My Great Scratch and Dent Store Visits and Other Important Things I Did Today

Today I finished my 14 day quarantine after coming back from Austria, and was able to leave the house for the first time. I finally was able to take care of my tooth which was causing me problems, but there was talk about our public transportation system being canceled, and all unnecessary stores shut down, which made me really stressed out, because how would I get to the dentist without buses, and how would I do my important grocery shopping, things that I couldn't get delivered to my house and my local stores don't sell.

So I decided to rent a car from a local person so I could be assured that I'd be able to go to the dentist, and while I had the car, I would do some more important grocery shopping. However, since I don't regularly have a car, when I do have one, I like to take advantage of it and use it to its fullest extent. That means that I wasn't just going to go to the grocery store and the dentist, but I'd be going to the scratch and dent stores as well.

In the two scratch and dent stores I visited today, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.


In the first store, I got canned peas and canned peas and carrots, being sold at 70 cents a can ($1.85 per can or more is how much it typically goes for) if you buy it in multiples of four, and I figured it was something good to have on hand, an easy protein that is shelf stable and doesn't need any preparation to eat, so I got 8.

They also had TVP, in three different ways. One is mince meat type, one in strips, and one in cutlets. This wasn't as cheap as the last time I got TVP, it was $1.90 per package instead of 95 cents, but still a good price, especially for a shelf stable easy to prepare protein. So I bought three packages.

They also had these mint filled chocolates for $1.42 each when they're usually twice the price or more, and they're some of my favorite treats.

Then I went to another store and was even more astounded at what I found there.

My kids like soy sauce on things. I cook a lot with soy sauce, but my kids also often like to add soy sauce to their own plates of food, and they've been using my gluten free and more expensive soy sauce because that's what I have in the house. I found Kikkoman brand soy sauce, both regular and low sodium versions, at this scratch and dent store for $1.42 each. They had both smaller bottles (I think 10 oz) and 15 oz bottles for this price, so I made sure to get the larger bottles. I never buy Kikkoman stuff, even though its better and not filled with the garbage so many other brands contain, because it typically goes for at least $5.75 for the smaller bottles, usually more. So this price was so amazing that I bought all the bottles they had at this size. I won't be using this in my own cooking, but just for the kids to add to their own dishes, or if I make a gluten Asian dish for the kids.

I also found a large bottle of toasted sesame oil for $1.42! These large bottles generally cost $4.20 or so locally, but I've found them at the scratch and dent store for $1.90 and stocked up then (I use it a lot since it adds so much awesome flavor to Asian dishes), but this one bottle for $1.42 is the lowest I've ever seen.

But the next item I found knocked my socks off. I don't know how much molasses costs in the US, but here it is ridiculously expensive. One bottle usually costs about $12, when you can even find it! So finding a bottle of molasses also for $1.42 was awesome, I don't think in my life I've ever seen it that cheap, or expected to find it.

Last but not least, I bought more sprinkles. These were 95 cents a package, each package has four colors, oh, and the best news- no artificial colorings or flavorings. I bought 6 packages.

I also did some other shopping, but that wasn't particularly notable to write about. But I did pay a visit to one friend who was decluttering and gave me a bunch of board games, specifically Abalone. Betrayal at Baldur's Gate, Rush Hour, Ruckus, and Love Letters. With us all being stuck at home, having board games is only going to be even more important.

And lastly, I picked up some necessary tools to finish some more household projects, which I'll share when they're finished.

And just in time.

Because full lock down has just been announced. Other than grocery shopping and medical treatment/procurement, we're not allowed to leave more than 100 meters from our house. I'm so glad I got all this stuff done, and we now are well equipped to deal with the next little while. Or at least as well as we can be.

Have you gotten any great deals lately? How much does molasses and Kikkoman soy sauce cost where you live? Are you under lock down or may be soon? What preparations have you made for that, if at all?