AT THE SUPERMARKET

How to be a bargain shopperÉ

THE MEAT SECTION

A friend of mine told me that the best time to shop for meat at a supermarket is on a Wednesday because that's when they mark down their stock in anticipation of adding new stock for Thursday night shopping (in NSW anyway).

Always keep an eye out for bargains in the meat section.

They markdown meat prices when the use-by (or freeze-by) date is approaching. As long as the meat still looks okay and you freeze it that day it is perfectly fine (and cheap!!) to buy it.

Don't be afraid to experiment or substitute if you see a bargain. Many recipes work perfectly well with a different kind of meat.

Last week I was at the supermarket when I spied some trays of diced turkey breast which were reduced from $7.50 for a 500g (1lb) tray to $2.99. I usually buy chicken breast for my recipes and then I dice it myself but I decided to buy three trays of the turkey instead. I ended up paying only $9 for 1.5 kilos (3lbs) of the turkey when I would have paid $12.99 a kilo for chicken breast. So I saved quite a bit of money on just that one purchase!

By the way, the turkey tasted great and was a welcome change from chicken LOL.

THE GROCERY AISLES

Look out for discontinued items.

These are items that the store no longer wants to sell and they are often heavily discounted.

For example I have purchased jars of boutique simmer sauces for just 50c - they were originally $3.50 each and were now cheaper than buying packet sauce mixes. Just remember to make sure it is something you WILL use!!