For a majority of Americans, going to the grocery store is a must. Unless you grow a massive garden and grow your own grains, raise your own chickens and pigs and have cows to milk, chances are you head to the grocery store fairly frequently. If you are trying to keep those trips on the cheaper side, there are some things you should always avoid buying there. Here’s a list of things you should NOT put on your list the next time you head out to the grocery store:
Pre-cut Anything: Whether you’re looking for stew meat, veggies for fajitas or some apple slices for your kid’s classroom snack, if you take advantage of convenience buys and purchase pre-cut foods, you’re going to pay significantly more. Cut them yourself and save big!
Deli Cheese: The deli always looks so tempting with their lavish displays and all sorts of meats and cheeses to choose from! The problem is, you can pay up to 2x as much for the exact same cheese as you can find in the same store, just in the regular ol’ refrigerated cheese section. And you’ll save even more if you buy block cheese and slice it yourself or ask the deli to slice it before you buy it {did you know they’ll do this?}.
Alcohol: If you are looking to save on beer and wine, a grocery store isn’t your best bet. Try a warehouse store for the biggest savings. Costco or Sam’s Club are both stores that will save you a lot on these alcohol purchases. Unless the grocery store is having a big sale, you’ll typically pay 10-20% more on beer and wine purchases.
Organic Fruits and Veggies: If you have a local farmer’s market nearby, take advantage of their organic selection. You will normally pay a junkton more for organic produce at a grocery store. If you don’t have a farmer’s market near you, Costco is your best bet {as long as you’ll eat their larger quantities before they go bad!}.
Cake: This one is tempting because they’ve done all the work for you, and sometimes, their decorating skills are amazing! But I can make a cake from scratch for a fraction of the cost. The cheapest pre-made cake I could find at our local grocery store was $16, but they were selling basic cakes for up to $30!! I can make one from scratch for about $4. You can even simplify and find a $.99 box of cake mix and pay a few more bucks for a tub of frosting. Not quite as delicious as homemade, but when you’re saving over $25, it’s worth it!
Detergent: Your warehouse type stores are the best bet here, followed closely by your Walmart/Target-type stores. Almost without fail, you will pay more for detergent at a grocery store. Plus, the selection will be significantly less as well.
Pet Food: Same as above. Grocery stores have the highest prices for pet food I’ve ever seen! Costco, Walmart or Amazon are the way to go.
Cards, Gift Wrap, etc.: This one might seem silly, but you really will pay more for a greeting card at a grocery store. Try a dollar store for the cheapest prices on cards, gift wrap, gift bags and tissue paper. If you can’t make it to a dollar store, a CVS or Walgreens are still a better bet.
Individually Packaged Items: One bag of chips vs. a case of them. One donut vs. a dozen. One can of soda vs. a 12-pack. When you buy an individually packaged item, you will often be charged double for it! And don’t let those bags of chips at the checkout line tempt you. They are so much more expensive. In fact, many grocery store price those last second chip bags only a few cents less than a full-size bag in the chip aisle!
Office Supplies: I was at a grocery store to pick up a few things when I remembered we were out of Scotch tape, so I perused the office supply aisle. Ohmygosh. They wanted almost $10 for a flimsy stapler. I was shocked at their prices. I decided to hold off on our tape purchase until my next trip to Target!
Kitchen Goods: They strategically place their overpriced pots and pans and spatulas right next to the cake mixes, so you’ll remember you need one in a pinch and pay twice as much as you would at a big box store. Resist the urge! Normally the price is high and the quality is low. Not a good combo!
Diapers: Warehouse and big box stores are the way to go here. Also, your drug stores often have great sales and coupon deals on diapers. Even getting them shipped from Amazon is a much better option that buying at the grocery store.
Cosmetics: Grocery stores aren’t known for their vast health and beauty section. If you just must have that tube of mascara, it’ll cost you {and you’ll probably only have one or two options!}. Try Amazon or a drug store for some great deals or a big box store for massive selections and discounts.
Personal Hygiene Items: Exact same situation as above. In a grocery store, you’ll find a limited selection and higher prices on everything from shampoo to razors to sunscreen.
Flowers: Odd one to include, but it’s true. Not only will you pay more, but grocery store flowers are typically not the freshest {unless they have an in-house florist}. Costco has my very favorite selection and prices on flowers, but you can often find roadside stands and farmer’s markets with gorgeous, inexpensive flowers plucked fresh from the farm!
Batteries: Buy your batteries in bulk and you’ll save A TON. I purchased a 24 pack of batteries on sale on Amazon for almost the exact price our local grocery store had 8 of them priced at! I’ve even seen cheaper battery prices at gas stations! Yikes!
Cleaning Supplies: Unless you desperately need that toilet bowl cleaner, hold off for a trip to a big box store or warehouse. Or even better yet, make your own DIY cleaning supplies! { Check out my full list of DIY Cleaners.}
And there is my list of things I avoid purchasing at the grocery store. Do you have any more to add to my list?
Save on,
~Mavis
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Coleen says
Hi Mavis, I really like this list of items and where you can get them for less….but…..I always buy my laundry soap and cleaning products at the market and here’s why…….laundry soap is always on sale and with a coupon, I’ll end up paying .99 or it will be free. Same with cleaning products…..I’m not brand loyal, so whatever is on sale works for me.. 🙂
KC says
Ditto! And I’d put personal hygiene products under this as well – if you’re fine with waiting for the sales cycles and/or coupon clipping, then toilet paper, shampoo, and “feminine hygiene products” can also be gotten for ridiculously low prices at many grocery stores. But yes, just going to buy a specific brand when it’s not on sale – ouch!
With pre-prepped items, it’s sometimes worth figuring out what your “wage” is for those tasks (and figuring out whether you’re shorter on time or on money) – I remember being very happy the day that my hourly rate for freelance work (and my level of income vs. time) was such that it finally made sense to buy boneless chicken breasts instead of skinning and deboning the cheaper bone-in skin-on ones myself when we needed them! There are some things I still do myself, because I enjoy them or don’t mind them, but that particular task was one I did not like at all…
Melissa M. says
I’m not sure if it still holds true–a friend of mine bought bone-in chicken breasts and deboned them herself and re weighed the meat. She said that you were not saving any more money by deboning them yourself.
Teresa says
Zaycon boneless skinless chicken breasts are a pretty good deal. Excellent quality and easy to handle. Clean and ready to go.
Sarah says
I’m with you here! I actually buy most everything at the grocery store because it is a ton cheaper. Walmart rarely runs great “sales” (they consider all their prices LOW) but my Kroger?? Now they have steals. I frequently get detergent, feminine products and razors for FREE.
While I agree with the pre-cut stuff, I have to disagree with the other stuff. 🙂
Carrie says
Nuts are really expensive at a traditional grocer. They are much cheaper at Costco and Target.
renay says
…and Trader Joes!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yep. I think TJ’s prices on nuts are good too.
Teresa says
vitamins are a total rip at the grocery store.
Ginger says
I think pet food is cheapest through Jet.com and Chewy.com.
Erin says
Unfortunately, we don’t have a Sam’s or Costco in our town. Aaaand . . . . I really HATE Wal-Mart for a variety of reasons! We have a Target that I rarely go into, though I probably should more considering I don’t go to Wal-Mart. I do buy almost all of those things at the grocery store for two reasons: first, it cuts my stops to just one or two stores instead of three or four, so I save gas and mileage, and second, I get a great gas discount the more I buy at Dillons – as much as a dollar off per gallon! It’s really all a matter of trade offs.
Mimi says
The nearest Costco is 65 miles from here. 🙁
I find organic produce to be far cheaper at the grocery store, especially on sale. Farmer’s markets are getting a little too “upscale”. Last weekend at the farmer’s market I went home empty handed and disillusioned. 10 years ago paying the farmer directly was a pleasant experience for both of us but I can’t afford to pay the big bucks they want now.
hillbilly girl says
Amen. I used to love to buy direct and get vegetables and fruits by the bushel. Now, I can’t afford it. They want to weigh that bushel and charge me accordingly. I find that by using sales, Aldi and $tree, I can beat big box stores.
pamela sheppard says
I watch my stock and watch for sales (combined with coupons) which means I purchase most everything on this list at the grocery store. I don’t have time to run around so many different stores to save a few pennies. Of course there are exceptions from time to time.
Jenny Young says
Ditto on everything unless you have an Aldi! Especially with organic foods. I buy mostly Aldi’s regular frutis & veggies because they are cheaper than organic but I always buy the organic fresh spinach in a shell. The quality is just better than their bagged spinach.
Mavis Butterfield says
Aldi is the best thing ever!!!!
Emily says
I’m going to counter your flower example. Grocery store flowers are MUCH cheaper than the florist. When my mother in law was ill and we were going to send her flowers we would have spent close to $50 to send her a simple bouquet. We were college students at the time and that was simply unfathomable. About $10 at our grocery store bought some very nice flowers and I’m sure she enjoyed my visit more than the delivery man’s.
Emily says
I agree with Emily 🙂
I have a $5 a week budget for fresh flowers for my kitchen and I have found some beautiful lilies and irises for $5 at Kroger and now at H-E-B (South Texas).
For arrangements, Costco can’t be beat!
I bought a gorgeous hydrangea arrangement for my wedding and spent less than $30. Which was a good thing, because the A/C in my apartment went out that night and destroyed them.
Fortunately, I was able to replace them the next morning at the same Costco.
I cried but not as hard as I would’ve buying similar flowers at a florist!
Vy says
My one piece of advice is to go with a reputable seller for makeup off Amazon. Don’t ever chose the cheapest price, inevitably when I do, the makeup I get is very close to stale, if not downright old. Check the vendor and chose maybe the second or third cheapest price. It’s still way better than the grocery store!
Gail says
Trader Joe’s for greeting cards. They’re 99 cents, not flimsy or cheap looking, they carry them for all occasions, and they have new designs coming in frequently.
Peg says
I only buy flowers at the grocery store, but only the ones that have been marked down. As soon as they look less than perfect, they’re marked down. I recently bought six roses for $3, and they still lasted over a week.
I have quit shopping at Kohl’s but still get random $10 surprises from them. I’ve used that perk twice now to buy greeting cards. I keep a tally in my head while I’m picking them out and have never paid more than a $1 out of pocket.