You can find some great deals by shopping the clearance section of your grocery store.
One of my favorite places to shop is my neighborhood Ralphs. I’m not sure if they buy too much or what, but I always find great markdowns. They have little clearance sections in every department, all around the perimeter of the store. I walk this little circuit, checking for the orange and yellow tags. It’s like a game.
A game that saves me money.
In the past I’ve found these items in Ralph’s “manager’s specials”:
- organic eggs $1.50/dozen
- pound of mushrooms $1.49
- organic snack cookies $0.25/bag
- organic pumpkin $0.50/can
- juice blend $0.99/2 quarts
- artisan bread $0.99/loaf
- hormone-free butter $2.50/pound
These are some of the highlights. Target and other grocery stores have their own clearance sections, so check your favorite store. You might find some great deals. Remember to check the “best by” date to make sure what you’re snatching up isn’t too close to expiring.
Have you found great markdowns or manager’s specials where you live?
Build a Frugal Pantry with Rich Flavors
Make Your Own Stocks and Broths
Grocery Geek Q&A: Where to Start?
Grocery Geek: What We Spent in November
Real Food Products We Love: Bob’s Red Mill White Popcorn
My husband and I moved recently to Nebraska. Our local Baker’s has great manager’s specials. I purchase all of our meat from manager’s specials. Every time we go I check out the special area where marked down meats are kept. There’s usually plenty to choose from.
Isn’t that such a blessing?! Love it.
There is one grocery store in our area that runs its specials Sunday-Sat. On Saturday morning they mark down there over stock of meat that was already on sale. This is when I buy my organic chicken. I go every Saturday morning. They do the same for produce, but it is usually way past its prime and I don’t like to take the chance.
That sounds great!
I just found a great markdown two days ago. I went into the store to stock up on $1.98/lb for ground beef in 4+lb packages and right next to it was the managers special of $1.48/lb ground beef in @1lb pkgs. Not only was it less money but I wouldn’t have to spend time weighing it out and packaging it individually for the freezer.
Major Score for me
So…it must be you that beats me to Ralph’s every morning. 😉
Ha! I only go about once a week — and rarely in the am. 😉
Love the manager’s specials at Kroger. I just picked up a big block of smoked blue cheese, La Brea roasted garlic bread, and canvas shopping bags. Fortunately, a store is only a mile from my house, so I can pop in often to check out the deals. Aldi is another good place to find markdowns. Yesterday I was able to get chicken thighs for .66/lb which I froze in a bag with marinade.
My local Kroger affiliate (King Soopers) has the best manager’s special markdowns on bread. There’s a local artisan bread that they sell that I often find for 1/2 price, I always grab whatever they have and freeze it. It’s nice to have bread in the freezer I also tend to find great markdowns on cheese, brie especially for some reason.
Our local Smiths is a Kroger affiliate and it does the same thing. It is nice as it is good food and they rotate things through quickly to keep the food fresh, but mark things down about half when they just get a little close. It makes grocery shopping like a treasure hunt!
LOVE my Kroger Manager’s Specials – my most recent find was $2.99 for a 3-pound chub of ground turkey, and $1,99 for a double pack (= 16 wedges) of light Laughing Cow cheese. I try to breeze through there regularly to see what they’ve got.
I found a five pound bag of organic apples for .99 cents on a recent trip to Kroger. I always check the mark down produce. My husband goes in often for work and will check each time he goes in.
WOW! I would buy as many as they had at that price. Organic apples are incredibly hard to find these days.
Yes, I love Kroger! Mine almost always has bananas marked down. Used to be $.39/lb for them, but lately it’s been $.10/lb!!! I always buy some and peel/chop them for the freezer for smoothies/”ice cream” or let them brown a bit more and freeze for baking.
I’ve been thinking about banana ice cream this week. Our batch is turning brown.