughtfully.
• Brisket is likely to be at a great price and is included here, although sales are generally attributed to a demand stemming from Passover, often unadvertised as such. When the next great price is available depends on your area, but likely during the Summer Holidays to meet the demand of grilling and barbecue season.

Lamb:

• Much of the lamb sold in the US comes from Australia and New Zealand, and supply peaks from February through May. Easter falls nicely in this timeline. Look for the best pricing of the year. The next predictable sales are likely when the Spring lambs are ready, from September through November.
• Larger Cuts: Consider picking up and freezing for celebration dinners throughout the upcoming months.
• Smaller Cuts: Items like lamb chops can be picked up for grilling during the summer months.
• Your Buyers’ Clubs are a great place to look for better quality lamb at a better price than the grocery store.

Pork Items:

• Ham rules for Easter dinner and will be on sale somewhere for a rock bottom price in the weeks leading up to Easter. Most ham will keep for several weeks in the fridge and can be frozen. If you have room, buy extra. Look for specials where you buy so many items, and get a discount on the ham, or coupons from the producers. As a general rule, spiral hams are more expensive, and you’ll want to look for a ham that isn’t injected with a lot of fluid. The next good sale will be around Thanksgiving, but it’s likely to drop to rock bottom, again, before Christmas.
• Standing Pork Roasts: Often on sale at Christmas, they are also usually at a great price at Easter. Even on sale, they are generally pricey and difficult to wrap well to freeze. If you buy, buy with the idea of using it fresh or, at the very most, within a few weeks if frozen.
• Pork Loin is a fabulous budget Easter dinner item. Look for large ones to be on sale (check your buyers’ clubs) and break them down into reasonably sized roasts and chops. It will almost always be cheaper than buying individual packages or pork chops. You might not find stellar pricing again until fall.
• Pork Shoulder is often on sale around Easter, but rock-bottom pricing is more likely during the summer and fall sales. Keep an eye out and buy if it’s at a good price, keeping in mind there will be many opportunities to pick up on sale throughout the summer.
• Smoked Sausages or fully cooked pork products meant to be sliced and served are likely to be at a great price around March Madness, and again, right before Easter. The next low will likely be in the fall. Save a bundle & make your own meat/cheese/cracker trays.
• Rope and Link Sausages, Raw or Smoked, are likely going to be at the best price until the Summer Holiday sales, and then at rock bottom during the fall. Look for them before Mardi Gras. Buy enough to last until summer, but only if the sale is a great one; they’re an item that does go on sale sporadically, although the sales are iffy until the Summer Holidays: Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
• Bacon and Breakfast Sausage are usually on sale during every holiday. Get in the habit of picking up several packages as you see them at a low price, just enough to last until the next holiday.

Chicken & Poultry:

• Wings will be on sale, as they are before every holiday, but they may not be rock bottom prices. Watch for low prices, especially before March Madness and Father’s Day, though the low for the year will typically be before the Super Bowl.
• Turkeys will often be discounted before Easter, but the rock bottom low price is going to be before Thanksgiving. It never hurts to have one in the freezer. You’d be hard-pressed to find a lower-priced animal protein.
• Specialty Poultry like Cornish Hens, are usually on sale. Their rock bottom price is before Christmas/New Year’s, with minor sales around Valentine’s Day.
• While chicken isn’t a typical Easter sale item, larger whole chickens (layers which are often larger than what you’ll see at the grocery) will be on sale at rock bottom prices in the weeks after Easter, once the high demand for eggs has passed.
• Other chicken items: chicken tenders and nuggets, are big sellers in the weeks following Easter, for the same reason as above, possibly a low for the year. Stock up.

Fish & Seafood:

• Fish and Seafood are fabulous items to pick up before any holiday, but are usually at a low starting the week before Lent and continuing through the Easter sales. You cannot go wrong with stocking up for the year or some items, and until the Winter Holidays for others.
• You will see great prices during Lent on almost any fresh fish; shop around and compare pricing.
• Consider stocking up on frozen fish and fish items at their lowest price of the year, especially if you have a freezer. If you don’t have a freezer – get one!
• Seafood, fresh or frozen, will likely not be at a lower price until Christmas, although you may find great pop up sales for crab legs and shrimp throughout the year.
• Oysters,  jarred herrings, anchovies, etc., are always on sale during the season, along with smoked salmon. If it will keep, jarred or frozen, stock up to last until Christmas.
• Canned Tuna and Salmon: If you use these items, stock up for the year. Check prices at your drug stores: with specials and in ad coupons, these items can be picked up for pennies.
• A word of caution: Premade Shrimp and Cocktail sauce “rings” are on sale before every holiday, but they are never a bargain. They’ve always been frozen, so even bargain bags of frozen shrimp, carefully thawed, are usually better, cook in minutes, and it’s easy to make your own “platters” of shrimp and cocktail sauce.

Next to the sales during the Winter Holidays, Easter is the best time of year to stock up on baking items with great sales. The coming summer holidays have minor sales, watch especially for chocolate chips. Freeze any items containing flour for three days to avoid pesky flour bugs. Check Aldi and Lidl throughout the year for great prices on some of these items.

• Yeast: Generally, 25 percent off. Keep yeast in freezer or fridge. Jars are the best bargain and last for years in the freezer.
• Flour: Pick up smaller packages for dirt cheap (during sales, always check price per pound).
• Sugars: Most sugars and sugar-type products (brown sugar (easy to make at home), powdered sugar, corn syrup, molasses, Agave, etc.) are on sale some time before Easter.
• Chocolate and Baking Chips: They do go on sale periodically, but any Holiday is a good time to stock up, and there are some good summer sales.
• Oil: Cooking oil is on sale, and you’re likely to find great sales on specialty oils. Shortening may or may not be on sale.
• Pie Filling, Pie Crusts, Baking Mixes: All on sale at rock bottom pricing. If you use refrigerated pie crust, pick up several to freeze.
• Spices and Extracts: Every Spring, McCormick items, especially vanilla, are at rock bottom. Stores in some areas often offer sales and Catalinas (money back on your next purchase when you buy so many). These are often unadvertised, so check with your coupon-matching site and pay attention to the slips of paper that shoot out with your receipt.

• Vinegar is the most notable, often unadvertised. Jugs of basic vinegar will be rock bottom. Pick up several if you use a lot. You may find the higher-end vinegar on sale, often unadvertised, but most will be on sale throughout the summer.
• Dried Beans and Peas: On sale, often unadvertised before, during, or after any major Holiday when Ham is likely to be served, Easter and Christmas.
• Canned and Boxed Chicken and Beef stocks are low – the next low sale will likely be Thanksgiving, so pick up enough to last if you use.
• Oil: Cooking Oil will be on sale, and Olive Oil and other specialty oils generally are, as well.
• Mayonnaise: Much cheaper in the summer, it often goes on sale at Easter. The next great sale price will probably be Memorial Day.
• Mustard is usually on a deep sale at Easter, but like all condiments will be on sale throughout the summer.
• Pickles, relishes, olives, and other specialty items are usually found on sale for a great price sometime before Easter, but the more basic ones will be on sale throughout the summer.
• Crackers: If you keep crackers on hand, buy enough now to last through Memorial Day. Usually, everything from store brands to gourmet will be on sale at some time before the holiday.
• Brunch-type items: syrup, pancake and waffle mix, and other brunch items will be at a great price. The next big sale will be Mother’s Day, then the sales become sporadic until Thanksgiving sales. (Watch around Father’s Day, too.)
• Pop and Junk Food: If you’re buying, buy it on sale…these items are on sale at almost every major Holiday – the next great sale will be Memorial Day.
• Bottled Dressing: If you use and need some, pick up before holidays or during the summerfor lowest pricing. Better yet, always make your own – I have many on my site.
• Canned Items:  Canned Soup, Mandarin Oranges, and canned Pineapple are usually on sale during any major Holiday. These will probably be at their lowest right now, and the next big drop in price will be in the fall for the soup and Thanksgiving for the fruit, so stock up.
• Mixes and frostings are usually at a good price.
• Jello and Pudding mixes are often on sale at Easter.
• French’s Fried Onions – Pick up now, enough to last till the Thanksgiving sales. Or better yet, make your own in minutes. Recipe on my site.
• Nuts are usually at a reasonable price, generally not as good as fall and Winter Holiday sales. Look for them in baking, snacks, produce & bulk areas. Prices are usually fabulous at tractor supply type stores.
• Salsas and Mexican or Latin American items will be on sale, but the best sales will be during Cinco de Mayo. Buy enough to get through and stock up at Cinco de Mayo, then the Super Bowl.

Sales are big prior to Easter for baking (and for dyeing Easter eggs)

• Eggs: It almost goes without saying that eggs will be cheap, often in big packs. Don’t be afraid to buy a large number of eggs. They keep for weeks past the “sell” or “buy” dates on the package. It’s a great time of year to make eggs for dinner, breakfast casseroles, and stock your freezer with homemade breakfast sandwiches or burritos.
• Butter: Easter is one of the best times to buy butter, as it will be cheaper than the normal “great” price at other Holidays. Pick up as much as you can to last until the Thanksgiving sales (count the weeks and calculate how much you’ll need) and freeze it. Check your discount stores.
• Cream Cheese: Will be at a great price, and if you haven’t stocked up for the year at the Christmas sales, buy enough to last until then, when it’s rock bottom. Lasts for weeks beyond the best if used by date and can be frozen.
• Cream, Sour Cream & Half and Half: You’ll find great sales – pick up several. They’ll generally last way beyond their “buy by” or “best if used by” date – remember, this is NOT an expiration date on dairy. The next great sale is Mother’s Day.
• “Fancy” Near – Deli Cheese: A lot of the cheeses that are kept packaged near the Deli will be on deep sales. Pick up hang tags (coupons near the cheese) whenever you see them and check the producer’s websites. Expiration dates for coupons are often months out, so pick the coupons up and wait for a sale. Watch your coupon-matching site for sales plus coupons.
• Grocery Cheese: Yeah, plain old cheese, various brands, might be on sale, but will regularly be on sale. Don’t stock up unless the deal is stellar.
• Ice-Cream: There might be some great sales, but it will regularly be on sale.

• You’ll usually find specials on whole mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, lemons and limes, and strawberries. Pick up extra of the ones that will last longer, like the broccoli and cauliflower. Smell those strawberries – they’ll be out of season and maybe not so good. You may find artichokes on sale as they come into season in late spring.
• Potatoes will be on sale before every holiday, but it’s worth noting that if St. Patricks day is near, red potatoes will be at a low.
• Cabbage might be low, but, like red potatoes, it will be rock bottom at St. Patrick’s Day.
• Green Onions are on sale every holiday.
• Pineapples, for some reason, are often on sale; rock bottom pricing is in January – February.
• Lettuce:  There will be Holiday sales on bagged lettuce and Spinach. Even on sale, they are generally significantly more than loose-leaf
• The little cuties and specialty oranges will likely be on sale, and sales will be waning, and prices go up as they go out of season.
• Lemons begin dropping in price as they come into season…buy more and use them often.
• A whole array of veggie and fruit trays may be on sale. They are a horrendous value. Avoid them like the plague! Making your own with whole fresh fruit or veggies is usually less than buying one small tray.

• Breads: frozen bread and rolls, as well as brown and serve breads will be at a low; next good price will be around Mother’s Day, and likely won’t be at a low until Thanksgiving after that.
• Cool Whip or Frozen Topping will be on sale every holiday.
• Vegetables: I don’t pay as much attention since I don’t use them except peas or spinach (it’s a myth that frozen vegetables are less than in season fresh), but Easter will be the last dependable great price on most until late summer or fall, when the harvests are in, warehouses are full, and they are priced to move fast.
• Frozen Fruit: Check to see if there are sales, advertised or not.
• Frozen Pie Dough & Filo, & Puff Pastry: Easter and the Winter Holidays are great times to pick up at a low. The sales are often unadvertised on Filo & Puff Pastry.
• Frozen Pies and Frozen Desserts find their way to deep sales.
• Fish and Seafood is listed above, in from the Meat Case. It will be at the lowest price of the year.

Any holiday would not be complete without the specialty breads, pies, and cakes that are often on sale. Keep in mind that homemade will be pennies on the dollar, and better tasting.

• Look for Hawaiian Bread on sale, as well as flatbreads, Pita, etc.
• Dinner Rolls will usually be on some kind of special.
• Hot Cross buns are associated with Easter and are often available.

• Batteries are a great price around Easter. Other great sales are at Christmas, around the Time Changes, and Back to School Sales.
• Look for sale-priced items like garbage bags, storage containers, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, cooking bags, dishwashing detergents, and so on.
• Paper Towels, paper plates, cups, and napkins are generally on sale – I’ll usually find better sales during the summer.
• Check prices for TP. It’s almost always on sale around every holiday, so try to time your purchases. It’s one of the best items to buy at your buyers club or on special at your discount stores or drug stores.

Generally, the grocery store is not your best bet for many cleaning items and TP unless it’s a sale with buy so many items, get $ back, sometimes combined with coupons.

• If you see sales like that in your grocery ad, it’s probably a campaign, and probably from P&G.
• Proctor and Gamble has an annual sale in the spring and includes a wide variety of household and cleaning items, often with money back if so many items are bought.
• Watch for these for the lowest price of the year, and depending on the date of Easter, it may coincide with the season.
• Check drug stores to see if the deals and pricing are better.

Pop or Soda:

• Often on sale at rock-bottom (1/2 off) prices, there may be a quantity-limited notation.
• Buy, buy, buy. Go back multiple times to the store, especially if you drink often. Know how much you drink and buy in quantities to last until the next holiday. Get rain checks if needed. Cans at rock bottom will always be less than rock bottom pricing on any bottles, including liters and two liters.

Beer, Ciders, Etc.

• Many of these items will be at rock bottom around any holiday, some of which are more seasonal or tied to specific holidays, will only be at rock bottom during specific holidays. You are likely to find best pricing before the Super Bowl, during March Madness, then Easter, but the Summer Holidays will have great pricing, too.
• Good sales prices will be from 1/3 to 1/2 off. Stock up. Learn how to store and for how long in this excellent article by Eat by Date. You can count on some sales

Hard Liquor:

• You’ll find many opportunities to buy on sale around any holiday, both at the grocery store and at liquor stores.
• Sign up for email alerts, watch the sales, and know your pricing. There is really never any reason to pay full price on almost anything.
• Most liquor stores have a big sale once a year, usually in late February or March, which crosses over into the Lent/Easter sales. That’s usually going to be the best time to stock a cabinet, as you’ll probably find a wider variety on sale and rock bottom pricing.

Wine:

• Many liquor stores traditionally have fabulous sales in late February or early March (usually before the annual sales on Hard Liquor). This will generally cross over into the Lent/Easter sales.
• Sign up for email alerts, watch the sales, and know your pricing. There is really never any reason to pay full price on almost anything. If you are a wine drinker, it’s one of the best times to buy.

Coffee:

• You should stock up for the year at the lowest prices around Christmas and New Year’s sales. The Super Bowl sales are a kind of last chance for the lowest prices.
• If you’ve missed those sales, all the different kinds of coffee you can want will usually be on sale before any holiday, although the discounts usually aren’t as good as the ones around Christmas.
• There are many myths around coffee! The best article I’ve found is from John Beans. If you use pods, check your Buyer’s club for the best pricing (and again, stock up during those winter sales.)

Miscellaneous Beverages:

• Items like water, energy drinks, and juices: Most of these items will be on sale at some point leading up to any holiday.
• If you use, stock up at a low.

Easter is a Holiday known for great candy – but it is even cheaper AFTER the Holiday. Its always a gamble – will there be any left? I always cherry-pick sales for chocolate that’s good enough to bake with, no matter the shape!

After Easter Sales:

While almost all “Easter Items” will be on sale for much less after the Holiday, cards, candy, and decorations, there are two food items worth mentioning:

• About two weeks after Easter, look for sales on Chicken: Whole chickens are often less than any other time of the year, and you’re likely to see a good sales price on most chicken. Since “layers” are usually larger than birds raised for eating, you’re also likely to see larger chickens at the supermarket, and if you like to have a roast chicken now and then, this is a good time of year to pick one or two up if freezer space allows.
• When some grocery stores have too many hams, they are often heavily discounted after Easter. This just depends on the store and area.

Leftovers:

Leftovers are the most expensive items in your home – You shop for them, buy them, transport them, store them, prepare them, serve them, then store them again. They’re a product of your time and money.

Taking advantage of leftovers can be a bit of a dance, with a few ad-lib moves interrupting the pattern. Learn to do that dance well and you’ll not only eliminate potential waste but make the most of your time, effort, and money. Here are plenty of links to help give you your best moves.

helpful leftover links:

save on other holidays: