I went on a field trip with
my sister the other day. We headed to Dallas Center, Iowa. Our mission was to stop at an Amish bulk store and a discount store my sister had heard about.
Our first stop was to a discount store. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Here is some information I took from their website.
The prices are lower because Centsable sells products that have been mishandled, or didn't make it to the big-name store for some other reason. Chain stores might not sell an entire palette of canned goods if one can gets dented. Instead, they sell them for pennies on the dollar to us, and the savings are passed on to our customers.
I didn't find a whole lot of dented or damaged goods. Mostly what we found were expired items. The main thing while browsing the aisles was to check the expiration dates. We found a bottle of lime preserves that expired in 2009! For a small store they had a very mixed bag of products. Along with food, there were seasonal items like Easter candy, medications, shampoo, sunscreen and charcoal to name a few.
You also had to really check the prices. For example they had 2lb boxes of Velveeta cheese for $5.49. In my area that is the same price you would pay at the grocery store. Stove Top Stuffing was priced at $.99. You can get that for about that price at the store, sometimes cheaper if using a coupon. Coffee was another item I found that wasn't marked down very much. Dunkin Donut Coffee was marked $5.49 only about $2 cheaper than store bought and usually you can find a coupon for this brand as well.
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| Can you say junk food?? |
With all that being said I did pick up a few items.
Marshmallows were $.50. They were expired and I could feel they weren't very soft but since I use them in baking I went ahead and bought them. I also picked up Sea Salt for $.99. Not a huge bargain but about half of what I would pay at my local store. Tubes of frosting for cakes were marked at $.49, the chips we got are for special occasions and ranged anywhere from $.49-$.99. I also got quite a few candy items for $.35. These come in handy for ball games when my kiddos want to get a snack and I would normally give them $1 to do so.
My overall opinion was so-so. If I were to be driving by I would probably stop and check it out again since their products change all the time. I definitely won't be making any special trips to go back. Like I said, the prices weren't very exciting and there was just way too much expired food. I know food is usually good past their date on the package but some of these were months, if not years past expiration.
I will write about our second visit to the Amish bulk store in another post. I was happier with that visit.
How about you? Have you ever shopped at a discount store advertising "damaged" or "dented" items before?
For the last few months we have been serious about tracking every dollar we spend. I keep a notebook attached to the refrigerator where I write down what we spend each day. I also have a clip on the fridge so that my husband and I can attach receipts. I go through every couple days and write out all the receipts by date onto the notebook. The key is to make sure you get a receipt for everything you purchase or at least write it down as soon as you can so that you don't forget what you spent.
I was very happy with the way they turned out. The cubes thaw nicely, and once stirred, they return to their normal consistency (this was All Natural Chobani Greek yogurt that I used, not sure how other yogurts will thaw). The cubes also work great for my smoothies. I just pop a couple into the blender, add my fruit and/or veggies and push the button. So easy! 
Here is the other side of the garden. Green beans, bell peppers and tomatoes. Next to the peas at the top are cantaloupe. 
