Some of our grocery stores have a gourmet food section in their deli. This is a great place to pick up some things that you normally wouldn't be able to afford. Anytime I happen to be in one of those stores, I make a detour through the deli to see what I can find that happens to be on clearance.
Just the other evening, I was in Food Pyramid and they had a big piece of Herbed Brie for 99 cents! But the best find was gourmet chocolate. They had a basket full of big chunks of 65% and 70% cacao on clearance. I got a 3 lb. chunk normally marked at over $7 for just $3.00!This is 1 inch thick chocolate slabs used for making their chocolate candy that cost so darn much! Dark chocolate is one of the few things with sugar that I can still eat since I was diagnosed with diabetes, so I try to have a small piece every evening. Now I have enough to last me a couple of weeks, and I may go back for more!
While I was in the deli area, I also managed to get 2 boxes of their fried chicken for just a couple of dollars each box, a container of potato salad that's 'sell date' was coming due, and 3 boxed lunches (with the sandwich, chips, cookie, and drink) - everything on clearance. Yesterday, my husband and kids took the boxed lunches to work and school, then we packed some of the chicken and potato salad into into lunches for all of us today and the rest was frozen for later.
I've managed to snag expensive sliced cheese for 50-75% or more off the normal price. Same with candy and artisan bread. I'm a little more careful of the meats and salads since they can go bad so easily, but chocolate and candy will last almost forever past their expiration date if cared for properly.
If you do this, just remember that this stuff is on clearance because the sell date is coming up. Examine before you buy to be sure it's still good. Be careful with meat and salads, buy what you know doesn't go bad so easy. Don't let it sit long after you buy it. Use it up or re-package it to use some within a day or two and freeze the rest.
My trip to the store the other night cost me right around $25. I got 6 lb. gourmet dark chocolate, 20 pieces of fried chicken, 8 buffalo chicken wings, 1 lb. potato salad, 1 big triangle of herbed brie, 2 big bags of falafel chips, and 4 apples. Everything but the apples was on clearance!
By Judy = Oklahoma from OK
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