Day 15/16: Living on a Pound a Day - The Vulture

As I enter the soulless plains of homogeneity, I survey my surroundings with a vigilant gaze. The persisting drone of electricity surging throughout the area is broken only by bored beeps of the scanning contraptions and their equally spiritless operators.
As I coast through the valleys of steel and mountains of cardboard boxes, fellow hunters pass me by lost in their own patrol. Suddenly, I am alerted to an item of interest. It lays alone, separated from the rest of the pack. Senses heightened, talons ready, I swoop in towards my targeted prey - a packet of sweet red plum tomatoes.
They still look fresh despite what the exterior indicates. A delicious find indeed and worthy to spend my precious coin on. However, i will not rest on my laurels, circling further a field will yield more delights. I will just have to wait and pounce as further opportunities arise. Patience is key.

So i took some time to checkout the supermarket after work and it was more fortunate that i came across an array of clearance items that were being cleared for a reduced price. Most of the items were reaching the end of their shelf life. Shelf life can be categorised into 3 dates - Use By, Best Before and Display Until. Where an item of food exceeds a Use By date, it's generally best to avoid consuming said item. Food that has expired beyond the Best Before date will mean that it is consumable, but may not be at it's intended quality. Display Until is used by the stores to indicate that it should no longer be sold commercially. The product will generally also be labeled with a best before date.
It's always going to be a personal choice in how you feel about purchasing reduced items. To some, it's seen as an inferior product when other options are available. I've always taken the approach to avoid wastage of food and for me I try to use the better judgment in my selection of reduced items.

Tips on scoring and choosing a bargain.

- Time your shopping excursion. Head later to stores/markets when the main crowd rush has passed and stores begin clearing their perishables.
- Check around the store. Typically there is a damaged goods item that harbour a collection of groceries subjected to harsh treatment (dents/ripped labels/incomplete sets).
- Look around open refrigerators for perishables that may only have a day or two left on it's expiry date.
- Breads can be taken home and frozen to increase storage life. Reheat as toast.
- Other foods can be cooked and then frozen for later consumption.
- Don't be prejudiced on your food types. Try sampling a new food type that you may not have tried before to see if you have stumbled on the next best thing since ... sliced bread.
- Check for seasonal produce. When a food comes in abundance due to the seasonal climate*, large stock quantities are often sold for cheaper prices.
- Price check items at different stores. Certain carried items will be found to be cheaper at one store than another.
- Processed foods such as packaged greens have been subjected to wash treatments and don't keep well even if unopened.

Day 15

Breakfast: Toast
Lunch: Chickpea / Corn / Mushroom Salad
Dinner: Mushrooms / Tomatoes on Toast

Daily Spend - 3.11

Day 16

Breakfast: Toast
Lunch: Mixed Vegetable Curry
Dinner: Mushrooms / Tomatoes on Toast

Daily Spend - 0.00
Budget Spent - 16.02