10 Things You Should Never BUY From The Grocery Store

I am sure there are many different thoughts and theories out there as to what is “budget friendly” and what’s not – however I have always been very budget savvy and this is what I have found through my own observations. There are several items that are available for your “convenience” that are NOT cost effective. I totally understand there is a time and a place for convenience however, when it comes to maintaining a monthly or weekly grocery budget the 10 items listed below are all products I would recommend avoiding like the plague when at the grocery store!

1. Water bottles – We have all heard this for years. But it’s true why spend money on something you can get for totally FREE! In fact I have recently discovered Zing Anything Water Bottles for making my water have a little extra kick! Not only do I save money on water bottles but I can also add a little citrus zing as well! Yum!

2. Individual snack sized chips, crackers, snacks – Prepacked snacks and chips are definitely more convenient but they can cost up to 4 times more per ounce! I have found that it is just as easy and WAY cheaper if I make my own snack size bags. Simply purchase the larger “value” sized package and break it apart into small baggies. Put them aside in the “snack drawer” and they are ready to go when you are!

3. Spice Mixtures – First of all let me just say that you do not need to purchase name brand spices. Really any store brand is just as good and often times a fraction of the cost. Secondly, for some reason stores and brands have decided that if the spice is a mixture they need to mark up the priced ridiculously high. I actually enjoy making my own spice mixtures. Check out my Pumpkin Spice Blend HERE.

4. Baking Mixes – Again here is another marketing scam. Baking mixes such as Bisquick or Kruzteaz are marked up 2-3 times the cost it takes to make them yourself. Check out my recipe for Homemade Bisquick HERE.

5. Juice boxes – I have four sweet kiddos and all four of them LOVE juice boxes. The problem I have is that they are so darn expensive! Instead of wasting money away I prefer to give my kids reusable water bottles to use at school. At home my kids are allowed one cup of juice a day and they don’t even ask for juice boxes if they aren’t available in the house! Out of site, out of mind = more money in my pocket!

6. Canned Chicken broth – Making chicken stock is incredibly easy! Whenever we bake off a whole chicken I use the carcass to make up 8-10 jars of chicken stock. I have figured it costs me less than $2 to make about 64 ounces of chicken stock! That’s 1/4 of the cost as if I were to purchase canned chicken broth from the store at $1.00 a can! Check out my recipe for homemade chicken stock HERE

7. Salad Dressing – I have to be honest with you, other than the occasional Caesar dressing we have not purchased salad dressings in years! Both my husband and myself enjoy making our own dressings. We make our own Ranch dip for veggies (see recipe HERE), use olive oil, balsamic and raspberry jam to make my favorite Raspberry Vinaigrette, or my husband makes several of his own “secret” dressings that consist of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. Really there are so many amazing dressings you can make from home that will save you both money and will be healthier for you!

8. Lunchables – I have tried nearly every lunchable out there and can easily say they are all pretty nasty. With that said why would I want to spend money on some cheap meat and crackers when it is just as easy to throw together my own “lunchable” for my kiddos with fresh meat, cheese and a healthy side. Lunchables can cost an upwards of $3-$4 each – create your own and again you will spend just a fraction of the cost! (I figure when I make mine it costs me about $1 each or less.)

9. Baby Food – So I used to think only those hippy moms had time to make their own baby food. However, as I had more and more kids I realized that it really only takes a short amount of time to make and costs less than $0.20 per jar for more healthy, natural baby food for my pride and joys! For example, in the fall I can purchase a butternut squash for about $2 each, bake it off in the oven (no effort taken there), puree it in the blender (less than 5 minutes later) scoop it into empty jars or containers and viola 10-15 servings of baby for for $2 total!!! Believe me my opinion has changed – I think those who make their own baby food are the smart moms! 🙂

10. Pre-cut Produce – Ok so I know sometimes we just need to save some time, however do you know that saving you 5 minutes could cost you 3-4 times more money?!?! It’s true when you buy your fruit, veggies and salad mixes pre-cut/portioned you spend up to 4 times more per pound as you would if you bought the produce whole and spent 5 minutes or less cutting it!