12 Reasons You Should Buy Groceries At The Dollar Store
Apparently groceries do grow on Dollar Trees.
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The dollar store probably isn't the first place to cross your mind when it comes to your weekly food haul, but you might want to get it in the rotation with Trader Joe's. If you know what to look for, there are plenty of cheap grocery items to be found to help you keep your grocery store spending to a minimum — and some of the options might surprise you.
There are amazing deals on major brands.
If you keep your eyes peeled while shopping, you can track down name-brand food products like Kraft Mac & Cheese, Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Quaker Oatmeal, and Pillsbury Frosting, often marked down from prices at regular stores.
Some knock-off brands are just as good.
When buying items like soda and juice, you're likely to find family-sized bottles from store brands that taste almost exactly like the more expensive version.
You can track down fresh items.
Certain dollar stores carry fresh-food staples such as eggs, cheese, milk and bread, making it easy to stock up on the essentials.
There are TONS of lunch box treats.
When back-to-school season rolls around, this is the spot to load up on snacks and other essentials to make packing those lunch boxes a breeze. Look out for chicken and tuna salad kits, pudding cups, applesauce, individual chip bags, fruit snacks, and juice boxes. Plus, grab a bunch of locking plastic baggies to pack it all up.
The freezer section has a lot to offer.
Don't glance over the freezer section on your next shopping trip. Hot ticket items include frozen fruits and veggies (you can often get two cans' worth for a buck), family-size French fries, garlic bread, ice cream, and even the occasional ribeye steak.
Candy is a serious steal.
The pros know to stop by their local dollar store before a trip to the movies — there are often aisles stocked with tons of popular candies, and you can save up to $4 on boxes of movie theater candy like Junior Mints, M&Ms, Snickers, and Butterfingers.
You can replenish your pantry.
Avoid getting halfway through a recipe and realizing you're missing something by loading up on pantry ingredients on the cheap. With the occasional dollar store trip, you'll always have canned tomatoes, spices and seasonings, hot sauce, jarred olives, and quick-bread mixes on hand.
You can buy in bulk.
If you're looking to place a large order, certain dollar stores offer a special option to make your life easier when buying bulk. Snag free shipping with in-store pickup, so your order gets shipped right to the store and you still get a major deal.
Party prep is super simple.
Getting ready for a bash that requires paper goods for your guests? Items like paper plates and cups, plastic utensils, tin foil and even party decorations are almost always on sale.
You can buy baby foods there.
Trust-worthy baby food and snack brands like Gerber can often be found on the shelves, so it's an easy after-work stop to pick up extra diapers and dinner for the little ones.
It's vegan-friendly.
If you thought Whole Foods was the only place to go for vegan products, think again. People with dietary restrictions have options at the dollar store as well, including organic soy milk, vegan soups, and Just Mayo vegan mayonnaise.
You can get a week's worth of food for $50.
One discount shopping blogger put together a shopping list and meal plan that makes it possible to get by on $50 worth of dollar store finds for an entire week. It may not be the healthiest week, but could be a good money-saving option once in a while.
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