Informed Webmaster

I have read/hear this before:

...11. Look high and low – not in the middle. The most expensive items are usually put on the shelves where you can easily see and reach them. Some of the less expensive items may be on the higher or lower shelves...

It is a marketing ploy to get your attention. e.g. President Choice jars of peanuts are on the bottom shelf where as jars of Planters peanuts are on the middle shelves.

...12. Look at the “best before” and expiry dates. Choose foods with a best before or expiry date that will give you enough time to eat it all and prevent waste...

I have noticed some fresh stuff like yogurt will be reduced but when you look at the best before date that is a lot of yogurt to eat up before the expiry date...

...13. Check out the “reduced” section. Reduced vegetables are good for soups and stews. Ripe bananas are perfect for making muffins or banana bread. Day old bread is fine for eating and makes good French toast or grilled sandwiches. Ripe melons can be diced and frozen, or puréed to make smoothies...

I have gotten good deals when looking in the reduced section of the meat section. I watch for reduced stickers on other stuff in the fresh meat/deli section also. Pick them up at a good price and put in the freezer. $3 for a take home to bake fresh pizza is a pretty cheap dinner and quick dinner after golf.

...15. Compare the unit price for similar items. The unit price tells you how much something costs per “unit” or per 100 grams (g) or 100 millilitres (mL). Don’t worry about using a calculator to figure this out. You can usually find the unit price in small print under the main price. This price can help you compare whether a large or small size of an item is a better buy...

Sometimes it has been cheaper to buy individual items than a case if you stop for a minute to figure out the price per tin for example.

All the quotes above were from: 20 Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

One thing I have heard of is looking for the fridge (or calling the store about) really reduced stuff that is headed to the garbage but I haven't actually seen one of these fridges where I shop.

The other spot I look for reduced fruit or veg is the reduced shelves at the back of the fruit and veg store. Regularly get a package of strawberries for $1.50 or $2.00 instead of paying $3.99 or $4.99 for the same size package at the front of the store.

I have noticed some fresh stuff like yogurt will be reduced but when you look at the best before date that is a lot of yogurt to eat up before the expiry date...

I would not get too bent out of shape about sell by and best buy dates. They are fail safe projections and have little meaning in the real world. They are determined by bean counters and lawyers. That is especially true right now when trips should be minimized and stock bought when found.

We keep a cold Fridge at a 38F set point. I routinely eat Yogurt that was properly handled and stored after purchase that is a month 'out of date'. Don't drive it all over town for a ride before storage. Don't contaminate it with a soiled spoon and don't keep it in the door. Throw it away if it smells bad, has mold or turns watery.

Some many people in the US and the western world waste enough food to feed a small nation because of those fake dates on stuff.

Here ya go, 14 Foods You Can Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps

Accrete wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:30 pm Here ya go, 14 Foods You Can Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps

So my wife isn't crazy. You can grow celery from the base of the a head. That one I may have to try.

Ok, as a heads up, this has nothing to do with "Groceries".

Segway from growing roots from celery stocks...

When I was a little lad (eons ago), my best friend's dad who immigrated from one of the "stan" countries, after Xmas, dug a hole in their front yard and planted their Christmas tree (the type of tree you buy from the corner store back then, drag it home, and then decorate in the living room) thinking it would grow. It stayed their out in the front yard till early may - brown and not single needle remained. I'm pretty sure he honestly thought it would grow roots in the soil, and live.

I have heard of some of these tricks before. One thing I know that works is getting veggies and fruit right from the farm, washing them and putting in Tupperware. It really works.

Have you ever thought about how much food waste occurs in your house? According to Money, the average household tosses out about 20% of the food they buy. For the typical family, that adds up to over $1,500 worth of food per year!...

...But the good news is that we can reduce a lot of our food waste just by learning a few simple food storage tips! Because when your food is stored properly, you have more time to get around to eating it before it goes bad...

36 Easy Food Storage Tips That Will Save You A Fortune

My Dad use to buy coffee beans from Murchies and put them in the freezer as at the time we only drank coffee with Sunday dinner or when company came over.

Never heard of putting brown sugar in the freezer to stop it hardening. Anyone tried that before? We didn't find those disks you are supposed to dampen and put in the brown sugar container didn't work as advertised.

Accrete wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 6:48 pm Anyone tried that before? We didn't find those disks you are supposed to dampen and put in the brown sugar container didn't work as advertised.

You just aren't eating enough brown sugar on your oatmeal.

Seriously the disks work fairly well. Did you soak it in water, hand dry it before you put it in the sealed jar?

Colbyt wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 6:58 pm

Accrete wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 6:48 pm Anyone tried that before? We didn't find those disks you are supposed to dampen and put in the brown sugar container didn't work as advertised.

You just aren't eating enough brown sugar on your oatmeal.

Seriously the disks work fairly well. Did you soak it in water, hand dry it before you put it in the sealed jar?

Yes.

Perhaps others in the house who use it more than me didn't burp the container properly after putting on their cereal.

I buy 7 pound bags at Sams and don't ever recall throwing any away. We store in a poor person's canister, a 1 gallon glass jar.

I'm not much on Prime Rib anything. I find the meat usually has too much fat in it. However, a local place has prime rib steaks on sale at $9.99 a pound for another day, and the pics on the website (probably the best cuts ever found) look good.

Accrete, since you are close to AB, and I'm constantly told how great the beef is in AB (although, I reserve the right to disagree ), does prime rib steaks at $9.99/lb sound like they're priced well? I'm going to take a walk and "eyeball" the look of them. They have, what they call, flattened chicken on sale too. :shrug: