Groceries For Le$$: The “Raja of Rupees” Does Laundry 9/14/11

Is he really going to bore us with an entire column devoted to cleaning products?  And furthermore, should he even be allowed to write about something as boring and hated as housecleaning?

Yes and yes, but with good reason.

One of the greatest sources of angst for me while shopping is the high cost of cleansers and laundry detergents.  I have to buy them, I need them and I want them!  I love clean sinks, toilets windows, floors and laundry.  What’s a girl to do?  Well, this “girl” has found just the solution.

If you are like me, you’ve tried just about every major brand over the years and while finding a broad range of prices, they usually yield little in the way of differing results.  I began using somewhat lower priced alternatives like store brand cleaners and detergent and had been stuck with those choices for years until I stumbled upon the greatest kept secret in the county.

In my travels around San Diego, I like to check out both The Dollar Tree and well as 99 Cent Only Stores.  On each visit, I couldn’t help but notice an entire aisle of liquid cleaning supplies for every possible type of household soil, many manufactured by LA’S TOTALLY AWESOME.  Offered in  spray bottles or jugs , these products made me surmise that either they were ALL watered down junk or maybe, just maybe they were pretty good and a great value.  

Like a Goldman Sachs banker, I stood in the aisle and ran some calculations.  I factored in variables such as risk vs. return and came up with the following.  The $1.00 (per container) investment seemed reasonable and worked well within my comfort zone and budgetary constraints.  I put away my calculator and load my cart.

I use LA’S Totally Awesome Oxygen Powered Detergent.  It comes in a 64 ounce container which cleans up to 32 loads of laundry for a buck!  Even though the water shouldn’t be really sudsy (like when Bobby Brady does laundry), I always tend to put a little extra detergent in the machine as it fills and am therefore already using it up faster than I should.  Better for me, if it is less costly or in this case, downright cheap!

For the kitchen counter, stove, toilets, tubs and diluted for mopping, I use LA’s Totally Awesome All Purpose Cleaner (with or without bleach).  Packaged in a 64 ounce jug, I transfer it to a spray bottle as needed.  NOTE:  It gets better - Rather than actually buying an empty spray bottle, I simply purchase a bottle of window cleaner for a dollar and use that.  So not only do I get 32 ounces of window cleaner, but a FREE spray bottle as well!

If you’re hung up on big, schmaltzy TV ad campaigns, you won’t find that here, but snobs are welcome to pour the detergent into their empty Wisk or Purex containers.

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, cleansers are only as effective as the hand applying them.  Cleaning isn’t fun, but look, if you scrub your kitchen and bathroom with a two-sided abrasive sponge and these products, they will be clean, fresh and sanitized.  If you pre-treat your stains and wash them quickly, your clothes will get great results with the $1.00 detergent. 

I’m reminded of a time when I was about 13. I had a guitar which I was certain was inferior and therefore preventing me from becoming a virtuoso and/or the next Eddie Van Halen.  One day at my house an accomplished player picked up my guitar.  Needless to say he played that guitar as it had never been played before and sadly, never would again.  This lesson demonstrated to me the importance of the ability of the hard work of the musician, rather than the quality of the instrument.  In some convoluted way, I liken the musician to the person cleaning the toilets and the guitar to the low cost cleaners presented for your approval here.

The best shopping deals for the week of September 14^th – Sept 20^th, 2011 are as follows:

ALBERTSONS

LARGE NECTARINES  88c LB

ENTENMANN’S CAKES  2/$5.00

RALPHS

FREEN GRAPES OR RED OR BLACK PLUMS  88c LB

RALPHS CHEESE  $3.49 LB

FRITOS OR CHEETOS $1.99 EACH

THURS SEPT 15^TH 1PM-9PM:

RASPBERRIES 4.5 OZ PKG  99c

ATLANTIC SALMON V$4.99 LB (LIMIT 3)

CORN FLAKES 12OZ.  $1.49 (LIMIT 2)

SPROUTS/HENRY’S

RED OR GREEN GRAPES  69c LB

NECTARINES OR PLUMS  88c LB

CORN  4/$1.00

BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES  88c LB

RED, GREE, OR ROMAINE LETTUCE  88c EACH

GALA OR GRANNY SMITH APPLES  88c LB

CAULIFLOWER OR BROCCOLI CROWNS  88c LB

RED OR GREEN BELL PEPPER 4/$1.00

BABY CARROTS  (1 LB PKG)  88c EACH

STATER BROTHERS

WATERMELON  19c LB

GREEN GRAPES  89c LB

LONDON BROIL  $2.47 LB

FREETOS OR CHEETOS  $1.99 EACH

MARUCHAN INSTANT LUNCH SOUP  5/$1.00

ORE-IDA POTATOES  3/$6.00

SEPT 16, 17, 18 FRI, SAT SUN ONLY

BAR S JUMBO FRANKS   16 OZ.  77c PKG

VONS

 WHOLE CHICKEN  69c LB

RED, GREEN OR BLACK GRAPES  88c LB

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Not responsible for typographical errors.  I type the best I can with 2 fingers.