Meijer's Squash and Piggly Wiggly's Chicken Legs Make Fall Cooking Cheap

This week's flyers lean hard into fall. Meijer has locally grown squash at 99¢/lb, and Publix has fall hard squash at $0.99/lb, so the cold-weather cooking is cheap right now. Chicken leg quarters are also priced low at several stores, and I always take that as a sign to fill the oven. One note on timing: Piggly Wiggly's sale ends Sunday, November 1, and Giant's flyer I have runs through October 29, so shop those two early.

This Week's Best Deals

• Fresh Fryer Leg Quarters, Piggly Wiggly, $0.79/lb. This is the lowest chicken price I found. Lidl has Butcher's Specialty fresh chicken leg quarters at $0.99/lb, and Giant has them at $1.00/lb. Roast a big pan of them with onions and potatoes, and you'll have leftovers for a couple of days.

• Locally Grown Butternut, Acorn, Buttercup Kabocha or Spaghetti Squash, Meijer, 99¢/lb. Squash is filling, keeps for weeks, and tastes better the longer you let it roast. Halve it, bake it cut side down, and season it simply. Publix has Fall Hard Squash at the same $0.99/lb if that store is closer to you.

• Boneless Pork Tenderloin or Bone-In Pork Back Ribs, Kroger, $2.99/lb with card. Pork tenderloin is a tender cut that cooks fast, and this is a good price for it. Giant has it at $3.99/lb, so Kroger wins this week if you have the card. Lidl also has Smithfield fresh pork spareribs at $1.79/lb if you'd rather go slow and low.

• Avocados, ALDI, 49¢ each. I don't often see avocados this cheap. Buy a few and use them over the next several days.

• Russet Potatoes 10 Lb., Food City, $3.99. Kroger has its 10 lb bag at $5.00 with card, so Food City is the better price. A bag this size goes a long way with those leg quarters.

Quick Breakfast & Lunch Ideas

• Eggs and biscuits. Food City has That's Smart Large Eggs by the dozen at $1.69. Pair them with Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (2 for $5.00 at Food City, or $2.49 each at Piggly Wiggly) for an easy weekend breakfast.

• Ham and cheese sandwiches. Piggly Wiggly will slice Kretschmar Smoked Hams to order at $5.49/lb and Kretschmar Cheese at $5.99/lb. Put them on King's Hawaiian Buns ($3.99 each there) and you have lunch for a few days.

• Oatmeal with apple. Lidl has steel cut oats (24-30 oz) at $1.99 each and Honeycrisp apples at $1.49 each. Simmer the oats, then top them with chopped apple.

Ready for the Week?

I've put this week's best prices into the full meal plans, so you don't have to chase every flyer yourself. Have a look, pick the plan that suits your household, and let the sales do some of the work for you. Happy cooking.