Did you know that Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is primarily a holiday, unless you are from Puebla, Mexico, celebrated in the U.S.? The date is largely seen as a celebration of Mexican American culture stretching back to the 1800s in California.

Before we proceed: Long post alert! I promised years ago I would never write incomplete cutesy articles that only give you the breezy easy answers or make you click and click to get the information you need. So fair warning! And FYI: You’ll find links at the bottom of the page for other holidays.

Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite “food” Holidays, even though it’s not one of the biggest, partially because the holiday drives some pretty unique sales at the grocery store and partially because I love food made with some of those items. (Another unique thing about this holiday is that it overlaps with some of the Mother’s Day sales. You will want to be on the lookout for some of them.)

Depending, usually, on the demographics of the area and how responsive the grocers are to those demographics, sales may be advertised or not. In the weeks before the holiday, check your sales flyers for items used to make Mexican or Southwestern cuisine.

When you’re in the store, take a peek down whatever aisle these items are displayed to see what might be on sale, unadvertised, and don’t forget to check the produce aisle. You might be on the watch for cookout and barbecue items, too.

Once you’re clued into the fact that the sales driven by the celebration are annual sales and that many of these items are at rock bottom for the year, you can make more informed decisions on what to stock up on and how much to stock. Always use your good judgment, I can give you advice, but no guarantees!

Do leverage these sales to your best advantage and stock up for the event and for the months beyond. Know that there may be sporadic sales throughout the year, especially around the Superbowl and National Hispanic Heritage Month, but they may not be rock bottom.

I would like to note that so many areas have Mexican/Latino/Ethnic markets that may have lower everyday prices and authentic ingredients.

In addition to specials in restaurants, happy hours and indoor parties, barbecues and cookouts are often thrown on Cinco de Mayo.

PORK:

• Ribs will almost always be on sale, although as summer holidays approach, there may be lower prices.
• Watch for specials on other pork items; shoulder may be on sale.
• Chorizo may be at a low as well as ground pork.

BEEF:

• Ground beef might be at a great price in the weeks before Cinco de Mayo.
• Premade burgers might be on a special; probably not a rock bottom price. There will be better sales as the summer holidays near.
• Depending on your location, there might be specials on some type of steak. Flap, Skirt, or Flank would be good contenders.

CHICKEN:

• Wings seem to be at a low in the weeks before almost any holiday. The pricing isn’t usually at rock bottom for Cinco de Mayo; the best prices are usually before the Super Bowl.

SEAFOOD:

• You may find a good (probably not a great) price on frozen shrimp. It’s worth a walk by the seafood aisle.

• Avocados, Tomatoes, Garlic, Cilantro, Peppers (both Bell as well as jalapeno, Poblano, and others) are usually on sale, along with a lettuce or two and limes.
• Premade refrigerated Salsas and guacamole are usually on sale, too.
• Almost every Holiday will have great prices on green onions, mushrooms, and of course: Berries!
• You might find early season Watermelons. They may or may not be at a good sales price.

• Frozen Mexican specialty items (taquitos, tamales, burritos, etc.) may be on sale as well as many Mexican frozen dinners.
• There will likely be a sale on frozen vegetables (frozen corn is often used in Mexican-type casseroles) but from here on out, sales on frozen vegetables will diminish as the summer hits.
• Any holiday usually has a couple of good sales on ice creams, bars, popsicles and so on.

• Look for tortillas near the Mexican food, in the refrigerator section, as well as on the endcaps (shelves at the end of aisles), and compare prices. Tortillas can be frozen when very well wrapped but do not last long and corn tortillas especially can suffer in texture.
• Masa will generally be at a low; depending on the area there may be dried and fresh. Freeze your dried Masa for three days to eliminate the possibility of “peskies.”
• If you use lard (are you Paleo?) then check the baking aisle and refrigerator sections, possibly the freezer area depending on where you live and the type of lard you are looking for.
• Depending on your area there may be bakery goods on sale. Maybe Mexican pastries and possibly party goods like decorated cupcakes. (Gotta admit bakery goods are on my personal do not buy list, though.)

Often the sales prices on these items aren’t advertised, but I often find them at great prices before Cinco de Mayo and stock up if they are. It never hurts to stroll down the aisle and check out what is and isn’t on sale. Be aware in many areas of the country some of these items may not be available at al:

• Dried beans may be on sale – you can expect black beans and pintos, but some stores simply discount all bean products. This is likely the last time beans will be at a great price until Thanksgiving.
• Canned baked beans, pintos, refried, and black beans will likely be on sale. Most canned beans will either stay around the same price or rise over the summer except baked beans. There will be multiple sales over the summer.
• Bagged rice may be at a low price. Some Rice mixes and boxes, particularly Mexican rice packages will likely be at a low for the year.
• Corn Husks will likely be discounted. Freeze them for at least three days when you bring them home and they’ll last for months – years perhaps.
• Dried chiles of all kinds are likely to be on sale. While they don’t keep forever (you want a certain pliability) they do keep for a long time. Repackage them if the package is flimsy.
• Check the nut sections of the grocery – which may be in several places (near snacks, baking, dried foods, bulk foods, organic, and in this case, Mexican or the ethnic part of the produce section) for Pepitas. They can be pricey little things, but stock up if they are on sale. Pepitas are a type of pumpkin seed and aren’t sold with shells.
• Taco Shells and Kits are likely to be on sale, with coupons. Stock up.
• Salsa, America’s most used condiment, will be on sale, with coupons, and other condiments such as hot sauces, enchilada sauces and so on may be at a low price.
• Your store will likely have a great price on some of their canned tomatoes. Look especially for Rotel.
• Often unadvertised, look for sales on things like Chipotle peppers, canned jalapenos, green chiles, etc.
• Dulce de Leche may be on sale, and you may find great prices on condensed milk as well.
• I’ve noticed Tajin and Sazon are often on sale.
• This is a great time of year to stock up on vanilla and other spices. While not tied specifically to Cinco de Mayo, sales are usually in late spring.
• Check the price of cooking oil, too, as many stores drop the prices during a Holiday.

You may see great prices and coupons available on cheese and dairy. Coupons for Dairy seldom areout in any force unless there is a holiday. Check your coupon matching sites and producer sites for items that are brand particular.

• Cheese: There will likely be a great price on some block and grated cheese, but look alsoin the Near Deli section for Mexican cheeses. Often pricey, they’ll likely be on sale, and there may be coupons.
• Sour Cream and Cremas: Nearly always on a great sale for Cinco de Mayo, whether advertised or not.
• Eggs may be on sale, often a loss leader – a grocery store strategy for almost any Holiday.

• You’ll probably see sales on bean dips, quesos, salsas, and tortilla chips.
• Pop will be on sale; it is for every holiday and Cinco de Mayo is no exception. Do be aware that stock-up pricing will usually be better before the summer holidays.
• Premade bottled and iced teas as well as other beverages will likely be on sale but the best prices, just like pop, will be later into summer.
• So not junk food, but some Mexican coffee brands might be on sale, at my store I noticed Cafe Bustelo.

• No Holiday is complete without a great price on beer and Cinco de Mayo sales are special. Mexican brands are usually discounted as well as a few basic beers. While beer will be at a great price during Memorial Day sales, you may not find the Mexican beers at this low for a while – why not stock up a bit to last you through a few barbecues if you have a fondness for them?
• Of course, you’ll find Tequila, Kahlua, Mescal, and other Mexican liquors on sale, too.

Cinco de Mayo is the “opener” of the summer Barbecue sales. Mother’s Day is next, but never as good, then Memorial is the huge one, followed by Father’s Day, and the remainder of the summer holidays. Buy if you need and use these items before Cinco de Mayo but save any serious stocking up for the Memorial Day sales.

• Charcoal, lighter fluid
• Paper plates, napkins, cups
• Possibly garbage bags and storage bags, foil, etc.
• Dish Detergent and dishwasher packs may be on sale.

I hope you’ve found something worthwhile in this post; it’s definitely food for thought! I hear bad advice on how to budget for food almost on the daily. One piece of advice is to decide on a $$ amount to spend on groceries each week and never go over it.

This is a mistake – food doesn’t cost the same amount every week. Leverage sales (and the best sales are before holidays) to your advantage. Spend the most amount of money on food items that are at their rock bottom or at least at a great price. Stock up so you won’t run out before the next great sale. Always remember, “Buy Low!”

I hope I haven’t missed anything, here, and if I have, please leave a comment! I appreciate it if you are still here and still reading! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Mollie

The photo for this site header, menu, and pin is modified from Megan Jones, Time to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

If you like the Cinco de Mayo Sales, see how you can save on other holidays: