How about a thread to brag about Mustachian grocery scores?

[ctuser1]

I couldn't find where people post good grocery hauls. So I thought I'll start my own mini thread to see if we can spur up some interest where folks start posting their own amazing grocery deals. My aim is, of course, selfish. I want to grab useful deals when someone else posts 'em.

This is in CT. Many of these deals could be local in nature. But I like to brag when I score a good deal, so here it goes.
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BJ's had a great deal yesterday (it will probably also work today, at least the coupon is there) on the Sea Cuisine 1.75lb package of frozen breaded haddock. The regular price is $10. It rings up half off, i.e. $5. On top of that, the coupon booklets near the gate has a coupon for another $2.5 off. The end result is you get 1.75lb of breaded haddock for $2.5. That's equal to 6 servings.

I went gangbusters on this deal, cleaned up my freezer and stuffed 12 packets into it for the princely sum of $30. Now we are set for the next 2 months as far as Haddock is concerned, and probably won't buy as many of the $9/lb salmon and $6/lb tilapia as we usually do.

Please note that only Haddock was ringing up half off. All other Sea Cuisine seafood brand was ringing up regular price. You could, of course apply the $2.5 coupon on those.

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Just when I thought my day is going great after this morning haul from BJ's, DW asked me to make an Aldi run to get milk. We have an Aldi 5 mile away (not the one that is < 0.5 mile) that regularly sells Gallons of milk for $1.30 and dozen eggs for $0.89. While I was there, I noticed they had whole pineapples for $1.49 each. I grabbed one, and it tasted fantastic (per two very discriminating pre-teen tasters).

I also got three gallons of $1.30 milk, of course. But that seems to be the regular price at that specific Aldi, so not much to brag about.

I'm going to go and grab another one of those pineapples tonight after work. 

[BrightFIRE]

If you head back to Aldi to get pineapple, they also have $0.49/lb chicken leg quarters this week (10# bag).

[Photograph 51]

For me, Aldi's is for expensive, luxurious grocery shopping.

Where I live, we have a bent and dent that has a few locations.  I get dried beans for 60 cents per pound, rice for 20 cents per pound, and pasta for 40 cents per pound.  I buy 10 cents Clif Bars to have on hand.  I have bought steel cut oats for 25 cents per pound.  One time there were 12 ounce packages of tofu for 25 cents, so i bought 30 of them.  Another time, there were banana boxes for 3 dollars per box, so I went home and canned applesauce.  Another time, there were banana boxes full of bananas for 3 dollars per box, so after that one of my chest freezers had lots and lots of bananas.  I have bought bottles of salad dressing and quarts of soy milk for 17 cents each.

I also get food from a quarterly delivery that someone from my church organizes.  the food is in cases and is all from a warehouse- either past date stuff or things that can't get shipped for one reason or another.  One time, I got 50 pounds of peppers $12.50.  Another time I bought a 25 pound bag of quinoa $12.50.  I have bought cases of all kinds of vegetables- brussel sprouts, lima beans, snow peas, broccoli, okra- for no more than 40 cents per pound.  I also buy cases of frozen bread or bread dough from 10 to 30 cents per pound.  I also buy cans of vegetables, beans, and tomato products for dirt cheap prices, and various dry and frozen items, like prepared soups. 

[PJC74]

bought 200 avocados at aldi for .50 each This week they are 1.29 each. When the summer comes they will be 1.79+

[NotJen]

I just started shopping at Aldi and I love it.  It's not very convenient, so I avoided it while I was working.

Avocados this week were 0.65, which was mildly disappointing.  They had been 0.39 each, and great quality (I hate the avocados at Sprouts - every one I've ever gotten there has been not so great - finally learned my lesson).  I bought eggs for the first time there at 0.68/doz - this price seems to vary wildly - I think I saw 0.58 one week, and over $1 the next.

I'm still working through some meat in my freezer (I've been buying from local producers for years, but I'm about to stop), so I haven't investigated deals on chicken/pork/beef/fish yet.

[ketchup]

bought 200 avocados at aldi for .50 each This week they are 1.29 each. When the summer comes they will be 1.79+

How do you store these? I wouldn't mind stocking up when they're cheap if I knew a good way to keep them...

[PJC74]

These are strictly for my smoothies.
Rinse outside dry,  cut in half with large knife. Take seed out with knife. Cut in half short way
 Large spoon scoop out halves and put in freezer bags.
They may stick together but a little tap from my meat tenderizer separates them😁

[Mike in NH]

For me, Aldi's is for expensive, luxurious grocery shopping.

Where I live, we have a bent and dent that has a few locations.  I get dried beans for 60 cents per pound, rice for 20 cents per pound, and pasta for 40 cents per pound.  I buy 10 cents Clif Bars to have on hand.  I have bought steel cut oats for 25 cents per pound.  One time there were 12 ounce packages of tofu for 25 cents, so i bought 30 of them.  Another time, there were banana boxes for 3 dollars per box, so I went home and canned applesauce.  Another time, there were banana boxes full of bananas for 3 dollars per box, so after that one of my chest freezers had lots and lots of bananas.  I have bought bottles of salad dressing and quarts of soy milk for 17 cents each.

I also get food from a quarterly delivery that someone from my church organizes.  the food is in cases and is all from a warehouse- either past date stuff or things that can't get shipped for one reason or another.  One time, I got 50 pounds of peppers $12.50.  Another time I bought a 25 pound bag of quinoa $12.50.  I have bought cases of all kinds of vegetables- brussel sprouts, lima beans, snow peas, broccoli, okra- for no more than 40 cents per pound.  I also buy cases of frozen bread or bread dough from 10 to 30 cents per pound.  I also buy cans of vegetables, beans, and tomato products for dirt cheap prices, and various dry and frozen items, like prepared soups.

@Photograph 51 is that .10 cent Clif bar cost a typo? I'm a mountain guide, let me know if you want to start a Clif bar re-sale business - that's an insane price.

[Padonak]

bought 200 avocados at aldi for .50 each This week they are 1.29 each. When the summer comes they will be 1.79+

How do you store them? Can they be frozen?

[PJC74]

I buy green ones, let them ripen for 2 days then cut and freeze them. They stay fine and haven’t browned.

[Slow2FIRE]

A couple days ago I purchased 11 limes at 9 cents each from Lidl.

The leg quarters from Aldi for 49 cents.

Other than that, just normal Aldi/Lidl/Costco deals.

[Papa bear]

Kroger has “woohoo” discounted food sections through the store.  I can pick up bags of ripe produce for $.99.  For example, 7 avocados, or 4 mangos, or a 20 pack of limes, or 3 pounds of hazelnuts, etc.

Then the rest of the woohoo deals are 1/2 off retail price. 

Obviously it’s all hit or miss and depends on local availability.  But making a giant party size tub of guac for under $5 is pretty awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ctuser1]

If you head back to Aldi to get pineapple, they also have $0.49/lb chicken leg quarters this week (10# bag).

Thx. Made a round to our local Aldi (< 0.5 miles from home) since I don't need milk/eggs and picked up 2 pinapples and 2 trays of chicken. That was $9-and-change.

[JoJo]

Kroger has “woohoo” discounted food sections through the store.  I can pick up bags of ripe produce for $.99.  For example, 7 avocados, or 4 mangos, or a 20 pack of limes, or 3 pounds of hazelnuts, etc.

Then the rest of the woohoo deals are 1/2 off retail price. 

Obviously it’s all hit or miss and depends on local availability.  But making a giant party size tub of guac for under $5 is pretty awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They have that at Fred Meyer, which is part of the Kroger chain, but a woohoo bag is usually only 3 of something - 3 apples, 3 potatoes, etc.  The groceries are so expensive around Seattle.  I visit my family in minnesota and shocked how cheap it is.  My parents regularly get eggs for 49 cents a dozen, and that's regular price.  The cheapest eggs  locally are 1.51 a dozen.

[Dicey]

I don't have Aldi where I live. After doing a Minimal Grocery Shopping January, I am heading out to do some shopping tomorrow. It's Senior Day at Grocery Outlet, so I will hit 2 Go's, a 99 Cents Only Store and finally Costco. Can't wait to find something worthy of reporting here.

[nancy33]

Bananas 29 cents a lb at smart and final this week and 10 percent off coupon in the ad

[Photograph 51]

For me, Aldi's is for expensive, luxurious grocery shopping.

Where I live, we have a bent and dent that has a few locations.  I get dried beans for 60 cents per pound, rice for 20 cents per pound, and pasta for 40 cents per pound.  I buy 10 cents Clif Bars to have on hand.  I have bought steel cut oats for 25 cents per pound.  One time there were 12 ounce packages of tofu for 25 cents, so i bought 30 of them.  Another time, there were banana boxes for 3 dollars per box, so I went home and canned applesauce.  Another time, there were banana boxes full of bananas for 3 dollars per box, so after that one of my chest freezers had lots and lots of bananas.  I have bought bottles of salad dressing and quarts of soy milk for 17 cents each.

I also get food from a quarterly delivery that someone from my church organizes.  the food is in cases and is all from a warehouse- either past date stuff or things that can't get shipped for one reason or another.  One time, I got 50 pounds of peppers $12.50.  Another time I bought a 25 pound bag of quinoa $12.50.  I have bought cases of all kinds of vegetables- brussel sprouts, lima beans, snow peas, broccoli, okra- for no more than 40 cents per pound.  I also buy cases of frozen bread or bread dough from 10 to 30 cents per pound.  I also buy cans of vegetables, beans, and tomato products for dirt cheap prices, and various dry and frozen items, like prepared soups.

@Photograph 51 is that .10 cent Clif bar cost a typo? I'm a mountain guide, let me know if you want to start a Clif bar re-sale business - that's an insane price.

.10 cents would be a typo, but 10 cents is correct.  At the bent and dent store, all of the energy bars are 10 cents.  They are all mixed together in big bins or boxes, so I have to search through to find what I want.  I like Clif Bars and Probars, so I take the time to search through the whole bin and buy all of them, however many there are, whatever flavors there are.  I'm not sure if they would resale well, as they are generally out of date.  I just checked one in my purse and it had a best by date of August 2019.

[OtherJen]

I sincerely hope that Costco still carries the tofu I found last month: four 1-lb. packs of organic firm tofu for $4.99 ($1.25 per pack). This is at least $0.50 cheaper per pack than the prices at any other local stores.

[ShastaFire]

Organic cabbage at the local posh coop for $0.99/lb.  I was kinda excited.  We're eating kimchi beef now for a few days.

[honeybbq]

Kroger has “woohoo” discounted food sections through the store.  I can pick up bags of ripe produce for $.99.  For example, 7 avocados, or 4 mangos, or a 20 pack of limes, or 3 pounds of hazelnuts, etc.

Then the rest of the woohoo deals are 1/2 off retail price. 

Obviously it’s all hit or miss and depends on local availability.  But making a giant party size tub of guac for under $5 is pretty awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They have that at Fred Meyer, which is part of the Kroger chain, but a woohoo bag is usually only 3 of something - 3 apples, 3 potatoes, etc.  The groceries are so expensive around Seattle.  I visit my family in minnesota and shocked how cheap it is.  My parents regularly get eggs for 49 cents a dozen, and that's regular price.  The cheapest eggs  locally are 1.51 a dozen.

God, I feel you. I usually shop at Safeway which has nothing on sale that is any good. No Aldi in Seattle. I sometimes go to Fred Meyer but I really dislike the layout of the store and how few checkers they have.

[AMandM]

This is a different kind of grocery score, but I went to the auction fundraiser of a nearby school, and had the winning bid on a whole organically raised pig from a local farm, custom butchering included: $900 for what will probably turn out to be 250-300 lbs. I am stoked.

[Dicey]

Got one. I scored two half gallons of Organic Valley Lactose-Free Whole Milk for 99.99 CENTS at the 99 Cent Only Store yesterday and the sell-by date isn't until 2/20/20, woot! They only had two, or you know I would have bought more and stuck them in the freezer. I'm hosting a party on Saturday and am trying to figure out a milk-rich dessert to prepare to use some of it up.

I also found Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix for 90 cents, so I'll have to check with le goog to see if I can use milk with a box cake mix.

[lhamo]

Kroger has “woohoo” discounted food sections through the store.  I can pick up bags of ripe produce for $.99.  For example, 7 avocados, or 4 mangos, or a 20 pack of limes, or 3 pounds of hazelnuts, etc.

Then the rest of the woohoo deals are 1/2 off retail price. 

Obviously it’s all hit or miss and depends on local availability.  But making a giant party size tub of guac for under $5 is pretty awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They have that at Fred Meyer, which is part of the Kroger chain, but a woohoo bag is usually only 3 of something - 3 apples, 3 potatoes, etc.  The groceries are so expensive around Seattle.  I visit my family in minnesota and shocked how cheap it is.  My parents regularly get eggs for 49 cents a dozen, and that's regular price.  The cheapest eggs  locally are 1.51 a dozen.

FYI, Safeway/Albertson's has eggs for .79/dozen this week with coupon (and card, required at Safeway, not at albertson's). Limit 2 dozen.  Fred Meyer has them for .99/dozen. 

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

I have the mustachian grocery score story of all time: I was out walking the dog around a local park and there was a campervan parked at the edge of it. The parents were in the van doing something busy like cleaning and the kids were in the park playing. When I walked past the van again on the way home a woman popped out and asked if I was far from home. I said no, and she told me she was flying out that afternoon (all happened fairly near the airport) and they had groceries they'd rather not throw away - did I want them? Yes, please! I got two bags of mostly opened products from a lovely dutch family who had been touring NZ. My score? Coffee, tea, sugar, flour, pancake syrup, mandarins, peanut butter, chocolate biscuits, toilet rolls, fly spray, dishwash liquid, laundry powder, crackers, snack bars etc. Left home with a dog. Came home with said dog and a good $50 worth of groceries that I'm still working on. There were a lot of people around, pretty sure she offered the stuff to me because her small girl was hanging around the neck of my very friendly dog giving her (and receiving) sloppy kisses.

[JoJo]

Thanks @lhamo but I'm heading south for 5 weeks on Friday so I'm trying to eat up the stock I have on hand.  Otherwise I'd stock up.

I noticed the regular price on a dozen large at FM yesterday was 1.99!!! the price is going up every month. 

[MishMash]

I scored 14 bottles of much needed shampoo, conditioner, and body wash at Winn Dixie last week by chance for $8.  I had grabbed the mail on the way out and it had some coupon booklets in it, went to Winn Dixie and noticed a bunch of hygiene stuff on clearance for 50% off, paired with the coupons, and a pissed off cashier, I have enough to last the family for the next six months.

[BTDretire]

Our local 6pm news said they are building an Aldi's nearby. We shopped there when we visit my daughter, so that's going to be good. We did recently loose our Lucky's market, when they closed most of them.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

I have the mustachian grocery score story of all time: I was out walking the dog around a local park and there was a campervan parked at the edge of it. The parents were in the van doing something busy like cleaning and the kids were in the park playing. When I walked past the van again on the way home a woman popped out and asked if I was far from home. I said no, and she told me she was flying out that afternoon (all happened fairly near the airport) and they had groceries they'd rather not throw away - did I want them? Yes, please! I got two bags of mostly opened products from a lovely dutch family who had been touring NZ. My score? Coffee, tea, sugar, flour, pancake syrup, mandarins, peanut butter, chocolate biscuits, toilet rolls, fly spray, dishwash liquid, laundry powder, crackers, snack bars etc. Left home with a dog. Came home with said dog and a good $50 worth of groceries that I'm still working on. There were a lot of people around, pretty sure she offered the stuff to me because her small girl was hanging around the neck of my very friendly dog giving her (and receiving) sloppy kisses.

I love this story. Thanks for the smile. (the image of the delighted little girl hanging on your delighted dog made my night.)

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

I have the mustachian grocery score story of all time: I was out walking the dog around a local park and there was a campervan parked at the edge of it. The parents were in the van doing something busy like cleaning and the kids were in the park playing. When I walked past the van again on the way home a woman popped out and asked if I was far from home. I said no, and she told me she was flying out that afternoon (all happened fairly near the airport) and they had groceries they'd rather not throw away - did I want them? Yes, please! I got two bags of mostly opened products from a lovely dutch family who had been touring NZ. My score? Coffee, tea, sugar, flour, pancake syrup, mandarins, peanut butter, chocolate biscuits, toilet rolls, fly spray, dishwash liquid, laundry powder, crackers, snack bars etc. Left home with a dog. Came home with said dog and a good $50 worth of groceries that I'm still working on. There were a lot of people around, pretty sure she offered the stuff to me because her small girl was hanging around the neck of my very friendly dog giving her (and receiving) sloppy kisses.

I love this story. Thanks for the smile. (the image of the delighted little girl hanging on your delighted dog made my night.)

It was very cute. The dog is part lab, and the wee-est of the girls had been throwing bread to birds in the manner of all little kids (chuck the whole piece of bread) in the direction of the dog. Doggo was very happy to consume said bread before I could stop her, and then very happy to thank small child for the treat. Older kids were petting her also, good day for doggo.

[ctuser1]

Ok. the "right" thread this time.

Does anyone have any Mustachian suggestions where/how I can get my salad fix.

I like a little bit of salad with my meals. But this seems a very wasteful and expensive taste. If I only buy in quantities for one person (DW/kids hate salad), then it is bloody expensive. If I buy large quantities (like from BJ's/Costco/Sams), then most of it rot by the time I get to it.

[turketron]

Ok. the "right" thread this time.

Does anyone have any Mustachian suggestions where/how I can get my salad fix.

I like a little bit of salad with my meals. But this seems a very wasteful and expensive taste. If I only buy in quantities for one person (DW/kids hate salad), then it is bloody expensive. If I buy large quantities (like from BJ's/Costco/Sams), then most of it rot by the time I get to it.

I would make sure as many of the salad fixings can pull double duty in other recipes that the rest of your family would be more likely to eat- maybe sub some of the lettuce for spinach, that could then be mixed into another dish or wilted into soup or something? Same for any other veggies - carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. You could just buy a small amount of lettuce/greens from a grocery salad bar- if that's all you're buying there and you buy the other toppings/dressings yourself and keep them at home, the salad bar premium wouldn't be too unreasonable.

For the base lettuce/greens, if you can't work out another use for them you might just have to resign yourself to either paying a premium for a smaller amount that'll actually get used, or letting some go to waste if you buy a large package.

[Raenia]

Ok. the "right" thread this time.

Does anyone have any Mustachian suggestions where/how I can get my salad fix.

I like a little bit of salad with my meals. But this seems a very wasteful and expensive taste. If I only buy in quantities for one person (DW/kids hate salad), then it is bloody expensive. If I buy large quantities (like from BJ's/Costco/Sams), then most of it rot by the time I get to it.

If possible, I would try to grow a few lettuce plants (maybe hydroponics for year-round growth?) and harvest the outside few leaves each day.

[lhamo]

If you have a yard and milder temperatures, arugula grows practically year round -- I planted some in April last year and ate off it from May-mid-July (it was starting to go to seed the last couple of weeks so quite bitter, but we didn't mind), then once the seeds had dried out I harvested them and planted a second crop in late August and we have been eating off that (not as much as it grows more slowly in the winter) since late September.  I got a couple of big bonus patches in the areas where I harvested the seeds as I dropped a bunch while breaking open the hulls.

Otherwise what we do with lettuce is buy a big head of romaine, keep it wrapped in a paper towel inside a plastic bag, and just pull off/chop as many leaves as we need for whoever is eating salad.  You do lose a few outside leaves/edges if it stays in the fridge too long, but you don't get that yucky combination of some rotted leaves with the fresh leaves in a salad mix.  I don't buy those now unless we will eat the bag or box within 1-2 days. 

[NotJen]

I would make sure as many of the salad fixings can pull double duty in other recipes that the rest of your family would be more likely to eat- maybe sub some of the lettuce for spinach, that could then be mixed into another dish or wilted into soup or something? Same for any other veggies - carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.

This.  A bag of spinach at Aldi is 1.39 for me, which is pretty reasonable.  It can be used in salads, mixed into many other dishes for a veggie boost, and frozen if it starts wilting before you can use it and used in smoothies or all kinds of cooking.

I eat a lot of salads, but the fixings are usually what’s on sale.  Mushrooms if they’re $1 or less.  Bag of radishes lasts for a few weeks.  Bell peppers when they’re 50% off.  Leftover onion bits from other cooking.  Usually a cucumber isn’t too expensive.  I’ve been using lots of carrots because I can get a 2lb bag for 1.19 at Aldi.

[AMandM]

A head of lettuce will keep longer than loose leaves, and greens with more body (iceberg, cabbage, romaine) keep longer than softer ones (leaf, bibb).

[BTDretire]

Ok. the "right" thread this time.

Does anyone have any Mustachian suggestions where/how I can get my salad fix.

I like a little bit of salad with my meals. But this seems a very wasteful and expensive taste. If I only buy in quantities for one person (DW/kids hate salad), then it is bloody expensive. If I buy large quantities (like from BJ's/Costco/Sams), then most of it rot by the time I get to it.

     
 This probably isn't a best price, but I have used the lunch hour prices to purchase a take out salad at Golden Coral. The price was $4.99 a pound, I could make a pretty large salad without garbonzo beans and come in just under $5. Then go home split it in half, and have salad for two days. I also open a can of garbonzo beans to put on my salads.

[savedandsaving]

For me, Aldi's is for expensive, luxurious grocery shopping.

Where I live, we have a bent and dent that has a few locations.  I get dried beans for 60 cents per pound, rice for 20 cents per pound, and pasta for 40 cents per pound.  I buy 10 cents Clif Bars to have on hand.  I have bought steel cut oats for 25 cents per pound.  One time there were 12 ounce packages of tofu for 25 cents, so i bought 30 of them.  Another time, there were banana boxes for 3 dollars per box, so I went home and canned applesauce.  Another time, there were banana boxes full of bananas for 3 dollars per box, so after that one of my chest freezers had lots and lots of bananas.  I have bought bottles of salad dressing and quarts of soy milk for 17 cents each.

I also get food from a quarterly delivery that someone from my church organizes.  the food is in cases and is all from a warehouse- either past date stuff or things that can't get shipped for one reason or another.  One time, I got 50 pounds of peppers $12.50.  Another time I bought a 25 pound bag of quinoa $12.50.  I have bought cases of all kinds of vegetables- brussel sprouts, lima beans, snow peas, broccoli, okra- for no more than 40 cents per pound.  I also buy cases of frozen bread or bread dough from 10 to 30 cents per pound.  I also buy cans of vegetables, beans, and tomato products for dirt cheap prices, and various dry and frozen items, like prepared soups.

This is incredible. I'd never heard of Bent and Dent and immediately searched it up--turns out the closest location is 2 hours away. Sigh. I'm okay sticking with my luxurious LIDL 50-cent freshly-baked chocolate croissants :) (For those who have them nearby but haven't tried them yet: LIDL is Aldi but better, because it has a fresh-every-day bakery inside i.e. my weakness.)

[Tris Prior]

Aldi's spinach and arugula mix keeps for a relatively long time, in my experience. It is pretty much the only salad I buy now (and only during the times of year when I cannot grow my own and just snip off what I need for that meal.)

[APowers]

For me, Aldi's is for expensive, luxurious grocery shopping.

Where I live, we have a bent and dent that has a few locations.  I get dried beans for 60 cents per pound, rice for 20 cents per pound, and pasta for 40 cents per pound.  I buy 10 cents Clif Bars to have on hand.  I have bought steel cut oats for 25 cents per pound.  One time there were 12 ounce packages of tofu for 25 cents, so i bought 30 of them.  Another time, there were banana boxes for 3 dollars per box, so I went home and canned applesauce.  Another time, there were banana boxes full of bananas for 3 dollars per box, so after that one of my chest freezers had lots and lots of bananas.  I have bought bottles of salad dressing and quarts of soy milk for 17 cents each.

I also get food from a quarterly delivery that someone from my church organizes.  the food is in cases and is all from a warehouse- either past date stuff or things that can't get shipped for one reason or another.  One time, I got 50 pounds of peppers $12.50.  Another time I bought a 25 pound bag of quinoa $12.50.  I have bought cases of all kinds of vegetables- brussel sprouts, lima beans, snow peas, broccoli, okra- for no more than 40 cents per pound.  I also buy cases of frozen bread or bread dough from 10 to 30 cents per pound.  I also buy cans of vegetables, beans, and tomato products for dirt cheap prices, and various dry and frozen items, like prepared soups.

This is incredible. I'd never heard of Bent and Dent and immediately searched it up--turns out the closest location is 2 hours away. Sigh. I'm okay sticking with my luxurious LIDL 50-cent freshly-baked chocolate croissants :) (For those who have them nearby but haven't tried them yet: LIDL is Aldi but better, because it has a fresh-every-day bakery inside i.e. my weakness.)

There are other stores that are the same model as a Bent and Dent, but aren't affiliated. In Colorado where I am, there are two independent stores that sell close/out-dated products, mislabeled or broken box things and other clearance-type groceries; it took me a few months of exploring grocery stores and driving around town to find them, but now that I know they exist, I go fairly regularly. One is called "Cheapies" and the other is "Xtreme Bargainmart"-- and they don't always show up at the top of a Google/Maps search list.

[Photograph 51]

For me, Aldi's is for expensive, luxurious grocery shopping.

Where I live, we have a bent and dent that has a few locations.  I get dried beans for 60 cents per pound, rice for 20 cents per pound, and pasta for 40 cents per pound.  I buy 10 cents Clif Bars to have on hand.  I have bought steel cut oats for 25 cents per pound.  One time there were 12 ounce packages of tofu for 25 cents, so i bought 30 of them.  Another time, there were banana boxes for 3 dollars per box, so I went home and canned applesauce.  Another time, there were banana boxes full of bananas for 3 dollars per box, so after that one of my chest freezers had lots and lots of bananas.  I have bought bottles of salad dressing and quarts of soy milk for 17 cents each.

I also get food from a quarterly delivery that someone from my church organizes.  the food is in cases and is all from a warehouse- either past date stuff or things that can't get shipped for one reason or another.  One time, I got 50 pounds of peppers $12.50.  Another time I bought a 25 pound bag of quinoa $12.50.  I have bought cases of all kinds of vegetables- brussel sprouts, lima beans, snow peas, broccoli, okra- for no more than 40 cents per pound.  I also buy cases of frozen bread or bread dough from 10 to 30 cents per pound.  I also buy cans of vegetables, beans, and tomato products for dirt cheap prices, and various dry and frozen items, like prepared soups.

This is incredible. I'd never heard of Bent and Dent and immediately searched it up--turns out the closest location is 2 hours away. Sigh. I'm okay sticking with my luxurious LIDL 50-cent freshly-baked chocolate croissants :) (For those who have them nearby but haven't tried them yet: LIDL is Aldi but better, because it has a fresh-every-day bakery inside i.e. my weakness.)

It helps to lives in an area where there is a substantial Plain (Amish and conservative Mennonite population.)  Plain people tend to have low incomes (due to lack of education and doing manual labor), large families, a fierce frugality ethic, and a lack of concern about food poisoning.  The local chain that I go to is owned by Amish and a lot of people shopping there are somewhere on the Plain spectrum.  I know that these kind of stores aren't available everywhere, but I am thankful for having this opportunity in my area.

[savedandsaving]

Thanks for the tips! To my knowledge there's no Amish or Mennonite communities except way out in more rural Georgia--I'm not surprised because if there's anything I've learned in my 1.5 years in Atlanta, it's that the predominant attitude in this place is maliciously anti-Mustachian, anti-biking and walking, and anti-simplicity. Can't imagine Plain people would find it a good home. But it looks like "salvage" grocers may be a thing in some of the outlying cities...I'll have to try them out one of these days.

[lhamo]

Not sure if they have a presence beyond the west coast, but Grocery Outlet is a salvage-type store a lot of us out here use from time to time.  Their best deals, in my experience, tend to be on cheese (they get end runs of some interesting stuff for $2-4/lb, which is pretty cheap for fancier cheeses) and organic stuff.  You do have to watch the best by dates on the latter -- use it up quickly because it is already very close to the best by dates.  I won't buy most flours or anything with nuts in it there for that reason.

[AMandM]

I'd never heard of Bent and Dent and immediately searched it up--turns out the closest location is 2 hours away. Sigh. I'm okay sticking with my luxurious LIDL 50-cent freshly-baked chocolate croissants :) (For those who have them nearby but haven't tried them yet: LIDL is Aldi but better, because it has a fresh-every-day bakery inside i.e. my weakness.)

A Lidl just opened a few miles up the road from me. Oh my! OK, their croissants are not as good as the ones from the French bakery--but almost, and they're only 69 cents instead of $3.50 each.  Luckily for my waistline, it's too far to travel just for a croissant.

[ctuser1]

Checking back on the salad issue:
It appears if I get spring mix - then DW and older kiddo will consume some of it. Not much, but a little bit.
It is yet to be seen if that is sufficient to finish the big tub we got day before yesterday before it starts to get yucky.

On no-frills grocery stores:
We used to have one in our city run by an old Chinese couple. They had to close down due to rising rent sometime right after the recession, however!! Now we have none :-(..

We have a couple of them in a nearby "lower income" city. I sometimes make the trek there, but DW doesn't feel safe to go there.

[GreenSheep]

I like a little bit of salad with my meals. But this seems a very wasteful and expensive taste. If I only buy in quantities for one person (DW/kids hate salad), then it is bloody expensive. If I buy large quantities (like from BJ's/Costco/Sams), then most of it rot by the time I get to it.

Not sure I would do this with lettuce, but if you like spinach or kale as the base for your salad, not only does it last longer, when it's starting to look a bit old, the leftovers can go into the freezer and be added to smoothies. The taste of spinach is almost undetectable in a smoothie, and kale can be covered up with some ginger and/or lime juice.

[Helvegen]

Grocery Outlet by me had just over 4lbs of powdered milk for 9.99. That is an insanely good price.

[24andfrugal]

I was surprised to see OP was based in CT when I clicked in the thread - groceries here are pretty pricey. I've been hesitant to do BJ's or Costco because of the membership fee - for those of you who do, do y'all factor that into the grocery bill?

I need to give Aldi another try...first few times I shopped there, the strawberries were moldy. Kind of turned me off to future trips there.

My all-time favorite grocery stores are Food Lion and Trader Joe's - both very different from each other. TJ is definitely my luxury store, but I only get a few specific things. Always had success at Food Lion, especially with their discount meat. Sadly there aren't any around here, so I have to go without for now. I have found some discount meat at one of the Stop and Shop's near me, but I'm puzzled as to why they don't all do it. Perhaps some weird CT regulation I am unaware of.

[OliveFI]

I was surprised to see OP was based in CT when I clicked in the thread - groceries here are pretty pricey. I've been hesitant to do BJ's or Costco because of the membership fee - for those of you who do, do y'all factor that into the grocery bill?

I need to give Aldi another try...first few times I shopped there, the strawberries were moldy. Kind of turned me off to future trips there.

My all-time favorite grocery stores are Food Lion and Trader Joe's - both very different from each other. TJ is definitely my luxury store, but I only get a few specific things. Always had success at Food Lion, especially with their discount meat. Sadly there aren't any around here, so I have to go without for now. I have found some discount meat at one of the Stop and Shop's near me, but I'm puzzled as to why they don't all do it. Perhaps some weird CT regulation I am unaware of.

I'm in CT. I've seen great meat deals at Acme and Shop Rite.

Stew's has sales - but still pricey. I am picky about Shrimp so will monitor them for sales for an occasional splurge.

[ctuser1]

I was surprised to see OP was based in CT when I clicked in the thread - groceries here are pretty pricey. I've been hesitant to do BJ's or Costco because of the membership fee - for those of you who do, do y'all factor that into the grocery bill?

I need to give Aldi another try...first few times I shopped there, the strawberries were moldy. Kind of turned me off to future trips there.

My all-time favorite grocery stores are Food Lion and Trader Joe's - both very different from each other. TJ is definitely my luxury store, but I only get a few specific things. Always had success at Food Lion, especially with their discount meat. Sadly there aren't any around here, so I have to go without for now. I have found some discount meat at one of the Stop and Shop's near me, but I'm puzzled as to why they don't all do it. Perhaps some weird CT regulation I am unaware of.

Somewhat CT specific pointers in random order
1. If you are used to shopping at Stop and Shop, Shoprite, Big Y etc without using coupons - yes they are expensive!
2. Aldi does discount meat, often, on wednesdays. Aldi prices, and items they stock can also be store specific. It may take you a few trips to settle on a routine as to which stores you go to.
3. I don't pay full membership prices at big box clubs:
    A. I take costco membership only when I need to do tire changes on my cars (preferably both cars together). Even then I look for the $20 GC on membership offers.
    B. I get Sams Club when there is a money-maker deal on it. They closed all clubs in CT except Newington. Google it, you will find there is a "free" membership offer right now. If you look closer - you can actually make money on it by combining other offers (I did). The Newington Sams is next to a Stew Leonard's - which is fantastic for fresh seafood. So I sometimes make a trek down there - maybe 2-3 times a year.
    C. BJs is the only club that takes manufacturer coupons, and carries some specific brands I use. (one example - dental floss. Try finding any other than those string ones in Costco here in CT). So I keep on the watch for the BJs membership offers - and usually try to carry it all the time.

If you aren't careful things can get very expensive here. I have friends and colleagues who shop exclusively at Stews. As catchy and attention-grabbing as their weekly sales are, shopping *only* at Stews will likely blow up your grocery bill past any reasonable levels. e.g. we (family of 4) spent $12000 in groceries for year 2018, and $6000 on eating out. The "Stew exclusive" friends and colleagues spend a lot more than even that.

I'm hoping to keep our *total* grocery + restaurant food cost to below $7000 for Y2020.

[moneypitfeeder]

I like a little bit of salad with my meals. But this seems a very wasteful and expensive taste. If I only buy in quantities for one person (DW/kids hate salad), then it is bloody expensive. If I buy large quantities (like from BJ's/Costco/Sams), then most of it rot by the time I get to it.

I got a container for the fridge (Marshalls or TJ Maxx I think) that is a clear, rectangular, and has a green slotted base insert that fits inside of it and a slider on the lid for allowing air circulation. The lettuce heads sit on top and so far I have been able to keep heads of romaine lettuce fresh and crisp for over 2-3 weeks. You can add a little water to the container and the green base keeps the produce from sitting in it, really helps keep it fresh. If you are interested I can hunt down the name brand of it.