Wait until you go to the grocery store this week,. I thought I'd faint.

[nobodyspecial]

15. Have you tried Aldi?

I think the quality has improved quite a bit in recent years, especially with produce. I've found if I wait until Tuesday, the last day of the sale, the produce on special gets marked down quite a bit. The other day I got strawberries for $1 a quart. I bought 6 and froze them. And last week, I got broccoli with two crowns to a package for 50 cents and I bought a bunch, made soup to freeze and blanched more for the freezer. This week, they have bags of apples for $2, and those store for a long time in the basement. Sure, I would like to eat more organic and farmer's markets will have to wait until summer. But, I'm just happy to have food.

I gave up meat long ago, so I don't even know what that costs. I don't buy what I want; I buy whatever is on special and extra if it's an excellent deal. I always scan the shelves and special areas for clearance items and buy mostly loss leaders.