Earlier this week I read this article on Yahoo! about buying generic. It was interesting to see some dollars and cents equivalents to practices I have had for years. I am not a "name brand" snob for most items and often find the generic an affordable and acceptable option.
The item on this list that grabbed my eye though was the last one, spices. I had already been planning a blog post about spices and was glad to see that I was correct in my assumption that name brand spices are a total waste of money.
Dried spices are a great way to keep the healthy food I am trying to eat interesting without adding fat or calories. The idea of stocking a pantry with all the great spice options from the name brand aisle at the grocery store sends my wallet into shock though. At $5 or $6 a bottle it becomes a pricey endeavor.
The article is correct, the store brand spices are cheaper, but I have found an even better buy in my grocery store's ethnic food aisle. There is a great spice section in the "Latin American" section of my grocery store, over by all the Goya beans (also a great value!) and it is way cheaper than the store brand.
What is even better about this section is it has the spices in different size containers, so if you just need enough for a recipe or 2 you can buy a packet for $1.19 instead of a bottle. The regular size bottles are around $3 and they have big restaurant size bottles for things you use a lot.
Now I shop at an urban grocery store, I hope the suburban stores have this same great find. Check it out and spice up your meals without bankrupting your budget!
Great post Annmarie! I've discovered that ethnic grocery stores are a great place to buy super cheap spices. You can buy larger quantities for a LOT less money than what you'd find in a grocery store. For example: I just bought a large bag of cumin for $1.99 at an Indian grocery store. I usually pour them into my spice container and keep the extra in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, I've heard freezing spices works great!
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