Salvage Food Stores

With prices at the gas station and the grocery store soaring, how are people making ends meet? Unless you can walk or bike to work and eat beans and rice for every meal, you are probably feeling the pinch. But I have a solution for you! Even if you have plenty of cash, salvage grocery stores might spark your interest.

They go by many different names--ours is called Sunflower Discount Market-- but salvage grocery stores sell food (and plenty of other stuff!) that has not or cannot be sold in regular stores. This might be food past the "best by" dates on the packaging, cans that are dented, boxes that have been crushed, or overstocks. There is a quick way to discover your local salvage food possibilities: www.buysalvagefood.com. This website will lead you to the closest discount grocery options in your neighborhood. (All the product photos included in this blog were purchased at my salvage store!)

My local salvage grocery store carries tons of gourmet items, organic produce, fancy snacks, keto bars and granola, high quality chocolate, protein powder, supplements, shampoos and lotions, make-up, dog food, wine and beer, almost everything you find at your regular store. Prices vary widely and have recently been rising, along with prices everywhere else. But you can still find many items for approximately half of what you usually pay. For example, organic free-range eggs were $3.49 this week. Medium-sized regular eggs were $1 per dozen before inflation hit; they are now $2.09 per dozen.

When stuff sits on the shelves or in the coolers and doesn't sell, prices at my salvage store drop to ridiculous levels. I have been buying Nutpods Almond and Coconut Coffee Creamer for 25 cents. This is not a product I would normally use, but who can argue with this price! I plan to throw a couple of these creamers in the freezer and have plenty for months to come. 

In these crazy times, you never know how high grocery prices might climb. It doesn't hurt to hedge your bets and stock up on staples when you find a good deal. Canned goods last for years, as do dried beans, grains, and many other staples. Frozen foods are good for many months. I have even frozen quarts of half and half, then used them in my coffee. Milk can also be frozen.

If you are concerned about the "best by" dates, do some research! Most products last well beyond these somewhat arbitrary dates, sometimes as long as months or even years. 

Salvage food stores not only save customers loads of cash, they also save the Earth! By avoiding throwing away perfectly good food, we can keep this usable waste out of landfills. So celebrate Earth Day this year by investigating salvage food stores near you!!