It’s been a while since I last posted, thanks to New Year festivities, new job responsibilities, the darn Horns getting our hopes up and then not Hookin’ ‘Em (as per the local chant) over in Pasadena, and generally just not having any time to myself to jot down notes, so first I must apologize for my absence. I do plan to update at least once a week now that it’s 2010, though, just to keep the momentum going.

So welcome to a new year, a new decade, and a shiny new Shoestring Austin space! This seems like a great time to talk about another new guy in town, at least up in my neck o’ the woods: Sprouts. This “farmers market” styled grocery store opened the doors of their new location at 10225 Research Boulevard (Suite 1000) on January 8, and started off strong with free drinks, food, and even a little music. My Dining Companion (DC) and I went to check it all out and were pleasantly surprised by their prices, which were even lower than those at the nearby HEB and Randalls—and for organic groceries, no less!

Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes, va MuirGlen.com

Month-long specials at the new store include:

• -Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes at 2 for $5 (these are normally about $5 each!)
• -Frontera salsa at 2 for $7
• -Sprouts brand organic salad dressings are all 2 for $5
• -Seeds of Change Indian-style simmer sauces are $3.29 each
• -Brown Cow yogurt is 4 for $3
• -15% off all Good Earth teas

You can also pick up a variety of discounted dog treats for all your furry friends. Plus many of their vitamin brands are between 20 and 25% off for the month of January, so now is a great time to stock up on all your Vitamin C, zinc, echinacea, etc. for cold and flu season.

Weekly deals, through 1/12/2010, via Sprouts.com

If you hurry, you can still score some of these specials (only until Tuesday, January 12):

• -4 for $1 Russet potatoes
• -$3.99/lb for smoked Cheddar cheese (sliced)
• -$2.99/16-oz. bag of Torn & Glasser dried cranberries
• -$2.99 each for Canadian petite lobster tails!!!

Obviously, you can tell which one of those specials is exciting me the most!

There were lots of great surprises in the store, like their mix-and-match 3-for-$10 wine selections, which DC and I snapped right up, as well as their brown eggs at 2 for $4 and a gallon of organic whole milk for only $3.99. Their prices on ground beef and chicken were the lowest we’ve seen in Austin, outside of Walmart, and their veggies were gorgeous, organic and über cheap (99-cent romaine and 39-cent avocados, w00t!). Since the new store is really close to our house, we’ll undoubtedly be shopping here frequently and loving the savings.

As an added bonus, I think the neighborhood HEB and Randalls may have lowered some of their prices, in response to Sprout’s unbelievable deals, as we popped in today to grab some butter at HEB and got 4 sticks for only $1.99. Even the cashier was double-checking the receipt, scratching her head over that one!

Oh, and if you go into the store on Wednesdays, you’ll score double deals—how sweet is that?

All in all, Sprouts really impressed DC and I, both because of their competitive prices and their “all-in-one” approach to nutrition. You can pick up quality vitamins and dietary supplements while you’re grabbing the basics like milk, cheese, meat and veggies, for one-stop shopping. Their vitamins were also competitively priced with the Vitamin Shoppe next door, which may mean some price wars between the two, and extra savings for consumers. Hooray! If you’re in the Great Hills area, definitely check out Sprouts for all your organic grocery items.