Believe it or not, going over budget was a good thing for me. I learned that I needed to be a better planner for the “little things” that I often buy for the pantry. I also needed to broaden my horizons and try new stores.
Enter the enchanted and majestic Trader Joe’s. 🙂
Somehow, society has convinced us that food without artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, genetically modified ingredients, and artificial trans fats a) taste bad, and b) is considerably more costly than the fake-flavored, dyed, preserved to last ages and hormone-fed food that fills most of the store shelves.
My dear friends, we have been deceived!
I already knew that homemade foods tasted better than store-bought (you can see the recipes I’ve shared so far here), but I was astonished to realize that I could have saved money last month by buying all-natural foods!
The curtain has been pulled back and my eyes have been opened!
The few minutes I spent price checking on my first trip to Trader Joe’s was not nearly enough to satisfy my nerdy quench to crunch the numbers, so I went back and spent an hour just perusing the aisles of beautiful and inexpensive deliciousness that Trader Joe’s has to offer.
I felt like a spy… going undercover for a recognizance mission to gather intel to win the war against the budget.
It was awesome!
And the fruit of my labor is my gift to you – a price list of products at Trader Joe’s. This list is not by all means everything in the store, but it’s a start and I hope you find it helpful in your quest to trim your budgets. Remember that these prices are from my local store in Central California and prices may vary from region to region.
Almonds, Raw | 4.49/lb | Mayo | 2.99/32oz | |
Banana, Chips | .99/8oz | Oat Bran | 2.99/32oz | |
Basil | 1.99/.3oz | Oats, Plain Dry | 2.69/30oz | |
Beans, White, Can | .89/15oz | Oats, Steel Cut | 2.49/24oz | |
Cayenne | 1.99/1.8oz | Olive Oil, EVOO | 5.99/L | |
Cheese, Chunk Cheddar | 3.99/lb | Olives, Kalamata | 2.99/12oz | |
Cheese, Cream | 1.69/8oz | Oregano | 1.99/.45 | |
Cheese, Feta | 2.97/6oz | Pancetta | 2.99/4oz | |
Cheese, Mozz Fresh | 4.99/12oz | Parmesan, Grated | 1.79/8oz | |
Cherries | 3.49/8oz | Parmesan, Whole | 6.49/lb | |
Chicken Broth, Org | 1.99/32oz | Pasta | .99/lb | |
Chili Pepper Flakes | 1.99/1.2oz | Pasta Sauce | 1.29/18oz | |
Chips, Corn Tortilla | 1.99/16oz | Pecans, Pieces | 4.99/8oz | |
Chocolate Syrup | 3.49/20oz | Pepitas | 6.49/16oz | |
Cinnamon | 1.99/1.5oz | Polenta | 1.99/18oz | |
Cocoa Powder | 2.49/9oz | Prosciutto | 3.99/4oz | |
Coconut Oil | 5.99/lb | Prunes | 2.89/16oz | |
Coconut, Milk | .99/14oz | Rice, Arborio | 2.29/17.6oz | |
Coffee, Creamer | 2.99/qt | Rice, Jasmine | 3.29/3lb | |
Cornbread Mix | 2.69/15oz | Rosemary | 1.99/.8oz | |
Cumin | 1.99/1.8oz | Salt | 1.49/26.5oz | |
Curry Powder | 1.99/1.8oz | Sour Cream | 1.79/16oz | |
Dates | 3.79/16oz | Spinach, Fresh Baby | 1.99/6oz | |
Dill | 1.99/.5oz | Sugar, Brown | 3.49/24oz | |
Eggs | 1.69/doz | Sugar, White | 3.49/32oz | |
Flax Seed | 2.69/16oz | Sunflower Seeds | 1.99/16oz | |
Garlic, Ground | 1.99/2.8oz | Thyme | 1.99/.7oz | |
Gouda, Dutchman | 5.79/lb | Tomatoes, Sun-dried | 3.29/8.5oz | |
Gouda, Goat | 8.99/lb | Vinegar, Rice | 1.99/12.7oz | |
Half/Half | 2.69/qt | Yogurt, Probiotic | 1.99/16oz | |
Maple Syrup, Grade A | 17.99/32oz | Yogurt, Not Probiotic | 2.99/24oz | |
Maple Syrup, Grade B | 16.99/16oz |
You can find the permanent home for this list here.
Im so glad you have been talking about Trader Joes and how affordable it is! I discovered this a few years ago, but when I tell people I shop there they look at me like I am crazy for wasting my money by shopping at such an “expensive” store. My most recent price discovery= Organic Milk! We made the switch to organic a couple months ago and I have just been buying it at Costco thinking it would be the cheapest: enter Trader Joes! I think a gallon is $3.49 at Trader Joes and at Costco I was paying almost $11 for two gallons. I’m not a math person but thats a couple dollar difference, I was happy!! Now I dont have to feel guilty for buying organic milk 🙂
I think the stigma is that since the majority of products are Trader Joe-brand, and TJ-brand items are free of additives/preservatives/GMO’s, that they in turn must be expensive. I thought this myself until I actually walked into the store and saw the prices with my own two eyes!
That is a fantastic price for organic milk! Until now, I was convinced that Costco had the best price in town. Even if it’s only a few dollar, that can make a big difference in the long run. Especially with three growing kids!!
I’m going there today!:) Thank you for taking time out to prepare this list. I love Tjoes I happily lug groceries on the Subway because they are so much cheaper than the grocery store near my home!
You’re most welcome Lavern!
Hey there thanks for the list. Any idea on the price of semisweet chocolate chips? Thanks!
You’re welcome! No idea on the chips, but I do remember comparing prices vs. Costco and Costco was WAY better… which is probably why I never wrote it down, lol.
I believe they are $1.99.
ditto, ditto, ditto on this post! thanks for the price list since i’m always comparing and usually find that TJs is less expensive than Sams/Costco! by the way, i believe the chocolate chips are 1.99 or 2.29…i keep a good stock in my cupboards, and what a price!
Lisa,
Thanks for the price on the chips! And you’re right, a great price! ~Tiffany
Thank you so much for the list! I have been working on doing a notebook with price comparisons. I can tell you that the gallon of TJ Organic Milk here in NJ (Princeton and Marlton area) is $5.79, which is just about the same as Shop Rite Brand 1 gallon, at $5.49. I will have to compare other prices that you listed to ours on the East Coast. 🙂
Great article. One thing I’ve found having moved from Boston to Los Angeles is some things are cheaper out here in California. I believe due to transportation costs. A bottle of their Charles Shaw wine in Boston was $2.99. Here in L.A. (closer to the vineyard) is $2.49.
Same with a pound of Organic Carrots. BOS $.99 LAX $.79
Scott,
Thanks for including the price differences from coast to coast. Transportation costs would also explain why most produce is affordable year round (most of it is grown here!). ~Tiffany
I agree TJ products are probably more expensive on the east coast. I buy TJ organic milk for $5.99/gallon in VA- it’s been about that price for as long as i’ve been buying it – about 8 or 9 years. Another reason i buy TJ milk is that it’s not “UP” – ultra pasteurized – This is when they heat the milk to a super high temperature to kill everything in it (almost all other grocery store milk is UP – even the organic ones). When I tried to make cheese, i could only make it with TJ milk because all the other milks were “dead” from the pasteurization process.
anyway – i found this post because i’m trying to justify switching to local organic grass fed milk i found, but it’s $3.49 for a quart!! How to justify the cost of that? i’m trying to figure that out–one thing that bothers me about TJ milk is that it does come from so far away – and in a plastic bottle. although organic, it’s not really sustainable at all. this milk comes from PA and comes in a reusable glass milk bottle. sorry to ramble – so much to think about…
Deb,
I’ve found a few grocery store brands that aren’t UP, but we must definitely read labels. Surprisingly, my local store’s organic milk is from grass-fed cows! (I found myself bored, reading that label and was pleasantly surprised. 🙂 ) Don’t count any brand or maker out – you may be pleasantly surprised too!
No need to apologize for rambling; your thoughts are always welcome. Real food decisions often include much to consider – baby steps. 🙂 ~Tiffany
I think the taste difference is worth it but to be honest we only go through 2 quarts a month, neither me or s/o loves milk and we rarely have kids in the house. My local independent grocery sells local milk that is pasteurized with low heat, pastured, organic and not homogenized (so theres real cream on the top – like 2 layers thick!) so delicious. My boyfriend brought me a glass of milk while I was upstairs and it was gross to me, much more like water than anything else, when I asked him what was wrong with it, if it was accidentally skim or something, he told me it was store brand organic (we had run out), that experience alone made me decide to just keep the local milk, whatever the cost!
Trader Joe’s 16-oz bag of almond meal: $4.99! (I’ve seen people say $3.99 online, but I think TJ’s may have upped the price a dollar.) TJ’s almond meal is not blanched as the almond meal at the grocery store is, but that kind is around $11.25 for the same amount. So get the TJ’s brand unless you’re making macarons and don’t want brown flecks in your macarons 😉
I can’t live without Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar for making salad dressing! I have found it there for $3.29 for 8 ounces (used to be $2.99 but I know everything goes up except my paycheck.)
Ooh, that sounds pretty good!
Organic chicken is super cheap, too! I buy 10 packs of drumsticks at $1.99 per pound and use these to make my broth that I can. We also buy about 4 packs of chicken thighs that we use for dinners at $4.99 a pound. We can’t afford pastured meats in our area in CA, but we do buy raw milk and pastured eggs.
Yeh I find the prices here on Long island Ny almost double what you have listed here. I was just in California and couldn’t believe how cheap your fruit & veggies are. Ours around around $4-7 a pound unless it’s on sale. Problem is the sales are limited too now so you’re only allowed one at a sale price mostly. Not only that nearly all our mainstream grocery stores closed down here. We have only stop and shop and a few smaller more expensive stores now. We are a family of 6-9 depending on who’s home from college but our budget goes only as far as pasta chicken rice beans and essentials and we’re spending well over $400 a month at Costco and trader joes. Just thought I’d mention this because the reality of feeding a family of 4 is not realistic in some places these days.
Vanilla extract 4.99/4 oz
If you need a quick pasta sauce (spaghetti sauce) because you can’t or don’t make your own; TJ’s is a very good alternative. Better than anything in a grocery store that’s not priced at $7.00 a jar. An 18 once jar is $149.00 in New Jersey and they come in a few different flavors.
Thanks Taffy – do you mean $1.49?
I challenge anyone to find raw cashews cheaper than Trader Joe’s. 7.99 lb. can’t even find better online and the are whole and a decent size. Don’t get me started about everything else there. Great store for high quality, organic and natural foods
Frozen French Green Beans $1.99 24 oz.
Frozen Green Peas $1.29 16 oz.
Going to my TJ store on Friday. Will post the prices of my goodies 🙂