Look at the loot!

Here is the result of a trip to the salvage store. Note the mode of transit in the background: the hybrid bicycle next to the trailer. Total cost of this haul: under $40!

You may think that this look like a lot of junk food; and I\’d have to agree. When I go to that store, I stock up on less-than-wholesome stuff like cereal bars. I take such things along for on-bike food when I go on long rides; and I also take them to work for snacks.

The cereal bars from the salvage store aren\’t always the freshest; but I don\’t care if they\’re a little stale. They still taste pretty good, which to me is worth the savings. I guess I\’m sort of like Wyle E. Coyote: \”eatibus anythingus\”.

The salvage store doesn\’t always have a wide variety of fresh produce; but today I got a box of mixed greens from the refrigerator case. I\’ll try them; and if I like them I\’ll buy them more often in the future. They ought to make a good salad base, with brown rice and tuna on top.

See the jar trying to hide behind the end of the bread bag? That\’s a very rare find for the discount grocery: Zatarain\’s Jumbo Queen Olives. I love those olives, and am happy to have them among today\’s loot

Stocking Up

Stocking up when you can makes a lot of sense. You never know when you\’ll run out of something, and discover that the store is out of it, too!

Sometimes I\’ll buy things at the salvage store that I don\’t need right away; but that I\’ll want later. The merchandise at that store is unpredictable; and so, of course, is my loot. For instance, when I first began going there, the store didn\’t have dill pickle chips. Now I\’m liable to buy them whenever I see them, in case the store doesn\’t have any when I\’ve run out of them. As a result, I have two jars of the pickles in reserve, in addition to the jar that\’s already in the fridge.

I could go on and on. I\’ll say this, though. If you have access to such a store, it\’s worth investigating it; especially if your budget is tight. You can get quite a lot of loot for less than you\’d have to spend at a regular supermarket. I think I\’d continue to shop at the salvage store even if I won the lottery!