Hidden Values at the Grocery Store

I don't know about you, but I love baking. The problem is that things like chocolate chips can get pricey if you want the real thing. Sure you can buy those "chocolate flavored" chips, but they're not fooling anyone. Recently I saw this really cool kit in the bakery aisle for fudge. The Carnation Famous Fudge Kit was on sale for $1.50 and I thought it sounded interesting so I bought it. Call me surprised when I got home and found that the box included a full size bag of Nestle chocolate chips which I could have pulled off the shelf for $3, a can of Carnation evaporated milk, and a few other ingredients.

I actually went back to the grocery store and bought a few more of these kits so I would have chips for my baking. I don't use evaporated milk often, but I added the cans to my pantry and will donate them next time there's a can drive. Instead of paying $3 or more for the chips, I spent less and got more. For those who are wondering, I did actually make a batch of the fudge and everyone that tasted it thought it was great.

This experience made me wonder when else can something as silly as a fudge kit end up saving you money. How many other times have we spent more for less just because we didn't look closely or dismissed something easily. If you are preparing for a picnic or bbq, look for packages that offer all your condiments instead of buying ketchup and mustard separately. It won't always save you money but it often can.

Have you seen any of these surprise deals? Leave a comment and share your finds with your fellow Making Cents of It readers.