One of the ways I stretch my dollars is by taking advantage of the fact that I work in a grocery store. Every single shift I look around for good deals and take advantage when I can. For instance, when my employer issued coupons for a free 24-pack of bottled water with a purchase a while back, I bought some groceries and squirreled away the water in our assigned area so I would have something to drink on my breaks–completely free.
One major way I save money is on milk. I wait until we mark down the ones that are nearing the expiration date to buy as much as possible. Since a gallon of milk costs $2.49 here that saves us quite a bit! I keep our refrigerator on the coldest setting so that the milk doesn’t spoil before we use it.
We do the same with eggs and other items. 
This is one reason why I am very thankful that my daughter and I work in grocery stores. We both do this routinely in order to save money. While I’ve not calculated exactly how much we save doing this, I’ve no doubt that we manage to pare down our expenses by a couple hour’s wage at the least. Over time that adds up.
Does your current situation allow you to save money on things you need and use? Please share your stories in the comments below.
I am a HUGE fan of markdown food. I’ve even thought of getting a part time job at a grocery store just so I could take advantage of it more thoroughly! My first stop is always at the markdown bin in the produce section – I also think it’s fun to cook with what I find on sale rather than buying specific foods for specific recipes etc.
My father takes this concept one step further and regularly shops at what we jokingly call “the used grocery store.” It’s a salvage store where they sell stuff that either has cosmetic damage or is at or beyond the sell by date. You can get some really good deals there, though most of the savings is on fancy stuff that I wouldn’t buy anyhow, and I am a bit of a fresh produce junkie, and they don’t carry that sort of thing. Plus, you really need to use what you get there quickly, which doesn’t really work with my system for canned food etc – which is to rotate my supply and shop to restock rather than shopping to use. But my dad loves it.