Released: June 22, 2008

Gourmet eating for less

Source: Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times (Free Registration)

Marketing consultant Shauna Dawson likes good food and good deals, and that has turned her into a bold shopper.

The 34-year-old Carthay Circle resident will troll a Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, checking to see whether the “sell by” date on a product is that very day. It’s almost like food bingo. When Dawson finds something she wants, she asks a clerk for 50% off. “I bought a package of fresh cream puffs this way—just the other day,” she said.

It can be tough these days to be a gourmet. With food prices rising at the fastest pace in 18 years, Dawson and other shoppers must look harder and shop smarter to get the special items they want. But they say they’ve figured out ways they can still afford some of those premium goodies such as a double-cream brie, perhaps a juicy rib-eye steak or even a small bottle of truffle oil.

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