What Not to Buy at the Supermarket

April 3, 2007 — -- Although I do most of my grocery shopping at my local supermarket by getting sale items with coupons, there are some items that are usually a bargain elsewhere.

I will preface my list of the top five things not to buy at your supermarket by clarifying that there is nothing morally wrong with buying these items during your routine grocery trip if you simply do not have the time to shop elsewhere. You can find perfectly good products in these categories at your supermarket -- they will just be more expensive than other shopping alternatives.

This list also assumes that we are comparing the typical regular prices of both stores -- we are not comparing a clearance price at the supermarket to the regular price at other stores.

If you are trying to save as much money as possible and pay the lowest price for everything you need, then memorize this list!

1. Pet Food

Although supermarkets have extensive pet food aisles, they do not have the space to carry as many large sizes as pet stores, wholesale clubs or discount stores. If you compare the cost of your pet food on a per-unit basis (pound for pound or ounce to ounce), you may find (as I did) that the 40-pound bag of dog food at the pet store is one-third less expensive than the 20-pound bag of the same brand of dog food at the supermarket. Local pet stores may also have coupons available in sale flyers or on their Web sites, as well as frequent buyer clubs that will reward you with points toward free products.

2. Spices

Studies show that we should replace our spices after one year for maximum freshness and taste. Generally speaking, the $5 gourmet spice you buy for one recipe is still 95 percent full at the end of a year. However, you can buy high quality spices in bulk at many natural food stores, which allows you to buy smaller quantities.

For example, I recently bought about two tablespoons of dried rosemary from our natural foods store, and I paid 17 cents. It was much more aromatic and flavorful than the ancient jar of dried rosemary that has been in my spice cabinet for too long to report!

If you like to bake, buying yeast in bulk at the natural foods store is far less expensive than buying individual yeast packets at the supermarket. You can also buy common spices at discount stores like Wal-Mart for 50 cents a jar, or at drugstores or dollar stores. I buy cinnamon, oregano, pepper, chili powder, basil and other spices I use frequently at Wal-Mart.