finding almost out of date bargains (meal planning)

melt71 · 27 March 2006 at 11:25AM

Just a thought to those of you that try to find the almost out of date reductions from the main supermarkets - our main supermarkets don't generally have that much that is REALLY cheap although you do get some reasonable deals. The problem is they are so busy any bargains are literally snapped off the shelves the minute they appear.

However, we have a small Somerfield in our town which I couldn't do a main shop at because a) it's generally too expensive and b) it doesn't have enough stock and I can't get everything I need there. But they do have some incredible bargains if you go in after 5pm (they close at 7pm). On Friday I popped in to have a quick look and found 2 lots of pork mince on offer - one was 21p and the other 40p both of them were 400gm. Also 12 thick pork sausages for 44p. We also found some corned beef which should have been £2.05 but was only 51p so we had corned beef hash for tea! YUM!

I've frozen the other things and will adjust my menu planner to use them this week, I won't need to go shopping again now so I'm well under my budget and even managed to beat my target! I'm going to start doing my main shop at Tesco for basics and then try to bag some bargains throughout the month at Somerfield which should help me to cut costs even more next month

Bargain_Rzl · 27 March 2006 at 11:33AM

This is how I organise all my cooking, melt71. I buy as much reduced meat as I can, bung it in the freezer and then work out what to do with it. The meal planning doesn't even start until I know what I've got!

The last hour or two before the shops close on Sunday afternoons tend to be the best time for bargains. Yesterday afternoon at Tesco I got two packs of two chicken breasts for 50p per pack, 2 big cartons of Taste the Difference soup for 20p each, 2 packs of 8 decent-quality pork sausages for 20p each, and 8 chicken drumsticks for 50p

teb_2 · 27 March 2006 at 11:33AM

We do this as a rule now. Fed up spending loads every week and we're trying to get our debt down. We got a mortgage pig after reading the thread in the mortgage free board and what we do is put the differencce between the cheap proice and the real price in the pig. Since we get a lot of reduced price things when I shop after work, we put a fair bit in the pig. Not a fortune but we do it regularly.

calleyw · 27 March 2006 at 11:37AM

Also don't forget saturday the 15th of April for reduced goodies.

I have been told there are some great bargain then due to the supermarkets not opening on the sunday because it is easter sunday so no shops over a certain size can't open.

I have never tried this before as I did not have the space before. But might this year as I have a chest freezer.

Yours

Calley

melt71 · 27 March 2006 at 11:38AM

Never heard of a mortgage pig! What a brilliant idea. May start that with my April budgets. Thanks.

Bargain Rzl - I have never got any bargains like that in my Tesco! WOW. As I said, it may be because it is so busy and they tend to be snapped up straight away, but generally I've never seen them reduced as much as that. For example if a ready meal should have been £2.49 they will reduce it to £1.80 and someone will take it before it is reduced again! I do intend to keep having a quick look in my local Somerfield as it shuts earlier and also it's no where near as popular so they have to reduce things a lot more to get rid of stuff.

JB2006 · 27 March 2006 at 11:44AM

At my local Tesco I find that if I am in at about 6pm this is when they do the final reductions on the reduced items. Usually down to 10p and 20p. Obviously there is not that much choice but if you are flexible with your menu plans or have a big freezer you will do really well. This is a 24 hour Tesco as well so I don't think it really matters when the shop shuts!

Katgoddess · 27 March 2006 at 12:09PM

calleyw wrote:

I have been told there are some great bargain then due to the supermarkets not opening on the sunday because it is easter sunday so no shops over a certain size can't open.

Yes its true. The supermarket where I work reduces stuff to silly prices. Makes stuff BOGOF when they aren't. Puts loads of stuff into carrier bags for 50p. Just so they don't have to record anything on the waste sheet and can go home quicker. Keep an eye out on the monday as well because all the stuff that would have sold on the Sunday will be reduced as well.

comping_cat · 27 March 2006 at 1:04PM

calleyw wrote:

Also don't forget saturday the 15th of April for reduced goodies.

I have been told there are some great bargain then due to the supermarkets not opening on the sunday because it is easter sunday so no shops over a certain size can't open.

I have never tried this before as I did not have the space before. But might this year as I have a chest freezer.

Yours

Calley

I always go shopping on xmas eve, new years eve and the saturday before Easter, and thats when i have gotton all my best bargains!!!!! As Cally says, the shop is shut the following day, so loads of things get reduced!!!!

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finding almost out of date bargains (meal planning)

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