6 Grocery Staples with the Biggest Markdowns in January — and 4 to Skip
If your wallet is feeling worn-out after the holidays, but travel and family gatherings left your pantry and fridge bare, you’re probably looking to spend a little less at the grocery store. Good news: January is one of the best times to save on the staples and big-ticket items on your shopping list.
Product surpluses leave grocery stores weighed down with excess inventory after the holidays. Store managers want to move these items quickly, which means slashing prices. Though the beginning of the year is a great time to stock up on certain items, don’t get carried away — some sales are better to stroll right past.
These are the six best groceries to buy during January sales, and a few you probably want to skip.
6 Items with the Biggest Markdowns
1. Fresh Herbs
Grocery stores often stock up on the signature herbs of the holidays — think rosemary, thyme, and sage — and any excess gets marked down in early January. These hardier herbs will last longer than delicate basil or oregano. Just be sure to use them within a week before they wilt or freeze them in olive oil.
2. Broth
According to Instacart, sales of broth, especially vegetable broth, spike during the first months of the year. We get it; we love a comforting soup as much as anyone. Stores are also looking to offload extra stock from the holidays; take advantage of sales on boxed and canned broths, and go ahead and stock up (pun intended) — unopened, they’ll last for months.
3. Baking Staples
Everything left on store shelves from our collective holiday baking marathon — flour, powdered and granulated sugar, baking soda, and the like — will be cheaper in January than in the previous months. If you’re a regular baker, now’s a great time to fill your pantry with all these staples.
4. Hot Cocoa Mixes
Hot cocoa season is far from over. In fact, some might say it’s just getting going. In even better news, you’re likely to snag your favorite powdered cocoa mix at a discount in January.
5. Holiday Roasts
Those large standing roasts, prime ribs, and whole turkeys and hams will have to move fast after the holidays to free up fridge space at the grocery store. That sounds like a great reason to grab one at a discount for a midwinter dinner party.
6. Canned Pumpkin
It can be surprisingly hard to find canned pumpkin later in the year, but it’s far from a seasonal ingredient. Buy a few cans on sale in January and make delightful pumpkin breads and pumpkin muffins all year long. (We taste tested several and, these are a few of our favorite canned pumpkin brands.)
Plus, 4 Items to Skip
1. Seasonally Flavored Coffee
If you love that limited-edition peppermint grind, go ahead and buy a bag. That said, you might not want to stock up on a dozen — flavored coffee beans spoil faster than unflavored, as the added ingredients react with the natural oils in the beans, turning them rancid. Plus, chances are these specialty beans have been on store shelves for several months by the time they hit postholiday sales.
2. Themed Baking Supplies
In December, stores are packed with festive displays of pearly sprinkles and more red and green icing than anyone could need. Come January, specialty baking items are relegated to the sale section. If you’re not going to use these seasonal items until next year, skip them — even sprinkles will go stale after months of storage.
3. Holiday Baked Goods
Store-bought packaged cookies, cupcakes, breads, and buns topped with red and green or blue and white decorations will almost certainly be cheaper in January, but they’re also far from fresh. Most of these treats were prepared and packaged over a month ago. Freshly baked cookies for a few extra bucks will simply taste better.
4. Seasonal Decor
Specialty holiday tableware like Santa-themed paper napkins, ornamented plastic cups, and Dreidel-shaped plates will be on sale throughout the store. Unless you have plenty of storage and definite plans to use these items within the next 12 months, you’re better off saving the pantry space and waiting to buy next year’s batch before you host a holiday shindig.
Are you seeing any major markdowns at your grocery store? Tell us in the comments below.