Sometimes you find bargains in unexpected places. Or unexpected items at bargain stores.
I have long shopped at Marshall’s, Ross and Big Lots for clothing, linens and other household items. But those stores can also be good places to find fine foods at bargain prices. The selection varies, but it’s not unusual to find gourmet chocolates, fancy cookies, olive oil, coffee beans, tea and muffin mixes.
Marshall’s and Ross tend to have mostly specialty products, while Big Lots also has quite a few ordinary groceries such as canned fruits and vegetables, pasta and candy. A friend recently found a number of heavily discounted organic foods there.
Some of the packages can look a little worse for wear, but the food itself has not reached its sell-by date (though it always pays to check).
I don’t believe in giving people “cute” decorative items and other stuff they won’t use. I prefer to give edible, drinkable, usable gifts such as gourmet treats, wine and fancy toiletries — things people would enjoy but wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves.
Marshall’s, Ross and Big Lots are great sources for such items as well as for decorative baskets, boxes and bags in which to package your gifts.
If you aren’t in the market for gifts at the moment, consider buying yourself some discount coffee or chocolate. You deserve it.
Teresa Mears is the publisher of Miami FL on the Cheap, the real estate blogger for MSN Real Estate and a personal finance writer and editor in Miami.
Teresa Mears
Teresa Mears is a website publisher, writer, blogger and editor who was raised to be frugal. In her 35 years as a journalist, she has written for papers ranging in size from the weekly Portland (Tenn.) Leader to The Los Angeles Times. She was an editor for the Miami Herald for more than 17 years, overseeing coverage of home, real estate, family and other subjects. She has also been a contributor to The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News and other publications. When she’s not writing about Florida deals, she writes and edits for MSN Money and does the Listed blog for MSN Real Estate. Teresa owns and operates Miami On The Cheap, Florida On The Cheap, Fort Lauderdale On The Cheap, Palm Beach On The Cheap, Orlando On The Cheap, Florida Keys On the Cheap and Jacksonville On The Cheap, as well as Baltimore on the Cheap and Washington, D.C., on the Cheap.
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