In our house, bread really is the staple of life. We are huge carbohydrate freaks, even in a world where going low “carbs” is normal and expected. Of course, we try to eat mostly the good stuff, the most nutritionally dense, such as enriched pastas and whole grain breads. Perhaps it is my Italian heritage, but there is no way I could see a life without lots of bread.
Don’t cringe, but we probably have some sort of bread at most every meal. One of my favorite things to have is a slice of french or italian bread with a drizzle of olive oil. Both my husband and son take sandwiches for lunch most days, and I make homemade pizza one every week or two (which is, essentially, bread with stuff on it).
While bread is less expensive than many other things at the grocery store, it isn’t what I would call cheap. In response to the low “carb” movement, bread makers seem to have raised prices instead of lowering them. There are lots of new low ”carb” breads out there, which is nice, but they don’t lower my grocery bill.
Still, there are ways to save money on bread. Here are my best ways to be frugal with bread.
Make it yourself: so much of living frugally involves cooking from scratch. Bread is no exception. I usually make a loaf every other day. With my bread maker, making bread is easier than driving to the store to buy it. I simply pour in the ingredients and set the machine. I make all sorts of bread, from cinnamon raisin, to whole wheat to ricotta bread (with that added protein). I buy five-pound bags of unbleached bread flour on sale (99 cents) at the grocery store and bulk yeast at the warehouse store.
Day-old shelf: While in the grocery store, I always check the day-old shelves for bread. Usually it is stocked with commercial bread that will expire in the next day or two. I have never noticed a difference in this bread. I stock up on what we like and freeze the extras. Some of my normal bargains include extra-large loafs of whole wheat bread for 75 cents (as compared to $2.79 or more), packages of name brand english muffins for 20 cents and even boxes of powdered sugar donuts for 5 cents (I did restrain myself to one box for the family as a treat).
Bread outlet stores: Although I haven’t found a bread outlet store (also called a bread thrift store) near me, I have heard from several people who find this type of store a great way to save. When bread makers make too much bread, it ends up at their thrift or outlet store.
Do you love bread like I do? What are the bread prices near you?
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