5 Alternative Places To Get (Cheap) Groceries
Think the supermarket is the only place to shop to get deals on groceries? Think again! Here are 5 alternative places to get groceries on a budget.
If you shop at the same grocery store all the time, you’re missing out. By shopping around, you can discover new foods, get inspired to try new dishes – and save money too.
Personally, I shop all over the place. I visit a handful of food stores throughout the week and stock up on my favorite products when I visit them. I recently blogged about finding cheap groceries at these grocery stores:
And today, I’m sharing some out-of-box places to find deals on groceries. Stores that you wouldn’t necessary think of when you need to shop for food, but stores that offer some surprisingly good deals.
5 Alternative Places To Get (Cheap) Groceries
1: World Market
Any World Market fans out there? In addition to being one of my favorite stores to shop for dishes, furniture, and accessories, I love browsing their food section. They have a great selection of international foods that are reasonably priced. They also occasionally have discounted groceries. I like buying spices, sauces, specialty teas, and food gifts here.
2: Dollar stores
While the quality and selection of food varies from store to store, dollar stores can be great places to find deals on groceries. Pasta, canned goods, ramen, spices, soups, crackers, and snacks are all foods that you can commonly find at dollar stores.
3: Walmart
Whenever I go to Walmart, I swing through the grocery section to stock up on pantry items like flour, sugar, baking powder, cereal, salsa, beans, and more.
Recently, I did a $25 grocery challenge to buy as many groceries at Walmart as possible – while sticking to a $25 grocery budget.
(Spoiler alert: I got a lot for just $25!)
4: T.J. Maxx
T.J. Maxx is a great place to shop for budget gourmet foods. I like putting together wedding gifts with food items I’ve purchased at T.J. Maxx. My go-to is a gift basket containing gourmet sauces or salts, plus a cookbook and other kitchen items.
5: International grocery stores
Ethnic grocery stores offer incredible deals on hard-to-find items. But if you’re willing to spend some time browsing the aisles, you will discover some grocery staples that can be used in all types of cooking. I find insane deals on produce at a local Asian grocery store. Recently, I’ve found a head of cabbage for $.55, ginger for $.99 a pound, and three lemons for $.99.
Where do you shop for cheap groceries? Do you stick to one grocery store or do you visit several? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.
When in North Vancouver, BC I love to visit the Persian grocers along Lonsdale Ave… Exotic items, great flatbreads (eg. sangak…crisply baked on a bed of hot pebbles so it has little brown spots all over it), huge bags of dried spices and best of all the fresh produce…lovely BIG bunches of dill, mint, parsley and I have even found fresh quince! The best thing though, is the bin of bright green slivered pistachios…not the dusty things in the half-open shells that regular grocery stores have on offer! All is very reasonably priced and such good quality.
You read my mind! World Market, TJ Maxx (ok, Marshalls is actually closer to our house, so that’s where I go now, but same difference), and the local international groceries are all some of my favorite places to get good cheap food. Especially the spices! Those little cellophane packets save the day when you can’t get to a bulk bin. And coconut oil at TJ Maxx is always the cheapest!
Wal Mart is an evil corporation that devastates local economies with its shoddy business practices and their “slave labor is more profitable” mentality. I do not think you should encourage people to shop there.
Big Lots often has organic foods at discount.
Aldi has so many organic produce and non-produce items. Great food, friendly service, and very inexpensive. For the items they do not carry, there is a nice grocery store next door (Minneapolis location), so I can pick up the last fine items there. I save a TON on the regular 🙂 https://www.aldi.us/
I, too, have been impressed with ALDI’s organic selection 🙂
Walmart has savings catcher that will give you e money when there is a store selling the items cheaper. Grocery Deals .com will show you the deals in your area.
Thanks for the tip, Virginia!