Savvy shopper scores $170 worth of meat for just $25 at Coles by heading to the supermarket at a specific time – but some aren’t on board with the deal
- A Queensland mum impressed hundreds with her bargain meat and grocery haul
- The thrifty Coles shopper nabbed $169.94 worth of food for only $25.20
- She scored a range of chicken buys including wings, legs, necks and whole birds
- The bargain hunter shared her haul to Facebook but not all were impressed
- Many warned against freezing discounted chicken so close to its use-by date
- Others claimed it is fine providing the meat is frozen or cooked immediately
A thrifty Australian mum has impressed hundreds with her bargain grocery haul that saved her more than $140 – but some have warned against stocking up on discounted meat.
The shopper from Coomera in Queensland managed to score $170 of chicken as well as a some dairy and deli items for just $25 when she nipped into Coles at 7pm on the way home from work for what was supposed to be a ‘quick stop’.
‘One happy house wife. Worth $169.94. Paid $25.20. My fam will start to grow feathers,’ she wrote in a post to Facebook group Markdown Addicts Australia with a photo of her budget shop.
A savvy shopper managed to pick up $170 worth of heavily discounted chicken and groceries for just over $25 however many warned against stockpiling meat close to its use-by date
The bargain hunter bought 21 packets of chicken and turkey including whole birds, wings, negs, legs and mince as well as an iced coffee, yoghurt and hummus at just a fraction of the price.
Her post drew in hundreds of comments and prompted a debate among shoppers who cautioned against keeping meat close to its use-by date for too long even when it’s been frozen.
‘Great pick up especially with the cost of meat! But my anxiety would never let me eat it – discounted meat especially chicken is a no go,’ one mum warned.
‘Looks like they’ve been reduced twice, you might want to give it a quick sniff,’ another recommended while a third wrote: ‘I use the rule if it smells and is slimy THROW IT OUT. This applies to stuff in date by days or a day or 2 left and purchased on clearance.’.
‘If you want to eat something that could make you very sick and call it a bargain well I suppose as long as your happy, I truly hope you don’t get serious food poisoning,’ a fifth quipped.
‘Do some of y’all really think when the clock strikes midnight chicken is instantly riddled in salmonella? Like you know that’s not how bacteria works right…’ argued another.
Others suggested opening, repackaging and even rinsing the discounted meat before freezing to check whether it’s safe to eat.
‘Clearance meat (not just chicken) is always opened, sniff, slimy test done, repackaged and frozen,’ one shopper said.
‘I remove from original packaging wash the juice, then portion them in freezer bags and freeze. Once I have got poisoned from was already marinated and cooked without washing,’ a second explained.
Food safety experts however have said not to wash raw chicken as it can spread harmful bacteria around the kitchen.
According to the Queensland government initiative Healthier, washing chicken is not recommended as droplets of bacteria can splash around the kitchen and contaminate surfaces, equipment and other food causing illnesses like Salmonella.
Many of Coles chicken packages advised customers to store at or below 5C and if freezing, do so on the day of purchase and use within a month.
‘Allow to fully thaw in the refrigerator prior to cooking and keep refrigerated until use. Use within 1 days of thawing. Once thawed do not refreeze,’ the package reads.
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