I had a different post planned for you today, but because of…(insert long list of legitimate but lame-sounding excuses)…it didn’t happen.

So, instead, I thought I’d do a little post about a trip that the girls and I took to “the bread place,” as my boys so eloquently refer to Mrs. Baird’s Bakery Outlet.

bread outlet

We eat our fair share of sandwiches around here (so much so that Ezra almost starts tearing up when I talk about putting a turkey sandwich in his lunch on the days he goes to school). In fact, my trooper of a husband has eaten a sandwich for lunch for practically the last month straight (and then the month before that, and the month before that, and the…you get the idea).

Also, Della’s latest obsession is “beegulds.” She’s especially wild about the blueberry and cinnamon raisin variety (because if she had anything to do with it, carbs + sugar would be her only two food groups).

bread plus della

And although we don’t go very often (as in, I hadn’t been since the twins were born), when we do, we go big.

As in, this big:

bread everywhere

Pardon the horrible-mcawful blurry picture. I was holding Evy while I took it, and she thought it was really fun to grab Mama’s cell phone while she tried to hold it still. That was the best of three attempts, believe it or not.

I did a quick tally (which I didn’t bother to double-check), and I think I ended up with 27 large items (bagels, bread, chips) plus two snack cake/donuts that were free with a certain quantity of purchase, and a bag of pretzels, which was a total impulse buy.

And the total? (drum roll, please): Just under $43.

So, that brings the total for each item, without regard for its normal store price to: $1.59.

And considering that fact that I’ve been paying $2.97 a pop to support Della’s bagel habit, I’m going to say that’s a vast improvement.

Could I improve it considerably more by making my own bread? (homemade bagels are never going to happen)

Yes.

Is it likely to actually happen?

No.

And I, for one, think one bagel in Della’s hand is better than two in the bush…or something like that.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering what the deal is with bakery outlets—they’re basically a one-stop shop for all things carbs that have been on the conventional store shelf for as long as they can but still have enough shelf-life left to be edible. That may not sound like a very appetizing description, but, with the exception of cheap hambuger/hotdog buns and some breads that get tough/crumbly fast, I’ve found that most of the items (especially the bagels and English muffins) freeze and thaw really well. We have a deep-freeze, which is where the great carb-haul of 2013 is being stored, and it’s really nice to be able to grab a loaf from the mudroom when I notice we’re out, instead of running into Walmart on the way home from the gym with 5 kids in tow just for bread.

If you’re not sure whether there’s a bakery outlet near you, ask around on Facebook or Google it for your area. It’s not fancy, but it’s one way we keep the grocery bill a tad lower for our big-ish family.

So, what about you? Have you ever been to a bakery outlet?

Would you go if you had one close by?

What other money-saving, grocery-shopping tricks do you have up your clever sleeves?

0 Comments

  1. Where did Mrs. Baird’s Thrift Store on 61st Street in Tulsa,/ Broken Arrow relocate to?
    The 61st street location is closed without a hint of where they moved to ?

  2. We have a Mrs. Bairds bread outlet in our town and growing up we fondly referred to it as the “Used Bread Store” – despite the disgusting self-imposed title we put on the place, the majority of the carbs I grew up eating came from there!

  3. This post inspired me to visit the Mrs bairds in Broken Arrow, Ok, quite a ways from where I live but I happen to be down that way. So happy to get bread for. 85¢ a loaf! Thanks!!

  4. I used to work in a bakery in a major store. Packaged bread only stays on the floor for six days. Ok technically but we actually pulled a whole day before it expired. It kind of made me sad, seemed like a huge waste. Sure it went to a homeless shelter but it was so much you had to wonder. How much did they need??!!

  5. Yes and we love it! It’s literally in walking distance from our house, just outside our development although we don’t stock up quite as much as you do. That’s probably because there’s just two of us so we can stop anytime we need to.

  6. It`s amazing what can spark a memory…..we had one close to where we used to live and my sweet daddy would love going there. But what always cracked me up was that he called it “The used bread store”. Lots of affordable goodies there and we always hauled lots of them home!
    I love your blog….keep it up!

  7. I want you to give bagel making a try. It is much easier than you think, although they might not come out as pretty as the ones in the store they will still taste great. A busy lady who makes meals ahead like yourself would conquer bagel making easily. Besides the kids could help and it would make for a fun post!
    Bliss

  8. we have used the bakery outlets for our own table as well as making sure we could have bread and some cookies or other desserts for our homeless feeding ministry. everyone was always quite happy with them. we also thought the varities of bread gave us the best toast and bread pudding.

  9. I love the bakery outlets too. Here in AZ the dollar stores (dollar tree, 99cent only store) also carry day old bread. I have to explain about my 5 sandwhich eating kids each time I check out with 40+ items;)

  10. I love the bakery outlets too. Here in AZ the dollar stores (dollar tree, 99cent only store) also carry day old bread. I have to explain about my 5 sandwhich eating kids each time I check out with 40+ items;)

  11. We have more than one and I love it. It’s only a dollar and I stock up when I go. I love being able to freeze it and pull out a new loaf when I use the last piece.

  12. I love our bread outlet! My cart usually looks like yours when I go since we are a big sandwich eating family. My bottom two shelves in my freezer are dedicated to bread. Yummo!

  13. I shopped the “day old bread store” when my children were small and continued until we moved and our new town didn’t have one! If you have one in your town, run, don’t walk, for the bargains are wonderful!! Most breads freeze well and the snack cakes are a fabulous bargain!

  14. I totally go to the outlets. We had a Sara Lee one I went to all the time and then it closed down. There is an Entemenns but it’s a bit farther away and I haven’t been there in a long time. I do like the outlets, they are cheaper and you can freeze as you said, bagels and english muffins.

  15. That’s a huge haul!! Way to go! I really wish we had one of those close….my kids eat sandwiches like they are going out of style 🙂 I’ve been before and love it. I can’t take hubby with me though, he goes crazy for the fried pies 🙂

    1. I laughed when I read your comment. My husband discovered a bakery outlet like this near our home when we first moved here, and he bough TEN of those pies!! Ten!

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