Step away from the baby carrots!
And other products you’re paying more for than you should
IF you’re like most people, you have a grocery budget, which means you have allotted a certain amount of money for each trip to the store. Depending on price bumps and whether you’re forced to substitute a more expensive product for the one you actually wanted, it can be tough to roll out of the grocery store without going over your setaside amount.
But there are certain items you might be buying at the grocery store that can cost more than what you really have to pay. For example, some products might be convenient to use, but the price you’re paying to escape food prep might not be worth it. Other products just aren’t wise to buy at the grocery store because you can purchase the same thing much cheaper somewhere else. A few examples (prices approximate):
Shredded cheese
At the grocery store, you can purchase 32 ounces of medium cheddar cheese in a block for $7.99, or 25 cents per ounce. But if you opt for 8 ounces of the same brand of shredded medium cheddar cheese, you’ll pay $3.29, or about 41 cents per ounce.
The hidden cost comes from the extra labor required to shred the cheese. It might be worth it to buy shredded cheese if you want a special mixture you can’t get from a single block, or if you are making a dish that requires a ton of work and could use a shortcut.
Baby carrots
Baby carrots are the perfect finger food that’s not laden with calories or fat. But baby carrots aren’t grown; they’re crafted from whole carrots. And you’ll pay extra for that labor. To find out just how much more, consider that 2 pounds of prepacked whole carrots are $1.29, or 65 cents per pound at the supermarket. But 1 pound of baby carrots costs 99 cents, or 34 cents more per pound.
Drinking water
You might be saving money by passing up individual bottles of drinking water in the grocery store aisle, choosing water in larger jugs instead. You could be saving a whole lot more, however. Self-service refill water costs 35 cents per gallon on average, which equals $1.75 per five gallons. All you have to do to get started is buy a 5-gallon bottle and a dispenser. A countertop water dispenser is $40.78, and a 5-gallon water bottle is $9.88. By contrast, five 1-gallon jugs of drinking water at the supermarket cost $5 — close to three times the price of the refill water. Your cost savings on your first 80 gallons of water will pay for the initial investment in the dispenser and bottle — and then you can watch the savings pour in.
Individual cereal cups
When you’re crunched for time in the morning, what could be better than having your cereal pre-portioned in a disposable bowl? All you have to do is open it, pour the milk and enjoy. The best part is that there won’t be a dirty bowl to deal with afterward. If you don’t like to waste money, however, you might want to rethink your breakfast plan. For example, 1 1/2 ounces of Froot Loops in a Cup retails for $1.49, or 99 cents per ounce. But a 14.7-ounce box of Froot Loops sells for $4.99, which equals just a little over 34 cents per ounce. That is approximately one-third of the cost of the cereal in the cupversion.
Fresh, cut-up pineapple
An average-sized pineapple, which retails for about $3.99 at the grocery store, yields approximately 4 1/2 cups of 1-inch pineapple cubes. In all, you’ll get about 6 ounces of pineapple in a cup, or a total of 36 ounces per pineapple at a cost of approximately 11 cents per ounce. A 24-ounce bowl of cut-up fresh pineapple is $4.99, or about 21 cents per ounce. Ounce-to-ounce comparison aside, you’re getting an additional 1 1/2 cups of pineapple for $1 less if you do it yourself.
And if the prickly exterior of this tropical fruit is what’s keeping you from cutting up your own pineapple, stop worrying. There are plenty of online tutorials available that will have you slicing and dicing like a pineapple pro in no time.
Guacamole
According to CNBC Make It, the average cost of homemade guacamole, following a basic recipe, is 20 cents per ounce. If you opt for the prepared version of grocery store guac, you’ll pay 43 cents per ounce, or more than double the cost if you make it yourself. Another reason to make your own guacamole is to avoid the unwanted extras that store-bought versions might contain, such as larger quantities of salt, artificial flavorings or added sugar.
Baked goods
It’s easy to pick up bakery muffins to enjoy in the morning or as an afternoon snack. But at what cost? You might be surprised to find out just how many more muffins you could get for your money by baking them. A 12-count package of mini-muffins from the grocery store bakery costs $3.99. One box of Krusteaz 18.6-ounce box of muffin mix yields 26 to 30 mini muffins for the same price. Even with the cost of adding your own eggs and vegetable oil to the mix, you can get more than double the muffins at about the same price if you make them yourself.
Snack-size bags
Although no one can argue that snack-size bags aren’t convenient, you’ll have to decide how much the convenience is worth to you. A package of 18 single-ounce bags of assorted chips costs $9.49, or approximately 53 cents per ounce. A 13.5-ounce bag of chips costs $5.29, or 39 cents per ounce, which is 14 cents less per ounce than in the individual bags. And if you fear you’ll miss the smaller, more convenient portions snack-size bags provide, go ahead and buy the bulk package. Then, portion it out into ultra-cheap, snack-size zipper-seal bags.
Canned beans
A 2-pound bag of dry pinto beans will yield about 12 cups of cooked beans, according to The Bean Institute, and costs $4.09. A 16-ounce can of cooked pinto beans costs $1.69 and provides only two cups of cooked beans. It would take six cans of pinto beans — which would total $10.14 — to yield the same amount of beans as a 2-pound bag. By buying cooked beans, you more than double the price for the same quantity. It’s true that opening a can of beans and heating them on the stovetop takes less time and effort than picking through pintos to make sure there aren’t any bad beans, soaking them, seasoning them and keeping watch while they cook. But you can cook the beans in a slow cooker and effectively set it and forget it. Plus, you’ll be able to freeze the leftover beans for another time.
Premade hamburger patties
A package of 93 percent lean ground beef is $4.99 per pound, and a 1-pound package of raw lean hamburger patties is $5.99 per pound. You can pay $1 more for the convenience of not having to make the patties yourself. But, really, how long would it take you to form your own hamburger patties? Probably a couple of minutes or so — if that long. Plus, if you prefer seasoning mixed into your burger, rather than just sprinkling it on the outside of the patty, you’ll have to make your own anyway to accomplish your seasoning preference.
Hard-boiled eggs
Hard boiling your own eggs takes time. First, you have to wait for the water to boil and then let them cook for around 11 minutes. Then, you must allow the eggs to cool a bit and peel them. But by buying hard-boiled eggs, you don’t have to take any of those steps. The catch is that you’re paying someone else to do the work. A half-dozen hard-boiled, cage-free eggs cost $2.99, whereas a dozen similar raw eggs are $3.49. If you opt for raw eggs, you can get double the amount of eggs for only 50 cents more.
Precut veggies
Although precut veggies are super convenient when hosting a party, you’ll pay considerably more for not having to prep. A 12-ounce tray of sliced zucchini and yellow squash is $3.99, which equals 33 cents per ounce. By buying whole produce, however, you can slash your costs dramatically. Whole zucchini is 8 cents per ounce, and a whole yellow squash is 9 cents per ounce. What you have to decide is if the time you’ll save is worth the extra money you’ll spend if you buy the precut versions.