Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Good Alternative Markets to Buy Specialty Foods

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Good Alternative Markets to Buy Specialty Foods

In our family, we’re gluten free and dairy free due to food intolerances. Although we’ve been this way for about 10 years now, when we first eliminated gluten and dairy from our diets, I was shocked by how much gluten and dairy alternatives cost. Thankfully, in the years since, we’ve found good alternative markets to buy our specialty foods.

Save Before You Shop

Of course, if your grocery budget is tight and you’re on a special diet, the first way to save is to make meals that naturally don’t require substitutions. For instance, stir fries are meals that don’t require any gluten or dairy substitutes (except the soy sauce). An All-American meal of meat, potatoes, and a veggie is another one. Try to make the bulk of your meals the kind that don’t require any substitutions.

Having said that, sometimes you just want meals as close to what you used to have as possible.

Good Alternative Markets to Buy Specialty Foods

Azure Standard

Good Alternative Markets for Buying Specialty Foods
Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash

Azure Standard is a family run health food store that delivers food throughout the United States. You can buy food in bulk at significantly discounted prices.  (For instance, we buy gluten free oatmeal in 50 pound bags for $62, which is a price I can never match per pound in the grocery store.) In addition, each month, Azure has different items on sale.

Their trucks deliver once a month at places called drops where several people help unload the truck and then pick up their individual orders.

Vitacost

Vitacost is an online retailer that sells both vitamins and supplements as well as food. They have a large specialty food section, whether you’re looking for dairy free, gluten free, vegan, soy free, Keto, Paleo, or many others.

If you place a $50 order or larger, shipping is free. In addition, if you sign up for their mailing list, they will frequently send discount codes, often for 15 to 20 percent off.

Again, when I use their discount codes, I find the prices lower than I can get at local grocery stores. Plus, you can’t beat the convenience of having food delivered right to your door.

Thrive Market

Thrive Market does have a fee of $5 per month, but the people who use the service say the fee is worthwhile, especially since shipping is free if you buy $49 or more in an order.

This online retailer has more choices than VitaCost, and your order is delivered right to your door. However, like Vitacost, there is no fresh produce available.  (You can get fresh and frozen produce from Azure.  Azure’s organic frozen berries are much cheaper than you can find in stores!)

If you’re not sure about paying the monthly fee, you can try Thrive Market for free for 30 days and cancel if you find it isn’t what you’re looking for.

Final Thoughts

If you have dietary restrictions, you may be frustrated because you can’t find the foods you need at a traditional grocery store. However, these three alternative markets for buying specialty foods will likely have what you need. I use a combination of all three throughout the year.

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Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke

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Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke

Whether it’s nearly the end of the month and you’re out of cash, or you’ve just lost your job or you had a large expense this month, we all have times when we have to nourish our bodies for as little money as possible.  Luckily, there are many cheap foods to buy when you’re broke that are also nutrient power houses.

Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke

To get the most nutrition from limited money, you’ll want to first focus on fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables

There are many basic vegetables to choose from:

Carrots

Carrots are so versatile!  You can eat them raw or use them in soups and stir frys.

Cabbage

One head of cabbage can stretch, and stretch, and stretch and be used many ways.  Just recently, our family of five had a head of cabbage to use.  The first night, we made cabbage beef soup; it fed us all, plus there were leftovers.  The second night, we had skillet kielbasa and cabbage, and again, there were leftovers.

You’ll find plenty of recipes for cabbage.  Consider looking for recipes from other countries, too, as cabbage is a staple in the cuisine of many countries.

Fruits

While fruits like grapes, blueberries, and strawberries are delicious, they’re not affordable when they’re not in season.  Instead, focus on fruits that are affordable in any season.

Bananas

Bananas are quite filling and cheap.  You can eat them plain, or blend them up and use them as mock ice cream.

Apples

Cheap Foods to Buy When Broke
Photo by Sarah Gualtieri on Unsplash

Apples are in season for quite a long time and can often be found for less than $1 a pound.  I like these because of their nutritional value and because they can be eaten as a fruit, or used in a meal, or baked for a dessert.

Starches

When you’re on a budget, you need foods that are filling.  After fruits and vegetables, your next priority should be starches.

Potatoes

Potatoes are almost always a reasonably priced food.  Add them to meals to bulk up the content.  (One of our favorite breakfasts is diced, cooked potatoes mixed with a little cheese and scrambled eggs.)

Oatmeal

Oatmeal makes a great, filling breakfast for just pennies.  Stir in some protein powder or jam for a little extra flavor.

Oatmeal can also be used in muffins and ground up in a food processor and used as a substitute or supplement to flour in baked goods.

Flour

The price of flour can’t be beat per pound.  Use it to make homemade breads, rolls, desserts, etc.  You can also use flour as a thickener to homemade sauces and gravies.

Rice

Rice is also versatile and can be used for a side dish, dessert, or breakfast.  When rice is combined with beans, it is the ultimate frugal meal.

Protein

Protein will help satiate you longer, stretching the length of time you feel full, so hopefully you’ll need fewer in between snacks.

Dry Beans

A pound of dry beans costs between $1 and $2 per pound and can likely be used for several meals.  Use beans in soups, casseroles, and dips like hummus.  You can even use beans in desserts like black bean brownies.  (Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.  They’re delicious!)

Chicken

Chicken is a great animal protein that can be frugal if you buy it on sale or on the bone.  We usually try to use our animal protein as a supplement to a meal, not the main focus of the meal.  Try dishes like fried rice with some shredded chicken or chicken pot pie to complement all of the vegetables in the meal.

Don’t forget to take the bones and turn them into a homemade broth to use for future meals.  (We freeze our broth in ice cube trays for future use.)

Final Thoughts

If you’re on a tight grocery budget, remember that if you choose the most frugal food options, you can still eat healthy, nutritious, and filling foods.

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Is A Costco Membership Worth It When Living Alone?

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I have been a member of Costco for approximately 10 years, and I love it!  We typically recoup our membership cost within the first few months of our membership every year.  We have a family of five that can easily go through the many bulk items we buy.  However, if you’re single, is a Costco membership worth it when living alone?  The answer is a resounding yes for most people.  However, there is a small percentage who won’t benefit.

Is a Costco Membership Worth It When Living Alone?

Is a Costco Membership Worth It When Living Alone?

A Costco membership isn’t always worth it when you’re single, but for many, there are enough advantages that having a membership is worth the $60 a year.  Some of my favorite reasons why include:

Special Diet

If you have a special diet such as food intolerances or allergies or you prefer organic food, Costco is the place for you.  Our family has both dairy and gluten intolerances, and I can’t beat the price for almond milk or gluten free pancake mix at Costco.

If you prefer organic food, you’ll definitely want to check out Costco.  Over the years, Costco has added more and more organic selections.  You can buy a 6 pack of organic Romaine lettuce for less than a 3 pack of the same at a traditional grocery store.  Almost all of their organic fresh vegetable and fruit selections are markedly cheaper than a traditional grocery store.  In addition, they have large bags of organic frozen fruits and vegetables that are much cheaper than their counterparts at a traditional grocery store.

Alcohol

Is a Costco Membership Worth It When Living Alone?
Photo by Jack Ward on Unsplash

If you love to entertain, Costco is the place for you.  I don’t personally drink alcohol, so I don’t have exact prices on this.  However, I’ve been told that you can buy wine and hard liquor at Costco at a much lower price than anywhere else.  I know each time I go to Costco, I regularly see several customers who have their carts full of alcohol.

My husband does drink beer, and I can buy him a 24-pack of beer at Costco for just a few dollars more than a 12 pack costs at the grocery store.  Over a year, the savings really add up!

Electronics

The only place we buy our laptops now is at Costco.  Every laptop comes with a 2-year warranty—the first year from the manufacturer, the second year from Costco.

If you have a problem, simply call Costco’s concierge service, and they will assist.  I have had issues with my laptops both in the first and second year of owning them.  When it was during the first year and my laptop was still under manufacturer’s warranty, Costco acted as a bridge to help facilitate the interaction and repair, making for a seamless process.

During the second year, Costco does the repairs.  I almost prefer if something needs to be repaired on my computer during the second year because Costco is so efficient!  I always get my computer back quickly, and they do an excellent job keeping me updated on the repair process.

Gift Cards

Costco offers many gift cards at a significant discount.

If you love to dine out, you can get two $50 gift cards or four $25 gift cards to restaurants like Macaroni Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, and Smashburger, just to name a few of the many they offer.  These $100 gift cards are available for just $74.99 to $79.99!  You are immediately saving 20% or more.

In addition to restaurants, they also have gift cards for weight loss programs, the App store, and more.  If you love video games, you’ll find significant discounts for XBOX, PlayStation and others.

These gift cards are great for presents, but they’re also great for you to use for your regular expenditures.  If you spend just $300 a year dining out and always use your Costco bought gift cards, you will recoup your $60 membership fee right there!

Travel Benefits

Is a Costco Menbership Worth It When Living Alone?
Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash

Do you travel frequently?  If so, you may find this yet another way you can quickly recoup the price of your $60 membership.  Costco has many special package deals for travel.

While we haven’t yet used Costco for any package deals, we’ve used Costco to book our rental car whenever we travel.  By doing this, we easily save at least 10% off the price of booking without our Costco card.

Gas

One of the best perks of being a Costco member is the gas prices.  Whenever I’m near Costco, I fill up because gas is routinely 15 to 30 cents cheaper per gallon than anywhere else in town.  When you’re filling up your vehicle multiple times per month, that discount can have a real impact.

However, the Costco stations don’t have window cleaner solutions and squeegees.  (I wish they did!)  Also, because most members know about the bargain gas price, don’t be surprised if you have to wait in line a few minutes before you can pump your gas.

When Having a Costco Membership Isn’t Worthwhile for Singles

As wonderful as Costco is, for some people who are single, a membership just isn’t worthwhile.  My mom is one of those people.  She doesn’t have a specialty diet, and she doesn’t care about eating organic food.  She doesn’t drink alcohol, and she rarely travels.  Instead of having a Costco membership, she just asks her friend who does have one to pick her up any items she’d like at Costco.

Another reason why it might not be worthwhile to have a Costco membership is if you’re a bargain shopper who likes to go to a variety of stores to get the lowest prices.  While Costco can save many people a significant amount of money on groceries, generally, shopping at multiple stores for the lowest price will save even more.

Final Thoughts

Is a Costco membership worth it when living alone? For most singles, it is worthwhile.  If you have a special diet, like to socialize and throw parties, or like to travel, getting a Costco membership will be a smart move.  However, if you’re one of the few people who wouldn’t benefit from a membership, simply do what my mom does, and ask a friend with a membership to pick you up a few things.