Save Some Bread on Your Bread

Since our last blogging series a few years ago, Aimee and I have found a simple and easy way to save money on loaf bread. At most grocery stores, a decent loaf of bread (Nature's Best, Sara Lee, etc.) will set you back at least $2.25. Sometimes you may find a special for under $2.00. Since we eat sandwiches everyday for lunch, our bread consumption is fairly constant and waiting to find a deal on a loaf of bread can leave us with the possibility of not having it available for lunch.

For several years now, we have been eating higher quality loaf bread while only spending $1.00 plus tax. The local Dollar Tree sells every item for $1.00 or less and includes bread. As bread in regular grocery stores nears its expiration date, the loaves are collected and distributed to discount stores (such as the Dollar Tree) and sold at a discounted price. The bread is delivered several times each week and each Dollar Tree has its own schedule as to when it receives the loaves. At our local store, we have found that it is delivered normally Friday evening or Saturday morning. We plan the trips on Saturday mornings in order to get the best selection on the loaves. The selection each week is not always the same, so we visit often to stock up on our favorite bread brands (mine is Nature's Own Honey Wheat).

One might ask, "Since the bread is near expiration, how can you stock up with several loaves without them going bad?" The answer is simple, freeze the loaves not currently in use. There is a common misnomer that you cannot eat bread after its expiration date, as if it would go bad a few days after the sell by date. While this may be the case with other store bought items, such as milk, this is not the case with bread. We have found that if you freeze the loaves of bread you are not currently using, you prolong the life of the bread. This allows you to eat bread that is still fine a month or two after the sell by date on the loaf.

At our house, we tend to eat about a loaf every two weeks. Assuming consumption of 26 loaves annually and an average savings of $1.25 per loaf, we are able to save about $32.50 each year on bread alone.

As always, if you have a savings idea that you would like to share, email it to PennyPinchingPaul@gmail.com.

Happy Saving!