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Where to Buy Cheap Spices

It dawned on me a few weeks ago that spices are really expensive! It just happened that two of our staple spices, cumin and chili powder, needed to be replaced and I spent over $10 buying two small jars of them at the grocery store.  Since we don’t regularly buy spices I guess I just wasn’t paying much attention to how much they cost. Anyway, my new revelation led me to research some places where you can buy less expensive spices and here is what I came up with:

1. Local Asian, Indian, and Latin American markets

These small grocers stock up on the spices that are frequently used in their home countries. You can generally buy whatever quantity you want at extremely cheap prices. The fact that you can buy as much or as little of a given spice as needed is important because spices can lose their flavor over time so you don’t want to buy too much.

2. Walmart, Costco, etc.

These stores sell the cheapest spices, both in monetary terms and in quality, so watch out! A great post over at likemerchantships explains the results of one taste-test between Walmart cinnamon and more expensive gourmet cinnamon. The gist was that the Walmart cinnamon smelled and tasted much weaker than the others. This was probably due to the fact that spices can be repackaged and resold cheaply when they are past their most flavorful. This same quality caveat holds true for the super-cheap spices bought at places like Big Lots and The Dollar Store.

3. Trader Joe’s

If you have one nearby (we don’t!) this can be a good option because Trader Joe’s usually has good quality foods sold at cheaper prices than your grocery store. However, they do not have the best selection so you can’t exactly count on them having a particular item that you need for a particular recipe.

4. Buy Online

This is one of the most popular options. The following companies sell their spices on-line, frequently in small quantities, and at less expensive prices than you can get at the grocery store. They typically have better quality spices and more selection than the grocery store as well!

Penzeys

WorldSpice

HerbCo

5. Store Properly

Above all, you have to remember to store your spices in airtight containers that are kept out of the light. These two practices are crucial to maintaining the potency of your spices.