Five best bargains at the Friday Store

Since the Friday Store's inventory is always changing, the most entertaining — and also most efficient — way to shop there is to just go with whatever bargains are best that day, then plan your meals around those items, checking off the rest of the ingredients on your grocery list at another supermarket.

But certain items are almost always in stock, and always sold at an extreme discount over what they would cost at a grocery store. Here are the five best buys you can count on finding.

Full story: "In a weak economy, the Friday Store specializes in surplus groceries."

5. Day-old bread: And it's not just the plain white stuff. Whole wheat, multi-grain and several other varieties are typically available for $1.50 a loaf, and they're almost indistinguishable from the bread you'd buy at a regular grocery store. Except they're a day older.

4. Organic herbs and seasonings: Bags of thyme, parsley and other herbs that would normally sell for around $5 go for $1.50 at the Friday Store.

3. Whatever is in the freezer: The Palumbos have stumbled across supplies of everything from crab legs to ham. It's all high-quality meat at wholesale prices that will stay good in your freezer for months.

2. Jewelry: It's not food, so it will never go bad. And there are many unique bracelets, earrings and rings on hand, usually from estate sales.

1. Gourmet cheese: Feta, sharp cheddar, Gouda and more — the Friday Store has new cheeses each week, and many of them sell for a fraction of what they'd sell for at a supermarket or cheese shop. Count on paying just $4 a pound for what would run $20 at a grocery store.