Dried Beans
If you’re one of the many home cooks who prefer canned beans, it may be time to reconsider your purchasing habits. Canned beans often have additives like salt and calcium disodium EDTA, making them less healthful than their dried counterparts. Not only that, canned products are usually more expensive than the dried versions.
Whole Chickens
Follow Epicurious.com’s easy guide to buying whole chickens to cut costs and increase your culinary options. Be aware that cheaper poultry may be raised on less humane farms than organic or free-range options. If that’s a concern, consider visiting your local farmers market and asking vendors about their cheapest cuts.
Local Fish
According to Cooking Light’s guide to buying fish, “When local fish are abundant, the price goes down and the quality goes up.” If you can’t get local fish, try for American- or Canadian-caught. Avoid seafood from China or Southeast Asia because of regulatory concerns.
Bulk Oatmeal
If you’re buying boxed cereal or single-serve packets of microwavable oatmeal, give bulk oatmeal another look. Not only is raw oatmeal healthier and longer lasting than refined cereals, it is also cheaper and has a greater variety of uses. Add it to meatloaf in place of breadcrumbs, use it to soak up an oil spill in the kitchen or garage, or simply cook it and drizzle it with maple syrup for a satisfying breakfast.
Apple Cider Vinegar
This all-star vinegar can be used for dietary purposes as well as house cleaning. If you intend to use apple cider vinegar in salad dressings or drinks, choose a brand that contains “the mother”—which means it’s raw and unpasteurized, with live and active cultures.
Coffee Filters
Even if you’ve switched to a Keurig machine or you don’t even drink the stuff, you may want to add coffee filters to your shopping list. There are many things you can do with a coffee filter, from cleaning windows to fashioning your own tea bags.
Generic Salt
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value, despite the fact that sea salt is often promoted as being healthier.” So it’s fine to choose regular Morton salt or even a generic brand.
Bounty Paper Towels
There’s no contest: Bounty paper towels are consistently rated highest by Consumer Reports. Buy a family pack and keep a roll in the car for emergencies.
Freezable Sale Items
Fresh blueberries are just 90 cents per container? Stock up, then freeze what you don’t immediately use. Lots of products are freezable, including dairy, baked goods, and meat.
Organic Eggs
Should you buy eggs or egg whites? According to Prevention magazine’s side-by-side comparison, whole eggs win. What about organic vs. conventional? Prevention’s take on it is that organic eggs are the safer bet.
Trimmed Steak
Don’t pay for what you won’t eat. Ask the grocery store butchers to trim your steak of excess fat before they weigh it.
Plain Yogurt
Skip the flavored options, and stick with wholesome plain yogurt. If you don’t like the tangy taste, sweeten it with honey, maple, or fresh fruit to boost flavor without the added sugar. You can also use yogurt for cooking, beauty treatments, and household tasks, including polishing your brass.
Brown Rice
You’ve probably heard that it’s healthier than white rice, but if you still haven’t made the switch to buying bulk brown rice, it might be worth another look. If you want to make your rice dishes more nutritional but don’t like the taste of brown rice, try red rice or black rice instead.
Tomato Paste
Do you have a ketchup addict in the house? If ketchup is your family’s go-to condiment at mealtimes, you could save on grocery bills by skipping the brand-name products and making your own from a combination of tomato paste, vinegar, and spices. And if you make a double batch, know that you can use some of that ketchup to clean your copper and silverware.
Organic Honey
You may pay slightly more for organic honey, but it’s worth it to avoid health risks and support sustainable beekeeping. Organic honey is not the same thing as raw honey, so be sure to read the label closely.
Potted Herbs
Cut and packaged herbs are expensive, especially when you consider that much of the bunch will probably go to waste before you can use it. Instead, scan the produce section for potted herbs that are easy to grow and maintain, especially basil and mint. Avoid buying herbs potted in overly dry soil or with very thick roots, which are stress indicators.
