Being laid off and unemployed is painful, but it has one unexpected advantage: I can search for Ralphs steak deals while everybody else is working at the office. On one early-morning shopping trip, I bought four USDA Choice bone-in rib-eye steaks for $50.96 instead of $107.34—a total savings of $56.38.
There is no paycheck coming, health insurance becomes another problem to solve, and suddenly every dollar matters. But unemployment does come with one small financial advantage: while everybody else is sitting at the office, I can go hunting for bargains.
Four Rib-Eye Steaks for $50.96
I walked into Ralphs early in the morning and went straight to the meat department. That is where I found something better than another calendar invitation: large yellow-and-red REDUCED stickers attached to beautiful packages of USDA Choice beef.
One package contained two thick bone-in rib-eye steaks. The original price was $53.17. The reduced price was $25.24. That is a savings of $27.93 on one package.
Then I found another package of two rib-eye steaks. Its original price was $54.17, but it had been marked down to $25.72. That package saved me another $28.45.
Altogether, the four steaks originally cost $107.34. I paid only $50.96.
Total saved: $56.38.
That is more money saved than money spent.
The Unemployment Discount
There is a strange economy operating inside the supermarket.
People with jobs have money, but they are trapped at work when the best deals appear. People without jobs have less money, but they have the freedom to shop on a weekday morning.
By the time the office workers finish answering emails, attending meetings, driving home through traffic and finally arriving at Ralphs, these steaks will be gone.
The early shopper gets the steak.
That may not be the most comforting lesson after a layoff, but it is true. When you suddenly have more time and less money, you begin noticing things you previously walked past. You compare labels. You check the reduced section. You learn when the supermarket marks down meat.
Why Office Workers Miss the Best Deals
These were not tiny scraps or mystery cuts. The counter had bone-in rib-eyes, New York strips and a boneless New York steak—all USDA Choice beef.
The full-price labels made the discounts look even better. One comparable package of two rib-eyes was priced at $49.75. Nearby, the reduced packages offered four steaks for just a little more than that.
There was even a boneless New York steak reduced from $12.72 to $7.23—cheaper than many fast-food meals.
The rich can walk into a supermarket at any hour and buy whatever they want without looking at the price. They do not need a yellow clearance sticker.
The rest of us need timing.
A Taste of Money
I may be unemployed, but tonight I can eat a thick rib-eye steak that was selling for nearly $20 per pound. The difference is that I was at Ralphs at 8:51 in the morning while everybody else was already at work.
Losing a job takes away income, routine and a certain amount of dignity. But it also teaches you to look at money differently.
You start measuring wealth not only by how much you earn, but by how cleverly you spend.
Today, I did not make any money.
But before breakfast, while millions of people were rushing to their offices, I walked into Ralphs and saved $56.38 on four steaks.
Sometimes unemployment tastes surprisingly good.
