Bread

My family loves bread. We eat wheat bread or other multi-grain loaves. The kids have really never eaten anything else and I am not sure what they would think if I brought home a loaf of wonder white.

We go through a lot of bread here. Toast with cinnamon and sugar is breakfast classic. PB&J is the lunch of choice. Followed closely by grilled cheese. Tim packs mostly sandwiches for lunch. Bread and butter is a favorite side for many dinners. Don't forget snacks. Bread with blackberry jam is one of my personal favorites.

I know a lot of frugal people who advocate homemade bread as a money saver. Homemade bread is the best. We will go through a loaf of homemade bread a day. I have a bread machine, so the time aspect really isn't a factor. Homemade bread is cheaper than grocery store bought, but is it cheaper than the bread thrift store? I don't think it could be.

Most towns of any size have a large bakery with a thrift or outlet store. Here, they sell their excess bread and baked goods at considerable markdowns compared to retail. The store I frequent carries the Sara Lee brand. I have a loaf sitting on the counter now. It is a Honey Wheat 20 oz loaf. The retail price marked on it is $1.99. The normal price at the thrift store is $0.94. Good deal right? It gets better.

They recently started a managers special day on Wednesday. I am not on that side of town then, but Tim is and was willing to make the stop for me. The special was four loaves for a dollar. So we paid $0.25 for that $1.99 loaf a bread. I doubt you can make it for a quarter. He got enough to fill our freezer and also got some bagels, and other baked goods with similar discounts.

If you haven't visited your local bakery thrift store, I encourage you to do so. Make it a once a month trip and stock up. You can't beat the price.