You know things are bad when career government employees start bragging about frugality. In a report filed by the Associated Press, Cherish Francik, a long-term employee of the Social Security Administration talks about her new found frugality:

“Most of my life, I’ve been a brand-name shopper. It was a quick change for me, a real quick change,” said Francik, whose haul from the Williams auction included trail mix, honey-barbecue chicken nuggets and a spiral-cut ham. “I guess it’s sort of a thrill now to find something that tastes good and is the right price.”

It’s highly unlikely that this newly inspired frugality will reach into the higher echelons of Government any time soon, which means grocery auctions will become more popular. If you’ve never been to an auction before, check out this article on auctions in general.

As with any auction, visual inspection is imperative. The food at grocery auctions bears close scrutiny. That’s because most of it is damaged in some manner or has reached its expiration date. There are good deals to be had, for sure, but you could easily over pay for inedible food.

How to find a grocery auction:

If you live in a rural community, locate a grocery auction the old-fashioned way: call up you local auctioneer. If they don’t handle grocery auctions ask them to consider doing so. Ask if they know of another auctioneer in the area than holds food auctions.

Below are some resources for locating grocery auctions.

• Colonel Kirk’s Auction Gallery
• Michigan Auction Sales
• Wishing Rock Auctions
• Schleeter’s Auction Ltd.
• Schiestle’s Auction
• Highway 99 Auction Company
• Colonel Steve Sitar and Company
• GSG Auction Services
• Missouri Produce Auctions (University of Missouri Extension site)
• Captina Produce Auction
• Pirrung Auctioneers, Inc.
• Plowboy Produce Auctions

What can you expect to find at a food auction? Here are some things that are common at grocery and produce auctions:

• Name brand hot dogs and lunch meats
• Pre-packaged convenience food like granola bars and Lunchables
• Cases of produce, some with moderate damage
• Bulk paper products like toilet paper and baby wipes
• Cases of cereal, hot and cold
• Snacks
• Pet food
• Pizza

If you know of a grocery or food auction near you, please share it here. If you are an auction house that handles grocery auctions, please contact The Scarecrow Chronicles via the contact form.

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Everyone is talking about tightening their belts. Across the Nation, families are squeezing all the buying power they can out of their limited budgets. Grocery stores report a huge uptick in the sale of generic and store brands. This includes pet food. If the humans are cutting back,  Fido and Fluffy have to sacrifice also.

The problem is that many respected veterinarians claim commercial dog food is unhealthy for pets, especially the cheap stuff. Poor nutrition can cause a myriad of health problems in household pets, necessitating expensive trips to the veterinarian for gastro-intestinal problems, scraggly fur, glaucoma and even death. Instead of spending your hard-earned money on poor quality pet food, make your own. Your pet and your budget will be a whole lot healthier.

Dog Food Recipe

All dogs, no matter what size, need 40% meat, 30% vegetables and 30% starch. The meat should be cooked. The best meats for dog food are organ meats—tongue, heart, liver and kidney. these meats should be finely chopped or ran through a food processor. Avoid processed meats like hot dogs and sausage.

Add well-cooked vegetables like green beans and carrots to the meat mixture. My dog, Miss Emma Barker, is particularly fond of green beans. Add a bit of cooked garlic, not raw garlic. Raw garlic can make dogs ill, but a little cooked garlic is good for their digestive system. Leave the onions out. Onions aren’t recommended for consumption by dogs, and too many can actually kill them.

Add your starch to the meat and vegetables. Things like brown rice, over-cooked pasta, potatoes or oatmeal. Again, Miss Emma Barker prefers oatmeal. That’s fine by us; we buy oatmeal in bulk. It’s only a few pennies a pound.

You can add some sea salt if you like, but go easy.

Store your homemade dog food in the fridge for as long as you would store leftovers for yourself.

Cat Food Recipe

Cats need 50% meat and 50% starch. Ideal meats for cats are fresh liver (beef, chicken or otherwise), turkey, fish and chicken.  My cat, Catzilla, can’t resist beef liver. Make sure the meat is chopped or ground fine for very young or very old cats.

To the meat mixture, add well-cooked oatmeal or rice. If you like, you can throw in a handful of cooked vegetables and a hint of cooked garlic. Some folks insist that a little brewer’s yeast in the mix keeps their coat shiny.

When you make your pet’s food yourself, you’re not only saving money; you’re improving their nutrition and overall health. You also don’t have to worry about tainted pet food from foreign countries. If you won’t eat food from China, why should your pet? After all, pets are people, too!

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