Ok, maybe the
subtitle “Bargins abound, but buyer beware.” is a little harsh,
but I wanted to get your attention. As you know shopping on a budget
requires a little work if you want to successfully stretch your food
dollars. This is especially true if you are just starting out and
trying to stock your pantry with the bare essentials, what we call
here 'the minimalist pantry'.
One of the great
resources for stocking your minimalist pantry is your local 'Dollar
Tree' store. Now I realize not everyone reading this article has a
local Dollar Tree, but if you have a '$0.99' or dollar store in your
neighboorhood, the same princples apply. With more than 13,500 stores
here in the lower 48 states and in Canada many of you have most
likely seen a Dollar Tree at one time or another. Like their name implies
eveything in the store is $1.00 (sometimes a few items can be found
for less, but rarely). This can lead to some great buys, but care
must be taken because sometime items are cheaper at your local
Walmart, our other grocery store chain.
Minimalist Pantry
'Best Buys'
So let's look at
some of the items in which you can save a substantial amount of money
on by buying them at the Dollar Tree versus your local grocer or
Walmart. I use Walmart for comparison as theyare the largest grocery
type retailer in the United States, usually have the most competitive
prices, and it is the primary grocery store chain in our area. This
listing of products is not all-inclusive, there are many things that
you might find at the Dollar Tree that I do not use or vice versa,
but this will give you a good indication of the savings you can find.
Dried Black Beans
1lb bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.72 at Walmart), a 42% savings.
Dried Pinto Beans
2lb bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.64 at Walmart), a 61% savings.
Dried Red beans 12oz
bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 1lb bag $1.22 at Walmart), a 5% loss.
Kosher Salt 16oz
($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.64 at Walmart), a 61% savings.
Lemon Juice 32oz
($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $2.48 at Walmart), a 60% savings.
Long Grain Rice 2lbs
($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.18 at Walmart), a 15% savings.
Molasses 8oz ($1.00
at Dollar Tree, 12oz $2.88 at Walmart), a 48% savings.
These items cost us
a total of $7.00, had we purchased similar items at Walmart we would
have spent $12.76. On this quick shopping trip we saved $5.76 or 45%
by shopping at the Dollar Tree as opposed to going into our local
Walmart. Now that is a way to stretch you food dollars! One tip we
use to stretch our food budget is that we keep an updated list of the
things we purchase at Dollar Tree and compare them with Walmart.
Knowing which items we use on a regular basis and which store is the
cheapest helps to stretch our food dollars and it only takes a minute
to check out or list when we get ready to go shopping.
Some items we did
not purchase on this trip but keep in the pantry include: Butterfield
canned chunk chicken 6oz can ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12.5oz $2.38 at
Walmart), a 16% savings, Corina tomato sauce 29oz can ($1.00 at
Dollar Tree, 12.5oz $1.29 at Walmart), a 22% savings. These are just a few of the canned goods we buy at Dollar Tree. We have found however, canned goods are usually cheaper at your local grocer or Walmart, so keep
your eyes open, as there are always exceptions.
Buyer Beware
(Comparing Apples to Apples)
Something to think
about when shopping at the Dollar Tree is that each location is a
little different. I have seen 'La Rosa' black beans in 1lb bags at
one location and 'Iberia' black beans in 12oz bags at a different
location both for $1.00. The black beans at my local Dollar Tree when
I made these purchases were sold in a 1lb bag, but the same 'La Rosa'
brand of red beans were in 12oz bags. Now here is what I mean about
buyer beware. While the red beans at the Dollar Tree were $1.00 each,
the bag was actually only 12oz making them $0.08 per ounce, while the
1lb bag at Walmart are $1.22 making them $0.06 per ounce. The red
beans are actually cheaper at Walmart than the Dollar Tree. Because
the black beans were sitting on the same shelf next to the red beans, I just grabbed a couple of bags of red beans without looking
at the size of the bag assuming they were 1lb bags. While my mistake only cost me a few pennies, it is a simple
reminder that you have to look at the size of or the weight of each
container when comparing prices.
Conclusion
Not everything is
cheaper at your local $0.99 or Dollar Tree store, but stop in and
take a quick look around next time you are near one. This will give
you an idea of which items the store carries that you use everyday
making nurticious meals for your family. Knowing which items are
available for $1.00 or less will help you to stretch your food budget
and stock your minimalist pantry without breaking the bank. Just
remember to check the labels and compare prices ounce per ounce when
making buying decisions to maximize your food purchasing power.
On this quick stop at our local Dollar Tree we saved we saved $5.76 or 45% compared to comparable items found at our local Walmart, and buying more with less is always a good thing! As
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Other Money Saving
Articles On Our Blog:
The Minimalist
Pantry Series On Our Blog:
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