Where You'll Find Me in the Grocery Store

I had a little love affair with curbside grocery pickup during the height of the pandemic, but part of why I was eager to get back in there myself was to visit my favorite section of every grocery store: THE DISCOUNT SECTION.

Sometimes I mention the discount section to people and they respond, "Huh. I don't think I've ever noticed a discount section." To which I stare at them blankly, wondering how anyone could miss the most exciting spot in the store. It's always different. Always a surprise. Always discounted. Sometimes almost expired.

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I base entire weeks of meals on what I can find in the discount bins/shelves. Which is why menu planning doesn't totally suit me...I might find this pack of hamburger buns on clearance with an expiration date of tomorrow, and then guess what? We're having burgers tonight.

Come to think about it, as I scan my pantry, there's rarely a time when we have bread products in the house that don't have these stickers on them.

And it's a real treat when I get to have a fancy brand of coffee that I would never splurge on otherwise, or find an ENTIRE BOX of Lara bars marked down in bulk, or find this entire section of new books marked down to $3.99 each - I stock up on them and put them in my gift drawer for when I need to pull something out quickly. 

Grocery shopping can be less than exciting, so I love the thrill of seeing what I'll find on the discount aisles and how that might steer our menu for the week. So give me all your dinged up cans, dented boxes, and nearly expired grocery offerings - because hey, at 50% off, I'll even splurge on name brand pasta.