I check Kroger’s flyer every week before I shop, and this list is what keeps winning the comparison — the everyday groceries that ring up cheaper here, no coupon hunting or sale-timing required.
1. (Hot) Freshness Guaranteed Traditional Rotisserie Whole Chicken, 2.25 lb – $5.97
Skip the oven — this one comes fully cooked and seasoned, straight off the case and ready to pull apart the second you get it home. It’s the busy-weeknight fallback: pair it with a bag of salad or a box of rice and dinner is done, whole chicken and all, for $5.97.
Taste: The seasoning leans savory and herbal rather than salty, and the meat pulls apart tender and juicy instead of stringy, even in the breast, which usually dries out first. It tastes like something that took real effort, even though yours was zero.
Make It Better: Don’t toss the carcass — simmer it down for stock, or shred whatever’s left into next-day soup or chicken salad.
Parting Thoughts: It won’t win a fine-dining award, but for the price of a fast-food combo, you get a whole bird’s worth of dinner.
2. 73% Lean / 27% Fat Ground Beef, 1 lb Roll, Fresh, All Natural* – $6.44
A one-pound roll of 73/27 ground beef is about as basic as grocery shopping gets, and that’s exactly the point. It’s the base for taco night, meatloaf, or a quick skillet dinner whenever the week gets away from you, and at $6.44 a roll it’s priced to keep in the fridge as a reliable backup any night of the week.
Taste: With more fat than the leaner blends, it browns up rich and stays juicy instead of drying out in the pan — the difference shows up fastest in a smash burger or a pot of chili.
Make It Better: Portion it into thirds before you cook it — one for tonight’s dinner, and press the rest flat to freeze for whenever you need beef in a hurry.
Parting Thoughts: It’s the one grocery item that never needs a sale to be worth buying.
3. bettergoods Wood-Fired Ultra Thin Pepperoni & Ricotta Pizza – $6.92
Ultra-thin crust that crackles at the edges, a layer of ricotta tucked under real pepperoni — this is the kind of frozen pizza you pull out for a night in instead of calling for delivery. You bake it straight from the freezer, and at $6.92 it undercuts most delivery tips alone.
Taste: The crust genuinely shatters the way a wood-fired crust should instead of going soggy in the middle, and the ricotta keeps things from tipping into greasy. It reads more like a restaurant order than a freezer-aisle standby.
Make It Better: Drizzle hot honey over it right out of the oven for a sweet-heat finish that makes it feel like takeout.
Parting Thoughts: Worth keeping one in the freezer for the nights takeout sounds good but the budget says no.
4. Great Value Original Macaroni & Cheese, 7.25 oz – $0.64
Kraft has nothing on this: Great Value’s own mac and cheese uses the same elbow noodles and a cheese packet that holds its own in a blind taste test, and it rings up at a fraction of the name-brand price. It’s the emergency dinner that lives in the pantry — kids’ lunches, late nights, or anytime the fridge is looking bare.
Taste: The sauce comes out properly cheesy rather than watered down, and the noodles hold a good bite if you don’t overcook them — nearly indistinguishable from the box with the blue label.
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Make It Better: A splash of extra milk and a pat of butter beyond what the box calls for makes it noticeably creamier.
Parting Thoughts: At $0.64 a box, there’s no reason to keep buying the name brand out of habit.
5. Great Value Hazelnut Spread, 13 oz – $2.97
I stopped buying Nutella the day I realized this jar tastes just as rich and chocolatey for close to half the price. It’s a shelf staple for spreading on toast, dunking strawberries, or sneaking into a school-lunch sandwich when you want lunch to feel a little special.
Taste: It’s smooth and properly chocolate-forward with real hazelnut coming through, maybe a touch looser than the jar it’s copying but nowhere near thin.
Make It Better: Stir it into warm oatmeal or plain yogurt — it swirls in just as easily as it spreads on bread.
Parting Thoughts: Bakers and lunch-packers alike will burn through a jar fast, and that’s the best compliment I can give it.
6. Great Value Chicken Finger Dipping Sauce, 12 fl oz – $2.43
Fry night just got a serious upgrade: this squeeze bottle is about as close as you’ll get to Raising Cane’s famous dipping sauce without leaving the house. It’s built for chicken fingers, fries, or fried pickles, and one bottle covers a whole family dinner’s worth of dipping.
Taste: The blend leans peppery with a tang of Worcestershire under the mayo base — punchier than plain ranch and exactly what a basket of fried food is missing.
Make It Better: Keep a bottle on hand for anything crispy — it’s just as good on a burger or drizzled over a loaded baked potato.
Parting Thoughts: One bottle disappears fast in a house with kids who love fried food, so grab a backup.
7. Great Value Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, 48 fl oz – $2.97
Kids raid the freezer for this one, but adults sneak spoonfuls too — real chunks of sandwich cookie folded into a base creamy enough to rival the name brand three aisles over. Scoop it into a bowl, blend it into a shake, or just eat it straight from the tub on a rough day.
Taste: It’s smooth rather than icy, with enough cookie crumble in every bite that you’re never digging around looking for the good part.
Make It Better: Blend a couple of scoops with milk for an instant milkshake, or crush extra cookies on top if you want more crunch.
Parting Thoughts: Sweet tooth or not, it’s hard to argue with ice cream this cheap.
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