The Best Bargain Buys in Any Grocery Store

Budget-minded grocery shoppers and spending experts alike often advise people seeking to keep a few pennies in their pockets to shop multiple stores in order to find the best deals every week. One supermarket may have milk marked down a few bucks, while another has bags of rice buy-one-get-one-free. And sure, if you're the type of shopper who has the time and energy to do that cross-city zigzagging, more power to you.

But if you're a one-and-done kind of grocery shopper, because you just simply don't have the time, then this is the list for you. Whether you're a fan of Aldi, Target, Walmart, Kroger, or another regional grocery chain, this handy list of five bargain buys will help save you money no matter where you shop.

1. Store Brands

Nearly every supermarket chain sells their own store brand items. These generics are often identical to or very similar to the name-brand products you know and love, only at a lower cost.

Shop around and figure out what you're willing to splurge for with name-brand products, but know that many staples, like canned beans, condiments, grains, and pastas, are just as tasty off label.

Want to make it less tempting to buy name brand? Shop at Aldi. About 90 percent of their products as store brand.

2. Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chickens are the cornerstone of quick dinners. Whether you serve one as is with a simple side salad, shred it for filling tacos, or use shredded leftovers to create a casserole, the options for this humble cooked bird are nearly endless.

Oftentimes, these seasoned and cooked chickens are the same price as, or even cheaper than, their uncooked counterparts in the meat section. This is both because grocery chains use rotisserie chickens as a "draw in" item that brings customers into the store (where they're very likely to buy more than just the chicken), and also because rotisserie chickens are traditionally smaller than what you'd find available raw. But this doesn't mean it's not a good buy.

Rotisserie chicken may also keep you from splurging on costly fast food for convenience sake. And you can create several budget-friendly meals from a single chicken (plus broth if you boil the carcass). Priceonomics crunched the numbers, and the cheapest place to get a rotisserie chicken is at Costco, where it is $1.61 per pound.

3. Baked Goods

If you've got a sweet tooth and a tight budget, you're in luck. You can find some serious deals in the bakery section of your favorite grocery store.

With such a short shelf life, many goodies like cookies, cupcakes, and breads are marked down the day after baking to make room for fresher items.

Go for desserts that are better served warm — like doughnuts, apple pies, or scones — as they'll taste newly made when you reheat them. With bread, opt for dressing up your choices by transforming baguettes into garlic bread, sourdough into savory bread pudding, or croissants into toasted breakfast sandwiches.

Also, if you're willing to be a bit behind the times, you can find seasonal baked goods for rock-bottom prices the day after holidays. Think Fourth of July red, white, and blue cookies, pumpkin pies after Thanksgiving, and chocolate spider cupcakes for Halloween celebrations. All of these seasonal products are discounted to be sold quickly once the holiday has come and gone.

4. Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

Frozen produce is a real money saver, both when it comes to prices and preventing food waste. Often sold for 20 to 30 percent less than their fresh counterparts, frozen fruits and vegetables are a great option to keep on hand to bulk up meals or create last-minute desserts.

And since you don't have to worry about the frozen food spoiling any time soon, you'll be able to save money by using the icy fruits and vegetables when you want, as opposed to fresh alternatives, where the clock starts ticking as soon as it hits your grocery cart.

5. Meat Sales

Fresh meat, poultry, and seafood are often marked down when they near their sell-by dates in order to avoid tossing the expensive proteins into the trash. You should visit the meat and seafood sections of the grocery store first, find what the most budget-friendly options are, and then reconfigure your list to make meals around these cheaper choices. Or if you're more apt to plan ahead, buy up expensive cuts of meat while they're at rock-bottom prices, then freeze them for future use.

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