Not really cheap tat...
But one of my favourite "skint" shopping methods is to trawl the Special offers/BOGOF deals on the ends of the aisles in supermarkets.

Surprisingly you can live on 4 for 3 cans of tuna and 50% extra free swiss rolls for a considerable amount of time...
(Nuclear Ninja like a radioactive Chuck Norris..., Mon 7 Jan 2008, 15:41, 3 replies)

Even better
Go in about half an hour before closing time (sundays are particularly good) and you will find loads of real food reduced because it's useby date is that day. Remember, most things freeze fine and just about everything has more shelf life than the supermarket useby dates would have us believe.

Pro Tip: find a smallish supermarket in a not-very-well-off area and you are sure to find fancy things like organic milk and premium range steak reduced (because most people in the area are too poor to buy it, it sits on the shelf until it is reduced on it's useby date).
(Seance Trumpet has got no beef with a man enjoying a croissant, Mon 7 Jan 2008, 18:58, closed)

Meh...
I warn you that those 'use by' dates in shitty areas are usually accurate due to the fact that we change dates or if they're printed on the pack, we just tend to cover them up with reduction labels. Remember that something with a week long shelf life has probably been in storage at a warehouse for about a month too :)
Burn Tescos I say!
(Merrick I cure cats with hammers, Mon 7 Jan 2008, 19:43, closed)

nothing cheap about that
on NYE on got two fucking massive sirloin steaks for 70p each, reduced from £7.50, cos they weren't open the next day.

Bargain!
( Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Mon 7 Jan 2008, 21:21, closed)