Save money on groceries by getting food items at auction

It was bananas and potatoes this week. That’s the surprise buy-of-the-week my husband brought home from the auction on Thursday night. The potatoes are great, but it just so happens that I already had a loaf of freshly baked banana bread on the countertop — I didn’t quite know how much more the kids would eat. What in the world will I do with a fully packed banana box?

For those who frequent auctions on a regular basis, there will be terrific bargains in food items now and then. This is especially true for dry goods.

At wholesale auctions, it’s common to see bulk food items like what you might find at wholesale club stores. Oftentimes you’ll see lots come up for bid where there are a few items with slightly damaged packaging, but most packages will be fine. It seems that if a pallet is damaged in transport, the entire load goes out for auction. We get great goodies for the kids this way – things like granola bars, fruit snacks, and crackers.

Sometimes food items come through the auction that are approaching their sell-by date, but these items are fine for consumption now. We see a variety of Hostess pastry and bread products come through like that.

Occasionally, there will be food products identified at the auction as “animal feed”. These are packages that have reached their sell-by date. Pig farmers will often buy these lots, although I suspect that some bidders buy for themselves anyway.

In addition to dry goods offered at wholesale auctions, food items from local farmers are sometimes brought in, mostly at livestock auctions (Thursday evenings at 7 pm at Danny’s Auction Barn). What you'll find changes with the season, from tomatoes, to eggplants and squashes, apples, pears and more.

Also, did you know...

When buying animals at a livestock auction, rabbits, pigs, turkeys and chickens are often sold. You’ll pay tax on the purchase if you are buying the animal to raise or keep as a pet. If it is to be eaten it as a food item, you won’t pay a sales tax.

(Regarding the tax issue, there was an interesting news story out recently about pumpkins sold in Iowa during Halloween time. The issue concerned pumpkins sold for decorating which were taxed vs. those sold for pies, which were not. Read about it here.)

Surprisingly, a few food items show up unexpectedly at other auctions. Last Saturday, while at a “general merchandise” auction (in other words, a lot of good used stuff) also at Danny’s Auction Barn, a lot came up for bid that included a mix of items you might expect to find under someone’s kitchen sink and bathroom – an assortment of common household cleaners and such and numerous packages of pretty pink bath soaps. Then, there was also an assortment of unopened food cans that must have come out of a pantry – all well within code (the sell-by date stamped on the side of the can).

The dealer who brought that lot cleans out estates. Other items he put up for auction included a Lazy Boy recliner that brought $60 after a round of fierce bidding, and a giant box of yarn!

The cans of food probably came from the home of some sweet old lady. I realize that canned food within code is safe; I’m just a little hesitant to take home certain food products that I have absolutely no clue of where it’s been. Someone else bid on and won that lot... Lucky for them, I did not offer any competition.