"How to shop in a recessed economy..."

Hawaii has some of the most outrageous grocery prices in the country. One loaf of white bread can run five dollars or more, a half gallon of ice cream can run $9.00 and imagine paying $7.50 for a small package of 8 Oscar Meyer wieners.

Here's what I do, I visit at least one local grocery store everyday and search for red tag items, items that are almost ready to expire.

I have bought, cream cheese for fifty cents, yogurts for fifteen cents, Kosher Hebrew national hot dogs package of 8 for one dollar, pies, breads, Pillsbury biscuits, bricks of cheese, salad dressings, salsa, almost any item you can think of from fresh baked goods to national canned products. I have bought almost everything at one time or another for one dollar or less.

Plan your meals around around red tag prices, freeze foods when you see them on sale and save for a later time. I can walk out of the local grocery with three bags of groceries for under ten dollars, the savings is tenfold if not more. The savings are remarkable and I always feel proud of getting such great deals. It's a game for me, I will by items I have never tasted if they are red tagged and have found many new likes and dislikes. Call it a game, call it a sickness or just call it survival in a recessed economy.

Gasoline, that's another story with gas prices in Hawaii at close to $4.00 a gallon I ride a bike...