Buy Here, Not There
Trying to find the best grocery shopping deals can be tricky. With so many options, sales and per unit prices, the best places to buy certain items are not always the most obvious choices. The Kitchen hosts are taking a closer look at your common grocery purchases and determining where the best place to buy them is: the supermarket or the warehouse store.
Chicken Breast: Supermarket
The large packs of chicken breasts from warehouse stores are tempting to stock up on and freeze, but the prices at supermarkets are actually a much better deal. Grocery stores have bi-weekly manager's special sales that mark meat prices down by 50 to 67%. The average nationwide price for chicken breast on sale at supermarkets is $2 per pound, while the average warehouse store price is $3 per pound.
Frozen Veggies: Warehouse Store
If you have space for an extra-large bag of frozen veggies, the warehouse store will get you the best bang for your buck, with savings up to 30% off! Warehouse stores not only have better prices, but they also offer higher quality frozen veggies that contain full florets, compared to the chopped-up stems you'll find in supermarket packs. If you don't use the entire warehouse store bag of veggies and it's not re-sealable, you can transfer the frozen veggies to freezer bags to fight freezer burn and keep them tasting fresh.
Condiments: Supermarket
Buying condiments in bulk seems like a good deal, but once these items are opened, they have a relatively short shelf life. Barbeque sauce is best within about 4 months, ketchup will last for about 6 months and mayonnaise should be used within about 2 to 3 months. With those large quantities, the waste ends up canceling out the savings. So, unless you're hosting a big party, it's best to leave the bulk-sized condiments for caterers.
Tortilla Chips: Warehouse Store
Buying bulk bags of tortilla chips at a warehouse store will get you more for your money compared to supermarkets. If you don't finish the entire bag of chips in one sitting, there's an easy way to keep them from getting stale.
How to re-seal a chip bag:
- Flatten the part of the bag above the chips as much as possible.
- Fold the corners inward.
- Flip the bag over, ensuring the corners are folded under.
- Begin rolling the bag down tightly until you hit the chips
- Pick the bag up so it's sitting upwards, holding the fold in place.
- Invert the two corners that are folded at the front, flipping them over the rolled section to secure the bag closed.
