The moment the grocery doors glide open I make a direct beeline for the stairwell to the bathrooms, cutting through the salad bar and down the baking ingredients aisle to minimize travel time. Within seconds of entering Ralphs I have arrived at my Mecca: the clearance section. Featuring everything from plates and cups to novelty beers to off-brand medicines, the alcove housing extreme markdowns has unequivocally become my happy place.

There is an undeniable thrill of spending cents instead of dollars, watching the register confirm my ability to fill three grocery bags for under $5. I show up to parties with super bowl cakes, Hanukah cookies, and trays of day-old doughnuts, all with clearance stickers meticulously scratched off and purchased for a fraction of their original cost. I hit the five clearance sections around the store (meats, dry goods, dairy, meats and frozen food) with the focus and routine of an Olympic athlete. Swinging by the produce section for a sample-snack and the bulk bins for a smuggled handful of trail mix to keep my energy up during the markdown marathon, I raid the reduce-price rows.

True, the low costs sometimes inspire purchases I wouldn’t normally make (baby food for my childless home, holiday themed coffee blends, a chicken coop’s worth of poultry seasoning), but at $.49 a pop, it’s hard to feel too remorseful. And, while my roommates may complain when I show up with 10 packages of Easter-themed Peeps, all purchased for under a dollar, I can’t give a reason why beyond the glorious concept of saving money.

Due to my dabbling in discounts, I have grown to abhor the idea of waste. In the spirit of shelves overflowing with almost-stale baguettes and over-ripe bananas, I am on a constant quest to simplify my life. From grocery trips to making weekend plans, shopping the yellow-ticketed items inspires me to use everything I choose to claim as mine, be it fruits and veggies or other’s time. The minute I take responsibility for an item, schedule dinne with a friend or claim some aspect of a group project, it becomes my obligation to see that commitment through without squandering time, money or opportunity.

The clearance section also challenges me to get creative in the kitchen, rotating obscure spices, sauces and nut mixes into my traditional, meal-prepped weekly menu. I play personal games of Chopped, picking up one item from each clearance section and forcing myself to use them each in unique ways. In all its markdown magnificence, the discounts encourage me to change my conception of what is “unwanted.”