I'm a thrifty girl. I come from very, very thrifty stock. Marrying S has loosened me up a bit, but when it comes down to it, I typically choose inexpensive if left to my own devices.
Back in college I used to shop at the Bellingham Grocery Outlet (BGO). I loved it because the food inventory always changed, and you never knew what "treasures" you'd find. BGO was mostly like a grocery store; it had aisles with the typical food classifications. Sometimes they'd get a deal with some business and get a huge vat of something and mark things down really, really low. I remember the one time they got a ton of Weight Watchers (before it was called Smart Ones) rice pilaf frozen dinners. They sold them for 50 cents, and there was a lady who bought a whole CART of them. We called her the Rice Pilaf Lady, and S still reminds me of that lady if I buy too much of one thing. "Watch out, you're almost like the Rice Pilaf Lady with all of those ____."
BGO also used to put free cereal coupons in the school paper. I'd get as many school newspapers and cut out all the free cereal coupons, and then I'd go get several boxes of free Raisin Bran. Not that I really liked Raisin Bran all that much, but it was FREE!
Have I mentioned that I used to live in an off-campus hovel at college? Hovel is the correct term. It was one small bedroom with a mini fridge, and a small closet. There was a tiny bathroom attached. I'd store my free Raisin Bran under the bathroom sink because it was the only space available. The people who also rented out rooms were very odd, to say the least. But that's a whole other entry.
A few years ago they opened up a Grocery Outlet in my town. And I still go occasionally; you really can't ever get thrifty out of me completely. Nowadays I look at food a little differently. Now I look at expiration dates, production dates, check for dents, and silly things like that. When I see a tremendous deal at the Grocery Outlet (like Oreos for $1), I take a closer look at the product. And inevitably the food has passed its expiration date, or the cans are really dented. Not all of the food has these properties, but some does. The ice cream section is telling because sometimes the labels are from previous years. I of all people can tell you exactly when each special edition flavor came to fruition and when the ice cream companies reduced the packaging sizes. So when I see an obvious 2007 edition of ice cream sitting in the Grocery Outlet in 2009, I skip it even if it is $1 for 1.75 quarts.
The picture above was the uberdeal at the Grocery Outlet today. Egg Beaters for 3/$1. Upon closer inspection, they expired July 13. Expired eggs, anyone?
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4 comments:
i think the word is smarter :)
Aw, thanks, K! :)
And you took a quick pic with your phone, love it!
Just so you know, the guy at the food bank (a group I'm in took a tour of it) said that expiration dates are actually not that big of a deal in regard to spoilage. It actually refers to the nutrition information. For example, even twinkies have an expiration date, but they never go bad as long as they are sealed. So, you could purchase anything that is sealed long after it's expiration date (including egg beaters).
Also, my dad who worked in the meat industry for over thirty years, always purchases meat when it is at its expiration date (and cheapest). He says it is still fine as long as you keep it frozen until you plan to use it, or use it in a couple days after purchasing it if you are storing it in your refrigerator.
I come from a thrifty family. We know these things. (=
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