Recessionista Strategies at the Salad Bar.

A salad bar is a good thing.  Especially if it's a good one.  But it's not always economical.  Typically. you'll pay $5.99 a pound...but the ingredients vary wildly in their cost if you were just buying them on their own.  So your strategy should be to load up on the bargains and skip the choices that have a high mark-up. 

Food Network magazine did the research.  Here are the things to stock up on...and to, as a buyer, beware.

Bargains:
Here are the things to go for...with the discount you're getting when you're paying $5.99 per pound. The good news is that some of them are really healthy; ounce for ounce, packed with nutrients (and, in many cases, protein).

• Blue cheese (57%)
• Green peas (40%)
• Grilled chicken (44%)
• Walnuts (19%)
• Dried cranberries (11%)
• Cheddar cheese (14%)
• Bacon bits (55%)

Rip-Offs:
Here are the things marked up significantly from their off-the-shelf price.  If you want these things on your salad, make the salad at home.

• Celery (150%)
• Baby corn (277%)
• Radishes (302%)
• Chickpeas (368%)
• Hard-boiled eggs (167%)
• Mushrooms (200%)
• Cucumbers (274%)

This means that your best bargain salad is: greens, chicken, bacon bits, dried cranberries, walnuts and blue cheese.  Sounds good to me.