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Since February, W. Hodding Carter's family of six has been living within their means on $550 a month, which means making hummus at home and slashing extras like candy and fancy cheese. But now, in a fury over the "unconscionably insufficient number of sale items" at his local supermarket, Carter writes in Gourmet that he's ready for Plan D.C.: Dumpster cuisine.

But his plan got off to a slow start. "The Dumpster, with its reinforced steel sides and hydraulic hatch, was like a small, odiferous Fort Knox," Carter writes. So he appeals to supermarket employees to throw him set-to-expire produce before they toss it. The guy in charge of produce isn't there, but Carter will catch up with him soon. Because of "my … um, chickens, er, I mean … my, um, pigs. Yeah, pigs." (Read more grocery stores stories.)