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At first thought, it may seem unusual to pick up grocery items at the drugstores. There are some items, however, that show up on a regular basis for a good price. These include items like dried fruit (especially raisins), coffee, cereal, canned food, nuts, spices, candy, junk food, candies and beverages. It’s a good idea to know what the lowest prices items come up for consistently, so you can make an informed decision on when something is worth buying. That way, you can buy enough (with confidence!) until the next sale rolls around. This is the Penny Pantry strategy, with the outcome paying the lowest prices for your groceries.
Keeping a Price Book for what you want to buy at the stores in your area is the key to controlling what you spend on groceries.
If you are strictly WFPB, there will be less items at the Drugstores for you than if you follow a broader vegan diet. Not to worry; check out my other posts for lots of deals for every plant-based preferences! My household is all vegan, but I mostly eat WFPB.
The best prices in your area may be higher or lower than mine. I cover weekly deals for the three drugstores in my local area: CVS, Walgreen’s and Rite Aid. I often visit the stores to verify deals, and I want to give you informed information. You will want to keep a Price List or Book to get the best deals in your area, based on your best prices and your particular stores. As a guideline, though, there are some prices that you can keep in mind while evaluating drugstore deals:
Nuts: $5/lb. is the maximum I would pay for nuts overall. There are a lot of deals for them during the holidays, and I may include some deals that are higher than $5/lb. this time of year. I sometimes make an exception for the $5 limit when buying them to include in gift baskets or stockings. I buy sunflower seeds at Trader Joe’s for $1.99/lb. A good price for peanuts is $2-$2.50/lb. We are peanut free so I have not been pricing them closely. Almonds come up as low as $2.99/lb. in bulk at Sprouts. Walnuts and other nuts are as low as $3.99/lb. at Sprouts.
Coffee: $3/lb. is my buy price for regular ground (like Maxwell House) coffee. We also buy flavored whole bean coffee for lattes. $6.99/lb. is my limit for that type. Grocery Outlet carries a really good whole bean vanilla coffee for $6.99/lb. I don’t have a k-cup machine, but I have started recording these prices. $.50/k-cup is a good price.
Cereal: $1.50/box is my stock up price for cereal. It does come up for $1/box but this has been more rare lately. And, since our choices were narrowed recently, (See my post HERE) I consider $1.50/box a good price.
Dried Fruit: $3/lb. is my buy price. Raisins often come up at Walgreen’s for less than $3/lb. Dates usually cost more, with $4/lb. my buy price.
Spices: $1-$1.50 per bottle is a good price. You can find a lot of common spices in the drugstores for $1. I buy less common prices in bulk at my local health food store and Sprouts, and some larger bottles at my lowest price for ones I use a lot at Costco. You can also click below to read a post I did about saving money on spices.
Soda: We buy soda to have for the teens that hang out at our place. I also enjoy diet soda at times. $.25/can or $1.25 a 2 liter is a good price.
Candy: $1 per pack
Crackers: $1.50/box is a good price.
Chips: We buy these rarely, for teen gatherings. $2/bag is a good price. I buy pretzels at the Dollar Tree, as their large bags are the best price.
Tea: Box of 20 bags for $2
Canned Vegetables: $.50/can
Canned Fruit: $1/lb.
If you would like price guidelines for any other vegan items, please let me know in the comments. I am here to help! 🙂
