[CandyKisses0204]

I am prolly late on the bus on this one, but i just found a blg of a chef who only buys things that are 99cents or less. Just thought i would shre because i thought it was amusing

The 99cent Chef

[zenor77]

It's an interesting gimmick, but as someone who is always looking for the best buy, I find the 99-cent store to be hit or miss (I also question the quality at times~depends on brands and where the product is made.) If you do a price comparison per oz on many of these items, the larger size can be found for a cheaper price at a regular store. Just because something is under a dollar doesn't make it a good deal.

The blog is an fascinating read though. Thanks for posting it!

[JulieJ08]

I thought it was going to be something to do with 99 percent

[shrillharpy]

Thanks--I think it's a hoot. His stuff doesn't just come from the 99 cent store. It comes from all over, but it all costs less than a buck. Having been really, really broke before, I can appreciate a break from ramen.

[kaplods]

I agree that the dollar stores are hit and miss, but the concept is rather cool, regardless. There are many places besides the "dollar stores," where a dollar can buy more than it generally does.

My husband and I start our grocery shopping each month at a private store, much like Big Lots (a close-out store). At least twice a month, the store gets in health food and gourmet store lots. So you can find anything from vegemite to caviar (and anything in between). You've got to pay attention to freshness dates, but these aren't "outdated" products, usually just bankruptcy stock, overstock, factory misprints (the label may have been put on upside down), or just something that a store decided to stop carrying before they sold them all.

We've found all sorts of stuff (healthy and not). It's always our first stop for the month, because we never know what we will find (at least in canned and shelf-stable products). Canned veggies are usually around 50 cents a can, which is more expensive than Aldi's, so we pass on the varieties we get there (grean beans, peas, corn, carrots), but for other veggies and tomato products, we can save alot. If something is a huge deal, I'll stock up as much as is realistic (when they had jars and cans of artichokes, for .50 to .70, I bought like 10 of each). When they had gourmet dried beans for .49 to .69 for one pound bags, I bought one of each variety (about 7) and I wish I had bought more. Their salad dressings, marinades and condiments are almost always .49 to .69 and while I buy them occasionally, there is also usally an assortment in the "free bin," for any purchas over $10.
I bought a variety of flavored sea salts, for .39 each (and later found the brand selling for $6 a jar).

That's probably the biggest "risk" of shopping there. I often find brands that I love so much I try to find them in the retail stores (because once they're gone, you may never see them in the overstock store ever again), and if I do manage to find them, I'm shocked at the "regular" price.

One thing that shows up a lot, and I have to work hard to resist is the Terra Chips. They show up far too often, for my comfort. They're a high-end brand of kettle cooked root vegetbles like sweet potato, yukon gold, and blue potato chips, parsnips, taro, carrots, beets. Very yummy, but really just junk food in a health food store wrapper with a gourmet price tag. But while they sell in the health food stores and grocery stores at $4 -$6 a bag, they're usually under 50 cents per 5 to 9 oz bag. It just "kills me" to see them selling so cheap, when I have a hard enough time passing them up at $4 to $6 a bag. But, I usually am successful in reminding myself that deep fried chips are a bad idea, whether it's a potato or a beet being deep fried.

One thing I did learned from the "free bin" of salad dressings and condiments. Even the worst salad dressing often makes a very good marinade. At $4 a bottle, I don't often buy regular marinades or salad dressings, I make my own. But when I get them free or well under a dollar, I'm far more willing to take the gamble.

[ddc]

That sounds like a cool store.
But I can tell, I would be buying alot of stuff just because it's a bargain.
Who doesn't love a good bargain??

[suetalks]

I also have found some good buys at Dollar Stores. We here in the mid-west don't have the 99cent Store. Believe me I love to find them when we go West. Big Lots and Aldi are prime candidates for good deals here also.
You just have to be careful like a previous poster said. You will find an item you love and never see it again. Such was the case with me and a tea I tried....loved it, got hooked, never to find it again.
I sent this blog link to my son...he is just starting to delve into cooking so I thought he might enjoy it. Thanks for the heads up.

[LindseyLouWho]

I *wish* we had an Aldi here. We had one in our town when we lived in the Netherlands, although we never really shopped there.

There's a store here that's supposedly heavily discounted called Sav-A-Lot (it's a chain I believe), but I've never been in there. I believe someone on here once said that they found a grasshopper in their frozen veggies once! Haha.

[ddc]

Ewwww. That reminds me of a guy that I worked with a few years ago said that he found a piece of a cut up snake in a can of pinto beans. Grossssssssssss.