There’s a specific kind of grocery trip where nothing on your list is exciting — you’re just replacing the staples that vanish fastest — and buying them in the bigger size is the easiest money you’ll save all month.
1. Morton Iodized Salt – 26oz – $1.99
A jumbo pour-spout canister of iodized salt for $1.99, built to outlast half your other pantry items combined. That’s pennies per recipe for a staple you’ll never have to think twice about restocking.
Parting Thoughts: A dollar-ninety-nine investment that pays for itself the first time you’d have grabbed a pricier shaker instead.
2. Mahatma Enriched Extra Long Grain Rice – 10lbs – $10.59
Weeknight dinners get a lot cheaper when a 10-pound bag of rice is sitting in your cart for $10.59. That’s about a dollar a pound for a base that stretches into stir-fries, burrito bowls, and side dishes for weeks without another grocery run.
Parting Thoughts: Buy it once and you’ve basically pre-paid for a month of dinners.
3. Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter – 40oz – $6.29
I keep a jar of this in the pantry at all times, because a house going through sandwiches and snacks can demolish a smaller jar in a week. At $6.29 for 40 ounces, it’s a fraction of the per-ounce cost of the small jars, same reliable peanut butter inside.
Make It Better: Stir a scoop into oatmeal or thin it with a little soy sauce and lime for an instant satay-style sauce.
Parting Thoughts: Great value whether it’s going into lunchboxes or into that sauce, and it lasts long enough that you won’t be back for more anytime soon.
4. King Arthur Flour Unbleached All-Purpose Flour – 5lbs – $6.19
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Don’t bother with the bargain-bin flour — a 5-pound bag of King Arthur all-purpose runs $6.19, and the name-brand quality doesn’t cost you extra once you do the math per pound. It’s the kind of stock-up staple that turns homemade bread, pizza dough, and cookies from a splurge into a Tuesday-night project.
Parting Thoughts: Worth grabbing even if baking isn’t a weekly habit, since a well-sealed bag keeps for months.
5. Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oats – 42oz – $5.79
Old-fashioned oats don’t need dressing up — a 42-ounce canister runs $5.79 and covers a stretch of breakfasts without resorting to pricier instant packets. It’s the same oats you’d reach for in overnight oats, baking, or a stovetop bowl, just without paying extra for individual portions.
Parting Thoughts: Skip the flavored packets — same oats, a lot more breakfast left over for the price.
6. 2 Pack/15.5oz Each Black Beans – Good & Gather™. – $1.88
Canned black beans rarely get exciting, but $1.88 for two cans is hard to argue with when they’re the backbone of tacos, bowls, soups, and chili. That’s under a dollar a can for a fully cooked staple that keeps indefinitely in the pantry.
Parting Thoughts: Multi-packs like this quietly become the start of a dozen cheap dinners once you’re stocked up.
7. Velveeta Shells & Cheese Original Mac and Cheese Dinner Value Size – 24oz – $6.79
For anyone feeding kids — or just surviving a hard week — on a budget, this value-size box of shells and cheese is a stovetop dinner that costs a lot less per serving than the small boxes. At $6.79 for 24 ounces, it covers more dinners than you’d expect from something this comforting.
Parting Thoughts: Not fancy, but it’s the kind of backup dinner that saves both money and a stressful night.
Keep Reading
- 20 Shockingly Good Target Finds I’m Buying on Repeat
- Things I Never Leave Target Without
- The Ultimate Target Shopping Cheat Sheet: Clean, High-Protein & Worth It
- Must-Try Snacks You Can Only Find At Target
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