Bargain Shopping

One tried and true method of bargain shopping is to review the ads for the week, make the rounds, and buy all the loss leaders. That was one of my grandma's hobbies. When I was in college, every time I came home, I'd find some random thing that she knew I needed and was on sale for super cheap so she bought it for me.

With gas prices the way they are, this might no longer be practical. I've noticed prices going up at my grocery store; to be expected because it was all over the news. My preferred crackers first started appearing in a smaller package. Now their price has increased 10%. At this point, I have to make a decision; continue to buy or find a different cracker? I don't like Saltines, which cost a lot less.

In the past I've found bargain crackers at the dollar store and at Big Lots. I didn't check out the crackers at my local dollar store last time I was there and Big Lots is too far to be practical unless I'm somewhere near it anyway. I think I got fancy crackers for $1 at Big Lots; the kind sold in a 2x2" box for close to $3. I stocked up last time I went and perhaps I need to make a point of going back.

Last week, in the middle of the week, the dollar store was much busier than I've ever seen on a weekday evening. I've seen it busier on Saturday but I think it was Tuesday, the historic low point on the shopping continuum.

I'm paying more attention to the grocery store circulars but don't buy things I don't like. Even when they're on sale. My cousin spent a year in Africa during college and has forever been changed. She buys canned vegetables that she doesn't like when they're on sale. They're cheaper than the ones she likes. While I know that as Americans, most of us are spoiled beyond belief in comparison to people from many parts of the world, it doesn't make sense to me to buy things I don't like when they're on sale.

I don't have to worry about the price of meat because I don't eat a lot of it; I had steak at my mom's house the other day, which has never been my favorite. When I was in law school, if I was over in the afternoon, she'd ask if I was staying for dinner and say "we're having filet mignon but I have chicken for you." I'm probably the only carnivore in the history of the world to prefer chicken to filet mignon, but with food prices rising, it's better that way.