According to the article:
"When it comes to fruits and vegetables, I'll look at what is the lowest in-season price per pound. Instead of deciding that I want to buy apples, I'll choose fruit based on what is the lowest price."
Can anybody think like that all the time?
I agree, absolutely ludicrous. My take is more along the lines of:
When it comes to fruits and vegetables more or less any sort of food or consumable, I'll look at what is the lowest in-season price per pound. Instead of deciding that I want to buy apples, I'll choose fruit based on what is the lowest price."
I probably have spent on average about 50% of the "going rate" for every bit of food in my house. Going to the grocery store 2-3x a week simply chisels the going rate of most foods in your head. Further, sales are somewhat cyclical, as such you get an idea of what the going, a fair, a good, and great prices are.
eg: Bacon's gone up a lot in the last few years here. $6-7 for 500g is the "going rate" and sales are typically $2 off, but occasionally $3-4 off a few times a year. Try and time that along side bacon that's about to expire to get an additional 50% off, freeze it, and you pick up 6 months worth of bacon for 1/3rd the normal price.
I have no fixed diet, just "whatever's cheap". When I casually notice stocks of something is getting low in the house, I'll keep my eye open for deals. Given that I have a couple months of food, even if I do run out of something, I'll just eat other stuff until the cheap prices invariably return. There's always *something* going for less than half what it costs.
Honestly I've started to notice other people at the grocery stores shortly before closing doing the same things. I wonder if the grocery store people know about us and refer to us as the scavengers? I probably would.