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In today’s economy, almost everyone does as much as possible to save a little money. We clip coupons and check sales flyers, hoping to find double or even triple coupon days at the local grocery store.
There are many grocery store items that are overpriced because of the convenience that you’d probably find somewhere else at a better price or even be able to make at home.
We’ve put together a list of 15 grocery store items that are definitely not worth the money. Check out our list and see if you agree.
Greeting Cards
If you’ve purchased a greeting card at the grocery store, you know how expensive it can be. You can find them much cheaper at dollar stores or even make a card from scratch.
Pre-cut Veggies & Fruit
Yes, they look pretty and are very convenient. However, packages of pre-cut fruits and veggies are much more expensive than whole options. Often, you’ll find the pre-cut options are over- or under-ripe. It’s much less expensive to shop for the items yourself and cut them up at home, and it’s easier to determine the freshness.
Bottled Water
Not only is buying bottled water a waste of money, it’s a waste of plastic as well. Unless you’re in a place where the water isn’t safe to drink, it’s much cheaper to use tap water, a water filter, and a reusable bottle.
Magazines
Magazines are placed strategically at the checkouts, where they easily catch your eye. It may be worth taking a quick look while you’re waiting in line, but it’s certainly not worth buying them. If you only want to read a magazine once because something caught your interest, go to the library or the magazine’s website. If you plan on reading every month, it’s cheaper to subscribe than it is to buy from the grocery store.
Brand-Name Seasoning & Spices
Spices and seasonings from the bigger brands are expensive. You’ll save a lot of money if you buy the store brand. If you like spice blends, you can often save money by buying individual spices and mixing them yourself.
Baking Mix
A box of baking or pancake mix may seem inexpensive, but when you consider it’s just flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, it’s much cheaper to make it yourself. Store the mix in a ceramic or glass container and it’ll keep for as long as the store-bought mix.
Batteries
Grabbing a pack of AAA’s on a grocery store run may be convenient. But you’ll save a lot of money if you purchase them in bulk from your local warehouse store. You can even buy bulk batteries at wholesale prices from Amazon.
Granola Bars & Granola
Granola is usually thought of as a healthy food. But a lot of store-bought granola is full of preservatives, sugar, and other things you might not want in your body. Both granola and granola bars are easy to make at home, and you can make them to suit your tastes. And fresh, warm granola bars just out of the oven are delicious.
Pet Food
You want your pet to have the best, right? Grocery store pet food probably isn’t it. Going to a pet store where the employees can help you find the best food for your furry friend is better. Some online pet stores offer auto-shipments, which can save both time and money.
Organic Veggies & Fruit
Have you ever compared the prices of organic and non-organic veggies and fruits? Organic options are usually much higher. Instead of buying at the grocery store, find your local farmers’ market. You’ll find in-season, organic options at a much lower price. They’ll probably taste better, too.
Snack & Party Trays
Snack and party trays are super convenient but usually super expensive. It’s much cheaper to buy the ingredients and make them yourself. You can save even more money if you can use items that are on sale.
Diapers
While grabbing a bag of diapers at the grocery store is easy and convenient, they are usually incredibly expensive. You’ll find you save money if you use a subscribe & save option where you can save as much as 20% and have them delivered to your door.
Single-Serve Coffee Pods
If you drink more than a cup or two a day, buying your coffee or tea in larger packs and brewing a pot is much cheaper. Plus, many single-serve options are bad for the environment as most aren’t recyclable.
Hot Bar Food
The grab-n-go or hot bar section is an easy place to grab a quick lunch, but it’s not as reasonably priced as you’d expect. Many grocery stores charge by weight, so many people end up with a larger bill than they’d expect because they choose a heavy item or two.
Pre-cut Stew Meat
Pre-cut stew meat usually contains some of the cheapest, fattiest cuts of meat, but the price is higher because it’s already cut up for you. It’s much less expensive to buy a nice piece of meat and cut it up when you get home. If you can’t do that, the grocery store butcher will usually cut it up for you at no extra cost.
The 41 Biggest Wastes of Money
If you’re looking for ways to earn more money to put toward your goals, start by examining your spending habits. By tracking your spending and seeing where every dollar goes, you’ll likely find several instances of spending money you don’t have to. It could be little things that add up or recurring monthly expenses that are an utter waste of money.
Once you eliminate your bad spending habits, that money can go toward your emergency fund, paying off debt, or other essential things. Here are the 41 biggest wastes of money to look out for.
- Read More: The 41 Biggest Wastes of Money
18 Ways to Save Without Sacrificing Life and Happiness
Do you want a new perspective on saving money? If you think this is another article telling you to skip your morning coffee or give up dining out, then let us tell you—it’s not! This blog post discusses 18 innovative and painless ways to save cash without sacrificing the things that make you happy. We believe that a good life isn’t about cutting back on everything you love but about making smarter decisions with what you have. So, if you’re ready to start saving without compromising your lifestyle or happiness, dive right in!
