There are grocery items you should always splurge on – regardless of the price. Quality is what is most important.
The Five Grocery Items to Splurge On
In my 39 years of life, one of the most important lessons I have learned is there are appropriate times to pinch your pennies and moments when you splurge. Grocery shopping is a game in which I race to find the best prices on some items but always pay full price for others. I do believe there are off-brands for grocery items rendering high quality aspects (like Kirkland Prosecco). However, there is a right time to spend the extra money on grocery items even if you don’t want to.
When I first wrote this post in 2018, groceries were much cheaper than they are in 2025. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, food prices in the U.S. rose by 23.6% from 2020 to 2024. Despite the increase in grocery bill, chefs often recommend splurging on items like beef, fish, produce, coffee, and tea. Why? Read on to find out the five grocery items I always splurge on.
Always splurge on COFFEE.
My first item that you should always spend money on is COFFEE. A few days ago I ran into the store to grab a product for a blog post, plus a few other household staples. Our favorite coffee at this particular store was overpriced, so I grabbed the store’s version and figured my husband wouldn’t notice. Well color me wrong, because the first thing he said to me the next morning was, “Where did you find this water coffee?”
Enjoying a cup of coffee or tea is a favorite part of many people’s morning and no one wants to start off their day with something that tastes bad. For me, I only drink coffee when I wake up during my quiet time and I want it to be GOOD. I never buy coffee based on price – only taste.
CONDIMENTS
The second item you should always splurge on is CONDIMENTS. Everyone has different preferences, but growing up my Mom insisted you should always buy name brand butter and mayonnaise. She grew up in a household on a budget, but her parents always spent more on Land O’Lakes and Hellmanns’ because taste rivaled price. I’ve found myself following in her footsteps, buying name brand butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and peanut butter.
DIAPERS AND WIPES.
The first time I grabbed the cheapest diapers on the shelf was the last time I grabbed the cheapest diapers off the shelf. Annabelle peed right through the diaper and ended up with a rash. I won’t mention the brand that we swear by, but if you find a brand you love then stick to it. If you’re in a pinch and see a cheaper version, don’t waste your money.
The same goes with baby wipes. Would you ever elect to wipe your own behind with scratchy toilet paper? Think about how your baby feels too! My daughters have always had sensitive skin so baby wipes are never generic or off brand.
Read more: Wardrobe Items Worth the Splurge
BEER, WINE, AND LIQUOR
The worst hangover I have ever had came from a jug of wine. It was roughly three bottles in one big glass jug for $8. I will always splurge on WINE, as well as BEER and LIQUOR, because there is no point in wasting your money on something that tastes bad and will make you sick. With that being said, Costco’s Kirkland brand makes high quality wine and liquor for a lower price than other brands. If you need to stock the bar for a party, I highly recommend Kirkland Prosecco and Vodka!
Read more about grocery shopping at Costco for the best dairy free items.
MEAT AND SEAFOOD
There are some fresh items that you must splurge on when it comes to feeding not just yourself, but your family as well. MEAT AND SEAFOOD is a grocery section that I splurge on in different ways. For deli meat, I buy what is fresh and has the least preservatives. For poultry, pork, and beef, I buy right from the meat counter and ask for the freshest cut. I don’t like to buy frozen meat, no matter how cheap it may be.
As far as seafood goes, I will travel thirty minutes to buy from a fresh local seafood market for shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, etc, because I can’t stand the thought of frozen shellfish. However, I will buy frozen fish – like tilapia and cod – for my husband’s dinners.
Land o lakes American cheese and toilet paper!
100% with you on the coffee one. The quality of coffee in the morning can totally set the mood for the day. I also refuse to cheat on Doritos and Oreos whenever I do happen to buy them. Most other snacks I’m totally fine with buying the cheaper store brand.
Paper towels. I am very brand-specific on them and I don’t buy any other brand! I’m with you on condiments as well. And diapers – we actually do use a store brand but we don’t like to switch even if there’s a sale. We learned that one the hard way!
I also splurge on ice cream. I have a specific kind I like so I don’t shop sales there.
Frozen pizza is one that I’ll switch. I usually buy what’s on sale in a thin crust – there are a ton of good ones at our store so I don’t mind saving on that.
I am the same way! Always spend the little bit extra on coffee and organic meat. In fact, I really wish we had a butcher in our town because we don’t eat tons of meat, but when we do I want it to be the best quality. I love Aldi for almost everything else because it’s so much cheaper and mostly organic. Great post!
-Emily | http://www.emilymkrause.com
I used to be a Land O’Lakes snob but I’ve grown to be cool with Kroger and Publix butter since I only use it for baking now. I’m very particular about my wine, but there are three hella cheap Trader Joe’s finds that I swear by (and won’t veer from) — a red, a white, and a sparkling. DEFINITELY won’t ever try to do the off-brand beer thing again, though! (Or liquor — shudder!) Things I NEVER skimp on: coffee (TOTALLY WITH YOU THERE), ice cream, salad dressing (unless I make my own).
Yes, meat is a huge one for us! We actually go to a local butcher for our meats – I swear once you have the good stuff you just can’t go cheap! Also, Vanilla like for baking. A lot of people buy imitation, I used to too, but after buying pure vanilla my baked goods have never been so good!
The condiments thing is so weird but so true! I think everyone has made the mistake of buying off brand and thinking it’ll be the same and then it isn’t. I’ll never forget the time my Dad brought home Kraft Mayo and my Stepmom was like wtf. Hellmans all the way. I’m also picky about ranch. Hidden Valley or nothing.
Peanut butter (JIF), Mayo (bc there isn’t anything like Duke’s), ketchup (Heinz), Coca-Cola, yogurt (oui)… okay, so a shorter list would be which off brand items I buy! I kinda like all the name brands! Whoops.
I splurge on cheese, not that you can really find an inexpensive gouda, goat, or pecorino romano, but anyone buying packed, pre-shredded, individually wrapped cheese is out of their mind in my book. (pre shredded cheese contains cellulose, which is wood pulp, to prevent clumping. Yum.)