Most stores, including super markets, have a discount area. It's the location of that place where products marked down are set. I always find that at the end of a product display or on a lower shelf, the cheapest items are placed. Today, I took advantage of it. I was at Safeway and in the meat department. Turkey legs/necks were on sale for 50% off. So, I was able to pick up a pack for less than $2.00. My plan is to make soup out of these pieces. It'll be enough to feed five people for under $10.00 all together!!!
My best spot for discounts/deals is in the boxed cereal isle. Cereal that was once priced close to $4 a box reduced to $2.99. If I wander over to the dairy section I can find more for under $2.00. I'm talking brand names like Post, Kelloggs, Captn Crunch. If I have coupons with me I buy two.
A friend of mine pretty much only buys milk that has been marked down because its past its expiration date. He drinks it within a reasonable amount of time, so I guess what he is doing is fine - especially since he's helping to not waste the product all together. But personally I wouldn't finish stuff like that in time, and would end up throwing most of it out. I mainly keep an eye out for buy one get one free stuff in the meat aisle - especially roasts, but any cheap cuts of meats will do. I honestly prefer buying the cheap cuts because it's more of a challenge to make them into something great. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Ribeye, but I cannot eat that every day and stay within my budgets. With cheaper cuts of meat, one of the simplest ways I use them up is to make a quick stew in my pressure cooker. I will cube up the meat in large chunks and throw it into the PC with a can/jar or two of gravy (which is often on sale at my grocery stores), some fresh potatoes, and whatever other veggies I have on hand. Preferably carrots, celery and onions. Lastly I season it with salt, pepper and herbs, then pressure cook on high for 30 min. In total (with the 10 min warm up time for the PC) I can have a stew/roast on the table in 40 minutes that would normally take at least 4 hours in the oven.
Discount areas are really good to find bargains, however, it depends on the product as some lose their freshness. I find looking through catalogs with promotions and specials of big supermarket chains to be valuable to find discounts. These catalogs come out weekly, and have some bargains that could appeal one. Some of these bargains are really worthwhile as half price products are frequently quoted. Also, a lot of money could be saved if you kept an eye out for discounts for certain products you like or use frequently, as buying when they are on special you can buy in bulk and save quite a bit. Most of the time, these weekly discounts are only for packaged products, not meat, fish and fresh produce. Occasionally, there are some great deals for these products though, and you only know about them from reading through the catalog.
I really like the discount corner, the prices can be as much as 80% off! However as a rule of thumb I generally only buy packaged or well-preserved foods like crisps, cereal, sauces and canned food over perishable ones like milk, cheese, juices and raw foods. Expiration dates matter much more for the latter over the former, hence it is best to stick with less perishable foods on discount.
