There are several references in the Bible regarding the phrase "man shall not live by bread alone."
That said, your budget will enjoy a trip to a thrift store such as the Orowheat Bakery Outlet in Kennewick, Wash.
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On Tax Day, I purchased:
-- Two loaves of Francisco French bread at $1.39 each (Regular retail is $3.69.) And these were on a "buy two, get one free" shelf so I got a third loaf free. Full price: $11.07. My cost? $2.78.
-- A pair of six-pack Orowheat sourdough English muffins at $1.39 each (Regular retail is $3.49.) Again, I nabbed these from a "buy two, get one free" shelf, so I got a third package free. Full price: $10.47. My cost? $2.78.
Three loaves of Orowheat Whole Grain & Flax bread at $1.19 each. (Regular retail is $4.29.) Full price: $12.87. My cost? $3.57. A pound of Tully's Espresso Roast ground coffee at $5.49. (Retail $8.99).
My total was $14.62. Full retail would have been $43.40, so I saved $28.78 and my Fred Meyer tote bag was overflowing. And if you spend $8 during one trip, you are allowed to choose a free item from the tall rack near the exit. So I choose to a loaf of Jewish rye, which will liven up a sandwich.
The clerk stamped my punch card up to the $14 amount, which leaves me just $6 shy of a free marked-down Entenmann's pastry item.
My wife and I don't go through more than one loaf in a couple of weeks, so the rest end up in one of our freezers.
True, we sacrifice much of that marvelous fresh texture, but I'm mostly interested in bread for what's between the slices of a sandwich or as a toasted palette for Traci's homemade currant jam or wine critic Andy Perdue's estate Sangiovese jelly.
And those three loaves of French bread will end up dipped in batter for my oft-requested French toast, which I parlay into big savings. That's because my standing offer to make breakfast for friends routinely gets me free lodging.
