Marked Down Fresh Foods: A Great Way to Save

Savvy shoppers love a good clearance sale.  Discounted hand bags, shoes, clothes, house wares and more- but do you take advantage of the deals in the grocery stores?

Two of my favorite things to find marked down in the grocery store are meat and produce.  I wanted to share some of my favorite tips about taking advantage of these deals and making sure that they stay a good deal!

• Most meats/produce are marked down because they are coming up on the end of their best buy date.   That means that the store won’t be able to sell it anymore but it doesn’t mean that it’s bad.  But look carefully, anything that is moldy or smells bad- pass on that ‘deal’.
• Either use the food or preserve it right away.
  • Fresh produce can be prepared and frozen.  I slice onions and peppers and place them in a freezer bag for short term storage or use my Food Saver for long term storage.
  • Zucchini, Squash, Carrots- I blanch and place in freezer bags or food saver bags as well.
  • Fresh fruits can be frozen (place a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight).  Place in freezer bags for future smoothies.
  • Meat can be marinated and frozen with freezer bags or food saver bags.
  • Another option would be to cook the meat and make a dish with it and then freeze the prepared dish.  When you need a quick dinner – pop it in the oven or slow cooker. I love to use Dollar Store aluminum pans for these dinners!
  • Dehydrating fruit is a favorite in my house too! Food Dehydrators are easy to use and not expensive!  You can do it in the oven too but I’ve found the dehydrator to work much better!
•  Be sure check the non-clearance items around.  I’ve seen roasts marked down as clearance but the fresh (new) meat right next to it was cheaper per pound on sale.  The clearance price was based off the previous sale price and the new sale price was actually lower than the clearance off the regular price!
• Know what’s a good price.  Clearance isn’t always a deal.  $1.99/lb for chicken is my top price so if it’s marked down to $3.50/lb I’m still not going to buy it.  Don’t let the clearance tag fake a deal.

Share your markdown secrets with us!