Bananas $.33/lb.!

There are a few things I buy on a monthly basis at Trader Joe’s that I have verified are at the lowest price available anywhere in my area.  On occasion I will also buy  Marshmallows (they are gelatin-free), and Pita Breads.  These prices are based on my store in the San Francisco Bay Area.  What I buy:

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips $2.29/12 oz.=$3.05/lb.   (These are vegan). Update: Chocolate chunk ones are vegan now, too!

Sunflower Seeds $1.99/16 oz.  There are a variety of types ranging from no salt to roasted.  I use these to make my own sunflower seed butter, and at $1.99/lb. that is a steal compared to other nut butters! (except peanut butter, but we are peanut free).

Bananas $.19 ea.=approx. $.33/lb.  I wanted to figure out the price per lb. so I selected the largest bananas, weighed them and did a quick calculation. The bananas varied greatly in size, so choose the largest ones for the best deal!

Cocoa (unsweetened) $2.49/9 oz. =$5.90/lb.

You would pay up to 4 times as much to buy these items elsewhere!  Now, imagine for a moment that you averaged paying 4x less on every item on your grocery list.  That would mean a 75% savings overall on your monthly grocery expenses.  Yes, it’s possible!  Over time, this results in a lot of money saved.  What are you going to do with all the money you save? 🙂

And that is all I buy at Trader Joe’s on a regular basis!  I have priced out everything else my plant-based family would consider buying there, and these are the four items that made the price comparison cut.  Anything else I buy is purchased at a better price elsewhere.  Keep visiting The Penny Pantry as I am rolling out more content for you guys everyday!   I will show you how to save more money than you ever imagined on groceries!

Look for my recipes on here soon that show how I use these items!  Recipes for Homemade Hot Cocoa, Energy Bites, Banana Ice Cream coming soon to this website near you!

Happy Saving! 🙂