It never seems to end: gas prices are going up, up, up, dragging the cost of living is up, up, up as well. The prices of even basic items like milk and bread and fruit are getting ridiculous! Fortunately, I have my mother's gene for saving. From a very early age, she taught me and my siblings to get value for our money. She never advocated buying cheap things; why bother, when cheap things break and end up costing you even more? She taught us to buy the highest quality that we could afford -- but she taught us to hunt for bargains whenever we could. Why pay more for an item if you can find exactly the same item somewhere else, for less?
My mother and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market are a match made in heaven. I introduced her to the store when she visited last year, and she couldn't believe she had been visiting the US for so many years without knowing about it! She loves the fact that she can get the same brand-name goods she can find at regular grocery and supermarket stores, but for less. She doesn't care that the packaging may be seasonal or promotional packaging that the manufacturer doesn't want to use anymore. She doesn't care that a giant retailer ordered too much of one thing and decided to cancel half the order, so the manufacturer sold the rest to Grocery Outlet at a discount. All she cares about is that it's not expired, it's in great condition, and she can buy it for less. And that's all I care about as well, which is why I like to shop at Grocery Outlet whenever I'm in the area.
Grocery Outlet recently sent me a $25 gift card to see what bargains I could find. Now that school is in session, I always need convenient, healthy snacks to pack in the kids' lunch, so I decided to restock our snack pantry with whatever I could find at Grocery Outlet. Just look at all the goodies I was able to buy! They are all items and brand I buy regularly -- and since I buy them all the time, I have a good idea of how much they usually cost, and I know they are cheaper at Grocery Outlet.
The kids love granola bars, and we always keep some around. I scored a variety of bars at just $1.99 per box.
I try to limit the kids' juice intake, so I pack them flavored water instead of juice. At $1.99 per box of 10, I can give them flavored water for recess and lunch!
The Pea's favorite snack is strawberry gelatin; it tastes great and it helps satisfy her appetite between meals. I found them at Grocery Outlet for just $1.50 per 6-pack.
Blueberries are getting quite expensive now that they're out of season, so I don't buy them too often now, but I couldn't resist picking up a pint because they were just $2.50. They could easily have cost up to $4 elsewhere!
The kids eat cherry tomatoes like they're candy, but they can cost up to $4 per pint. I was able to get them at Grocery Outlet for $1.98.
I found fruit roll-ups for 50 cents each. Admittedly, you can get that same price at regular groceries and supermarkets when they're on sale, but it's nice to be able to buy them without having to wait for them to go on sale.
The most expensive item in my shopping bag was a bag of trail mix for $4, for Alfie to keep at his office desk and munch on in the afternoons. It could easily have cost twice that much, had he bought it at the deli in the lobby of his office building.
All those snacks, for just $25! No, I stand corrected: all those snacks, for just $24.40. I even had 60 cents left, so I bought a couple of chocolate bars for a quarter each (hey, gotta finish up that gift card). My receipt said I saved $17.03 by shopping at Grocery Outlet. My mother would be proud of me!
Win a $25 Grocery Outlet gift card
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a $25 Grocery Outlet gift card.
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Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you would spend $25 on at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.
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The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on October 30, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on October 31 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.
Disclosure: Thanks to Grocery Outlet for providing me with a gift card to shop at Grocery Outlet, as well as a second gift card for the giveaway.. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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The Fall Harvest Box is a sweet little way to celebrate fall. I can't believe you get all this candy -- 3 Molasses Chips, 6 Milk Chocolate Foil Balls, a Scotchmallow, a Dark Chocolate Chip Truffle, a Milk Chocolate Butter and a Butterscotch Square -- for just $6.65! It makes a great little thank-you present for teachers or PTA volunteers, or an afterdinner treat for your book club. See's also has a Trick-or-Treat Box which has the same chocolates on the inside, but with a Halloween-themed box cover, so you can hand them out as party favors or prizes for your next Halloween party!
