There are a few items I buy at Trader Joe’s regularly that I believe to be a really good deal. While contemplating this recently, I got a great idea for a post: uncovering the best bargains at Trader Joe’s!
As I know how easy it is to gravitate toward the same items, I decided to ask my friends what they thought some of the best values were at Trader Joe’s. Not surprisingly, they mentioned many items I had not considered!
Earlier this week, my lovely friend and I spent some time at Trader Joe’s, noting the prices/size of each of these items and many more. We arrived at a list of nearly 40 items. While many things did seem to be priced well, I decided to dig a bit deeper.
Taking my list, I went to three area grocery stores to see could I find a better deal. There were definitely some surprises: some things I thought were good deals turned out to only be just OK, while other things ended up as clear winners.
After price comparison, I arrived at a list of 15 items. A few notes on my selection criteria:
- I am only including items you could find at other stores. Sure, the corn & chile salsa and caramel chai are delicious (and often value-based), but I consider these items unique to Trader Joe’s. They aren’t included on my list.
- I may have compared across brands. Where possible, I worked to keep this comparison apples to apples. So as much as possible, Trader Joe store brands were compared to other store brands.
- I paid attention to unit prices. I’ve noted ounces and quantities to make sure the comparisons are fair.
- Prices are subject to change. Trader Joe’s tends to make a price and stick with it. (AKA, they don’t do “sales.”) However, that doesn’t mean that prices may not vary from region to region or change over time. I also tried to note regular prices at other stores and pay less attention to sales prices. Please note: Some of the prices listed here are from April 2015.
I also want to make it clear that it’s quite possible you might best these prices in other ways. For instance, you might get a better deal by waiting for a sale with a coupon, a loss leader at another grocery store, buying in bulk, or growing your own.
For the purposes of this post, I’m just hoping to point you to some really good deals, in the absence of sales, coupons, or other tactics.
In This Article
- Top Bargains At Trader Joes
- 1. Ezekiel Bread: $3.49
- 2. Fresh Basil, 4 oz: $2.49
- 3. Medjool Dates: $4.99 (for 12-oz organic)
- 4. Light Coconut Milk: $0.99
- 5. Hummus, 8 oz: $1.99
- 6. Organic Peanut Butter, 16 oz: $3.49
- 7. Mango Ginger Chutney, 9 oz: $2.29
- 8. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 9 oz: $2.49 ($0.28/oz)
- 9. Spanish Saffron, 0.02 oz: $5.99 ($2.99/0.01 oz)
- 10. Organic Polenta: $1.99
- 11. Sea Salt, 26.5 oz: $1.59 ($0.06/oz)
- 12. Lip Balm, 3-ct: $2.49 ($0.83 each)
- 13. Kefir, 32 oz: $2.99
- 14. Organic Kale, 10 oz: $2.29 ($0.23/oz)
- 15. Greeting Cards: $0.99
- Honorable Mentions
Top Bargains At Trader Joes
With that, here are the items that made the cut:
1. Ezekiel Bread: $3.49
What you’d pay at other stores: $3.99 – $5.99
Not only is this brand more expensive at other stores, some stores don’t carry it at all.
2. Fresh Basil, 4 oz: $2.49
What you’d pay at other stores: $3.99
This is a great price for a large container of fresh basil! At two other area stores, I found the same size priced at $3.99 (full disclosure: one was organic). Incidentally, you can also buy a large potted basil plant at Trader Joe’s for $3.99 – much smaller ones were selling for the same price at another store I visited.
3. Medjool Dates: $4.99 (for 12-oz organic)
What you’d pay at other stores: $7.99
While I was able to find a pound of dates for cheaper at other stores, they were not Medjool dates, which tend to run more money. This is another item that you may struggle finding at other grocery stores, too. I only found Medjool dates at one of the three comparison grocery stores I visited today.
4. Light Coconut Milk: $0.99
What you’d pay at other stores: $1.57 – $2.49
My friends both suggested I check out the price on canned coconut milk at Trader Joe’s. At $0.99, this was definitely one of the best bargains I noted in my research!
5. Hummus, 8 oz: $1.99
What you’d pay at other stores: $2.99
Trader Joe’s offers a variety of different hummus flavors. At $1.99 for an 8-ounce container, I’d definitely include this in the best bargains category. Two other grocery stores I visited were offering the same size of their store-brand for $2.99.
6. Organic Peanut Butter, 16 oz: $3.49
What you’d pay at other stores: $3.99 – $4.49
Several of my friends suggested that Trader Joe’s had good deals on nut butters, but after doing some research, the only nut butter I found was a deal was the organic peanut butter at $3.49. The regular peanut butter was priced at $1.99 and I was able to find lower prices than that at all three grocery stores I visited today. (Still, the Trader Joe’s PB is just peanuts and salt, if you’re looking for a product with super simple ingredients.)
7. Mango Ginger Chutney, 9 oz: $2.29
What you’d pay at other stores: $3.28 – $5.79
Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger Chutney is easily one of the best bargains in the store! This specialty condiment is delicious when served on chicken or mixed in rice. It can also be expensive at other stores! Two stores I visited today were selling another brand in the same size for over $5 a bottle.
8. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 9 oz: $2.49 ($0.28/oz)
What you’d pay at other stores: $2.69 – $4.09 (10 oz size)
My friend mentioned that the cocoa powder was a good bargain. Turns out, he’s right! At two grocery stores I visited, a near-similar size was selling for over $4. One grocery store had a 10-oz container for $2.69. Even so, I feel the Trader Joe’s version is definitely worth mentioning.
9. Spanish Saffron, 0.02 oz: $5.99 ($2.99/0.01 oz)
What you’d pay at other stores: $7.66 – 19.69
Now, I don’t buy saffron (maybe due to the crazy high cost?), so I can’t speak to the quality of the Trader Joe’s brand. However, if I needed it – I’d spring for the Trader Joe’s version at $5.99!
10. Organic Polenta: $1.99
What you’d pay at other stores: $2.89
I was only able to locate this item at one of the three other grocery stores I visited today! I am pretty sure I’ve seen it selling for as much as $4 elsewhere, and I’ve certainly never found it cheaper than Trader Joe’s.
If you’ve never purchased this item before, consider it! You can slice it and use it as a starch under marinara or chili. Very good – plus, it’s gluten-free (if that’s a concern for you).
11. Sea Salt, 26.5 oz: $1.59 ($0.06/oz)
What you’d pay at other stores: $0.16/oz
Here’s another item I wouldn’t have thought to check – sea salt! A 26.5 oz container is $1.59 at Trader Joe’s. Other versions when compared ounce-for-ounce were considerably more money.
12. Lip Balm, 3-ct: $2.49 ($0.83 each)
What you’d pay at other stores: $0.99 – $1.19 each
This is another item I’ve never noticed at my Trader Joe’s! Turns out it’s a great value at just $0.83 each. I could not find a better deal than that today.
13. Kefir, 32 oz: $2.99
What you’d pay at other stores: $2.99 – $4.39
While I was able to find this same price at one other store, the other two stores had this same item priced at least a dollar more. Given that, I feel it’s worth mentioning.
14. Organic Kale, 10 oz: $2.29 ($0.23/oz)
What you’d pay at other stores: $0.56 – $0.66/oz
One of my friends suggested the Organic Kale is a good deal. To be honest, at first I was a bit skeptical. Those are just small bags, right? Well those “small bags” contain 10 oz. At all three of the stores I visited today, the small clamshells of organic kale only contained 5 ounces and were all closer to the $3+ mark. Turns out this actually is a fantastic deal!
15. Greeting Cards: $0.99
What you’d pay at other stores: $0.99+
One of my friends mentioned she likes buying greeting cards at Trader Joe’s. How have I never paid attention to this display? And yes, they are all $0.99! While you can definitely find cards for $0.99 at other stores, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a selection as cute as this! It’s definitely a top bargain in my book.
Honorable Mentions
There are a few other things that either I have noted in the past and/or my friends suggested that I feel are worth mentioning, even though they didn’t make the final cut above for one reason or the other:
- Fennel, 20 oz: $2.29
- Floral Bouquets: $1.49 – $14.99
- Avocados, 6-ct: $2.99
- Organic Tofu: $1.99
- Joe’s Coffee, 14 oz: $4.99
- Frozen Mango, 1.5 lb: $2.79
- Frozen Pineapple Tidbits, 16 oz: $1.99
- Sparkling Mineral Water, 42 oz: $0.99
- Free Range Organic Chicken Broth, 32 oz: $1.99
- Organic Potted Herbs: $1.99
- A couple friends vouched for the quality/value of the beauty items (hair care, lotions, soaps, shave gel, etc.)
- Another friend vouched for the quality/value of some of the wines (though she did not recommend the Charles Shaw label)
