Mark Downs are Your Friend!

 Hello again yall!

So as stated in my last post I went to our local Kroger store early, early this morning.  Guys I kid you not it was weird looking.  The produce section was slim stocked, as was the meat section.  I did get what I went for though.  Well at least for the most part.  I didn't find the pork loin on sale, but did find a diamond in the rough; 2 Pork Butts, one small, one large for .30 a lb.!  That is not a typo!  That is a mark down!

Mark downs happen when an item gets close to it's "Sell By" date and the manager needs to move it.  They won't sell these after that date.  By law they can't, but you can get some great buys watching for these.  They are completely safe.  The only thing you need to pay heed to is that it needs to be cooked or frozen that day.  

"Sell By" dates are the date the store has to sell the item by, not necessarily the expiration date.  

In the case of these two pork butts, I came home, trimmed off any extra fat, ( pork butts tend to be a bit fatty), and set them in the roasting pan in my oven at 275 degrees.  There they sat roasting for about 5 hours.  When they were done they were falling off the bone so to speak.  Perfect for pulled pork.  I'm currently canning them up; getting 7 pints total and a little extra for hubby's lunch tomorrow.  The trimmed fat was put into the oven in a separate pan, with a lid, to cook down into what will be lard.  Nothing goes to waste.  The broth will be used to cook up our dogs rice.  Yes, we have converted our dogs over to chicken and rice or some other type meat and rice.  Yea.  They're happy dogs.  

Other items you can find marked down:

            Milk- is good for drinking a week past it's sell by date.  After that it's fine for baking.  Use as you would buttermilk.  Milk can be frozen.  Just pour off a little into a jar (about a cup from a gallon) and it will be fine.  Half Gallon jugs don't need to be "poured off".  Those can be frozen "as is".  That frozen milk will be fine for drinking for a week after it's thawed. 

            Yogurt- is good for 3 months past it's sell by date!  Yogurt, sour cream or cottage cheese can be stored unopened and upside down in the fridge.  Yogurt can be frozen.  Sour cream and cottage cheese technically can be frozen, but it can affect the texture. 

            Produce-  My usual finds here are Bananas which are great sliced and frozen with a little bit of chocolate syrup on them!  Great summer treat.  Then there's the smoothies they can make.  I've also found peppers which can simply be chopped and frozen.  Apples which in many cases are still good crisp and perfect for eating.  I've used them as well for applesauce etc.  I've seen onions and potatoes which can be frozen.  

            Breads- Bagels, hamburger buns, goodies, etc.  Now I've found better sale prices on the actual bread isle, but you can make some decent finds at the "Oops we over baked" rack.  Any bread item you find can be frozen until needed.  

            Meat-  This is what really needs to be used or frozen that day.  Never been a problem if I can get a good enough price.  There have been times where I look at the sell price and go"  Eh.  No".   Then there are other times where I find that diamond in the rough that is a great prize.  Fix it when you get home or freeze it if you don't have time.  It's all good here and the meat will be fine as long as you do one of those two things at least.  I'm canning the pork today, but you can cook it, let it cool and freeze in containers or freezer bags.   You can also cook it and just keep it in your fridge.  It'll be good as long as any other left over would be once it's cooked.

        Dry Goods-They're fine for way longer past their expiration date.  Doubt you'll find any way past the expiration date in a store.  They can't sell past it.  Should you ever be given something that's expired, inside 6 months should be fine.  Canned goods longer than that.