10 Bargain Foods You Should Be Buying Now at Trader Joe’s

Today, I’m excited to take you with me to shop for 10 bargain foods you should be buying now at Trader Joe’s for your pantry. I found some real foods that were cheaper than my local grocery store and price competitive with Walmart.

Finding Real Foods in These Inflationary Times

In these inflationary times, we’re on an important quest to find real food bargains at our local grocery stores. We don’t want to squander our limited grocery budget on expensive prepackaged foods with empty calories. Instead, we want to find inexpensive foods that will give real nutrition to ourselves and our families.

In the last few months, I’ve taken you with me as I’ve shopped at Walmart to find real foods at cheap prices:

• 10 Cheap Foods to Stock in Your Prepper Pantry
• 5 Cheap Foods to Stock Up on Now for Your Fridge and Freezer

And today, I’m bringing you with me to shop for real foods (and cheap foods!) at my Trader Joe’s in Central Texas.

Finding Real Foods at Trader Joe’s

I had only visited Trader Joe’s a few times before my real foods shopping trip for today’s video. Near the front of the store, I saw a lot of prepared foods in small containers and at high prices.

So I wheeled my shopping cart past those items and made my way to the shelves of real foods. The variety of selections at Trader Joe’s impressed me, and they’ll amaze you too!

• Note: This is not a sponsored video. I bought and use all the products in my video.

If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, be sure to stop by and get these bargains. I show you the cheap finds that I found in the following products and product categories:

1. Coffee
2. Condiments
3. Dairy and Dairy Alternatives
4. Eggs
5. Superfood Seeds
6. Sandwich Fixings
7. Sweeteners
8. Hot Beverages
9. Special Shaped Pasta
10. Produce
11. Plus, a bonus category!

However, if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, this video will give you ideas on the types of real foods to be on the lookout for at your neighborhood grocery store. (Or perhaps now is a great time to visit a family member or friend who lives near a Trader Joe’s!)

Make Your Own Condiments

If you like to make traditional foods homemade, I show you how to make your own condiments in the following recipe videos. (Trader Joe’s has some real condiments at cheap prices, and they make excellent backups in your Prepper Pantry to your homemade condiments.)

Making Homemade Dairy Products

In today’s video, I show you some of the dairy products I purchased at bargain prices at Trader Joe’s. However, you can also make these dairy products in your traditional foods kitchen. I show you how in the following recipe videos.

What Are the Benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)?

I was impressed with how Trader Joe’s carried a lot of dairy products made from whole milk from grass-fed cows. Using full-fat milk to make dairy products is important because when cows graze on pasture, their milk is very high in a compound called Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA).

CLA is a type of fat that may help reduce body fat deposits and improve immune function in humans, as this research paper describes.

Unfortunately, when cows are raised in a feedlot, the CLA in their milk is greatly diminished. So whenever I can find dairy products from pastured cows, I like to buy them. And it is especially nice when these types of products are reasonably priced, which was the case with what I found at Trader Joe’s.

Looking for More Sources of CLA?

In addition to dairy, you can find CLA in meat from grass-fed cows. If you can’t find grass-fed beef that’s rich in CLA in your neighborhood supermarket or farmer’s market, check out US Wellness Meats for their selection.

• Use discount code MARYNEST and my link to save a one-time 15% off regular-priced items on your US Wellness Meats order. You can shop for a variety of products, including:
  • Beef Bones
  • Grass-Fed Beef
  • Free-Range Whole Chickens

This post is not sponsored. I’m a long-time customer of US Wellness Meats because I have always been impressed by the quality of their products. Check out my US Wellness Meats unboxing video to see the types of products you can get, including bones for beef bone broth!

How to Make Homemade Jam

I show you some jams (and affordable delicacies!) you can get at low prices at Trader Joe’s. It’s also easy to make your own homemade jam. (And what a wonderful traditional foods skill you’ll be learning in the process!)

Watch the following water bath canning videos to help you get started on the supplies and equipment you need, and then try making a low-sugar strawberry jam as your first recipe.

More Shopping Videos

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Discover our top picks for food and preparedness as we stock our Four Corners Pantry.

What Are the Best Trader Joe’s Family Finds?

Each Shrader grabbed a cart—no peeking! See what real food deals we scored at Trader Joe’s in our first family haul video adventure.

Start Your Traditional Foods Journey

Part of my passion for keeping traditional cooking skills alive—in addition to my online cooking school on YouTube—is writing cookbooks. My first book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook published by Penguin Random House (PRH), is full of my traditional foods recipes that show you how to create a traditional foods kitchen.

Be sure to order your copy of my bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, to start your traditional foods journey. And stay tuned for my next cookbook that will be published by PRH in 2025!

Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List

For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. Bring this list with you to Trader Joe’s or your local grocery store. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!

Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy

Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos, and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.

In the following members-only video, I talk about how to deal with the rising grocery prices of real food. (Thank goodness we’re looking for bargains at our local Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and local grocery store!)

Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest

1. Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
2. Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
3. Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
4. Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
5. Preorder The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Be one of the first to get Mary's hardcover book about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.

I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!

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Shop for items used in this blog post or video

Favorite Kitchen Supplies

• Favorite Aprons
• Spice Grinder
• Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
• Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
• Vacuum Lids
• Whisk
• Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
• Cast Iron Dutch Oven
• 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
• Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
• Flour Sack Towels
• pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)

Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide

• Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
• Visit my Shopping Guide page
  Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!

Recommended Reading

• The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
• Nourishing Traditions
• Food Storage 101 Where do I begin? (Cookin’ With Home Storage)
• Prepper’s Pantry: Build a Nutritious Stockpile to Survive Blizzards, Blackouts, Hurricanes, Pandemics, Economic Collapse, or Any Other Disasters