Tag: Groceries

Working for a Living

Just look at who got a job!

DSC_0317Yup. Our Pedro is the new stock boy at our favorite local grocery store!

He’s learning all sorts of new things – like how to “face” a shelf, how many kinds of hamburger helper there are, and to always, always treat the customer’s lettuce with care! (right Nana Shirley!)

He also gets to carry out groceries. The little old ladies love him!

Maybe it’s his cute smile, or his polite manners.

945864_133617736831540_175465762_n

But it’s probably his sideburns.

Dagmar likes to do her shopping when he’s on the floor. Of course she asks him to help her find obscure items and always makes him carry out her bags – even if all she got was an avocado. Because that’ s what sisters do.

But the thing I love best about his new job is that he’s learned how to sweep and mop a floor. He even volunteered to mop mine.

Yes. You read that correctly: he even volunteered to mop mine! Oh be still my heart!

And he did a great job! Although while he was sweeping he told me that my broom wasn’t very good – but don’t worry – they sell a very nice one with an attached dust pan.

I can find it in aisle 6, right next to the laundry detergent.

That’s my boy!

Reduced for Quick Sale

Everyone is looking for a deal when grocery shopping.  My mother-in-law  has always claimed that you get the best prices by shopping the same stores regularly.

She was right! By regularly shopping one store you learn the routine of price drops and the rotation of sale items. For example, my favorite local grocery store does a great sale on pastas every 4 months. I know to stock up on enough pasta to last until the next great sale.

You also learn where the “reduced for quick sale items” are kept. These are items that are greatly reduced in price because they need to bought quickly and used before they expire or go bad.

A thrifty shopper can pick up some great bargains if they know where to look!

I recently picked up several large bags of baby carrots for 99 cents a bag. We had company at the time, so finishing off that many carrots before they went bad was not a problem.  If I had more time though, I would have bought a few more bags, blanched them and froze the carrots in zip lock baggies ready to throw in soups or heat up as a vegetable.

On the same shopping trip I also bought two cartons of reduced price cottage cheese. One we ate fresh right away, the other I’ll make into a casserole and freeze.

We buy almost all of our fruit this way. With a family of seven, it isn’t hard to finish them before they spoil! If for some reason we don’t, I make a fruit salad for supper and use up the odds and ends. Or dump them in my vita-mix with some yogurt and make a smoothie.

Finding the hidden “reduced for quick sale” spots in your local grocery store is a thrifty way to feed your family!