One of the best ways to save money on bread is to make your own. But sometimes convenience is more important than stretching a buck.
One of my all time favorite places to save some dough on bread is at my local Sara Lee Bakery Outlet.
Bakery outlet stores sell day-old or about-to-be day-old bread items, spices, snacks, etc. They have GREAT prices on quality products. At my store on Tuesdays, you can take an additional 10% off your total, and on Saturdays they give you double stamps (they have a frequent buyer reward program). During one visit I got 12 loaves of 100 percent whole wheat Sara Lee bread and two packages of whole wheat hamburger buns for $10.80. If I had made the same purchase at a grocery store, it would have cost me $40 or more.
I’ve learned a few tricks to shopping at the “Bread Store.”
Check the dates. Some things may not even be expired for awhile yet. Be sure to get the freshest items at the lowest price.
Check the quality. You’re not really getting a bargain if the product is all dried out or is squashed.
Watch the sales. Once you start shopping at your local bakery outlet, you’ll start to learn how they’re stocked and when the best deals are.
Know your prices. These stores operate like other grocery stores in that they have “loss leaders” to lure you in, while other things are higher priced. Some snacks may not be much of a bargain, for example.
Go early. Once you know the best days of the week to go to the bakery outlet, go early. If you wait until the afternoon, a lot of the fancier, low-priced breads are gone.
Join the outlet store’s reward program. Many stores offer bonuses to frequent shoppers.
Resist impulse buys. Remember to treat this just like any other store. Don’t go hungry and go with a list. You don’t need ten bags of pork rinds… even if they’re really cheap.
Bulk up. I buy a lot of bread and buns at a time and then freeze them in my chest freezer. This saves me a lot of time and money. And by freezing it right away, you can also extend the life of the bread.
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