Thursday, June 28, 2012

Discount Food and Dented Cans



Have you ever shopped at Discount Grocery Stores? I don't mean Save-A-Lot or Aldi's (which is where we buy 95% of our groceries)....I mean the Salvage stores that sell dented cans  and other items that have their packaging broken or ripped.

I love those stores and I wish we had one near us. You can find tons of cans for 1/4 of the price and there may be a bit of a dent in it, but so what? It is still good....I will draw the line though for canned tomatoes and tomato products because of the acid in the tomatoes. We had one back home and we went quite often. I know some people wouldn't be caught dead in a store like that and for others they have no choice or they just love saving money. Some of the salvage stores have meat and that I would have to say no to...but for cans there isn't a better place! Granted it is more time consuming to go to because you do have to really check everything out because you never know what is going to be there. My thinking is if the product is still fine and not opened and you have a store nearby, then why would you spend all that extra money on "perfect" cans.

We do have a store nearby that has a discount veggie and fruit bin....every morning about 30 minutes after they open they put out a huge cart of bagged up veggies and fruit. Each bag is 1$ and it may contain 2 pkgs of mushrooms, or a cauliflower, or 3 red peppers. You get my point....when I shop there, I always make sure that I go right around that time and get a bunch of veggies. Granted some may have to be used very quickly and others are fine for a good while. I like buying bananas and apples there because I bring them home and cut up the apples and freeze them for desserts...and for the bananas, we don't eat them fresh so I get them and let them turn brown and freeze them for banana bread later on.

Also at that store every morning they discount some of the meat that had a due date a couple days later....so for a couple dollars off certain pkgs you can buy them and freeze them and they will be great!

If you are on a budget this is a great way to shop and sometimes the only way. I love saving money and knowing that I can do groceries cheaper by getting discounts like this. I just wish there was a salvage store near me!

Do you shop at salvage stores or discount bins?

7 comments:

  1. We had one near us and it went under. It is not safe to buy dented cans of food. The merchandise at our store was near retail anyway they said it was not but it was. If you learn to coupon right and I am not talking about being crazy like the folks on tv that do extreme and by no food items. Because I was extreme before they came along. But if you learn to shop correctly you won't need those stores and you will get what you need a great bargin. Two weeks ago I got laundry detergent for only 53 cents and this week I am buying vinegar at only 59 cents a bottle why do I need outdated and dented. You can get sick from this food. When cans are dented they lose seals that keep food safe. Somethings that are opened are not safe either remember the Tylenol scare of 70's it changed packing for the rest of our lives. The community said this served certain families no they need good safe food.

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    1. I would never buy things that were opened or badly dented or outdated. I totally agree that is unsafe.
      As for coupons, I use them but I buy generic most of the time. I use coupons mainly for toilet paper, razors and some food items.I also make all of my own cleaners and detergents so that is so much cheaper than buying or with coupons. Vinegar and Baking Soda are staples in cleaning products and they are so cheap. I can't say as I would ever go back to buying laundry soap or any other cleaners with harse chemicals when I can make them all for a fraction of the cost, they are better for you and they work great.

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  2. I wish we had something like that around here but alas not in sunny California, not sure why either?! I have been making my own deodorant, toothpaste and shampoo to get away from so many chemicals being put in and on my body.The deodorant works great, shampoo was hard to get used to but I do like it now and wouldn't switch back and the toothpate...well, haven't quite tweaked it enough yet but sticking it out! I also like using vinegar to clean...would love to see your recipes for cleaners!

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    1. A lot of places don't have the stores like I am talking about.....I wish we were closer to one. That is awesome making all of your own things like that. I haven't made deodorant yet but think I will try it. I post recipes etc on my Facebook page as well....and I will be posting blog posts as well. What kinds of things are you looking for recipes for?

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  3. Most shelf stable canned goods are still OK after expiration although it may not taste the same as if it were newly canned. You an look up USDA guidelines at the link below. Grocery items like green bean can be used even a year after expiration. Probably more but it's up to you. It should not be deeply dented, but dented is ok as long as not on a seam. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Shelf_Stable_Food_Safety/index.asp

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