Get Your Spices Cheap & Save Loads of Money

Do you ever visit a country store that has flour, oats and spices priced crazy cheap? Have you ever sat in front of the spice bins wishing you remembered which spices you were running low on? I have and then I kicked myself for wasting the trip because I could have used quite a few spices and things and I would have saved some bucks if I had only known what I needed. Now we visit the same country store every Autumn for apple picking so I plan my visits more wisely. My mother also happens to frequent some country stores so I keep a list of the items that those stores carry. (They thankfully keep such a list). If I can’t make my annual trip Mom will pick up some things for me when she goes to her stores.

It is a mystery to me how or why these country stores sell their herbs and spices so inexpensively. However they do it, you should take advantage. I keep quite a number of spices since I am a frequent cook and I like to explore new recipes. I keep the little store size jars in my cupboard for easy access and a bin in my basement pantry for the overflow. In my overflow spice bin I keep a list for my annual country store trip. So when I go to refill a store size jar in my kitchen with my overflow bin and I see that something is running low I add it to my annual shopping list. It is easy to do and it saves a ton of money since I cook a lot.

Here are some examples of the savings I have experienced over the last few years. I have this rather large bag of bay leaves that cost 72 cents at the country store but a store size jar which would be about ¼ of the amount costs around $5 at the grocery. There is also a 1 lb bag of sesame seeds which cost $1.33 but the jar you get at the grocery store holds a measly 2.25 oz (there are 16 oz in 1 lb) and costs around $5. This could easily become a quantifiable category for the “Things I didn’t Buy” savings envelope.