recommendation: smart shopping tip

When grocery shopping, I always struggle between what's the better deal - spending less or getting better price per oz. After watching that TLC Extreme Couponing show, it makes me want to ALWAYS buy the better deal, even if it means stockpiling or buying more than necessary. If I know I will eventually use the rest of the product or can plan multiple meals around it, I'll spend more money to get a better deal. Things like a big box of goldfish crackers, buying a multipack of peppers vs single green peppers, a block of cheddar I shred myself vs a bag of shredded cheddar. But sometimes when its a fresh product - produce, meat, dairy - its not worth it to get the deal.

Growing sick of having stuff go bad in my refrigerator, I decided to follow the advice of my sister in law this past week. I often purchase things off the salad bar, especially when I'm making omelets and don't want to do a lot of chopping, or want to get a few things for my hubby that I won't eat (ie/ mushrooms). You just grab a few small scoops of toppings and its an inexpensive option.

My sister-in-law recently told me she got spinach from the bar instead of buying a whole bag. I've bought a small scoop for omelets but never a bunch of it as replacement for a whole bag. I tried it on Tuesday as I needed 2 cups to mix into a pasta dish. A bag was $2.89, the box version $3.99. Apx two cups (a tiny bit more) from the salad bar.... .72 cents! It is so lightweight that it won't cost much, this is a great option when you don't want to waste food! Sometimes paying less is saving more!