January has a lot of really great sales on non-perishable food items. If you're paying attention you can fill up your pantry for a fraction of the cost! Let's take a look at some of the best things to stock up on during January food sales.
Food Items to Stockpile in January
Buying in bulk when food goes on sale is a great way to save money and increase the quality of your food. It was the first way we were able to take control of our food budget while we lived in the city!
Now, we are blessed to grow most of our own food, with eggs from our chickens and other animals for meat. However, before all of that, shopping the sales was the only way we could afford whole foods.
Here are all of the amazing things that are consistently on sale during January! Whether you're stocking up for the months ahead, or just buying food for the week, these are sales you're not going to want to miss!
Produce and Other Fresh Foods on Sale in January
Quite a lot of produce is on sale in January with so many things being seasonal, or at the end of their season, during this time.
- Apples - Perfect for canning, apples are a great buy to grab on sale and turn into apple pie filling, apple butter, or apple sauce for enjoying later.
- Citrus - All citrus is cheaper right now, with lemons, limes, and oranges all being fresh this time of year. Grab the varieties you like and can the citrus pieces in light syrup for a delicious snack any time.
- Potatoes - One of my favorites! I love grabbing potatoes in bulk for canning and freezing. Here are 5 ways you can preserve potatoes.
- Cruciferous Vegetables - Again, these vegetables are in season right now, which makes them cheaper to purchase than they are at other times throughout the year. Cruciferous includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, cabbage, and cauliflower. Though they don't can well, you can freeze them if you like the texture after freezing. We tend to shift our diet more towards these in-season foods and just enjoy them fresh while they are cheap!
- Kiwi - This delicious fruit is on sale this month, so if you love kiwi, now is the time to stock up! Instead of canning this fruit, you can dehydrate kiwi or slice and freeze it for later!
- Celery - Think outside the box a little bit with this one... Celery isn't something that you're going to can and pop open a jar of to serve with dinner. But you could buy and dehydrate it to use in soups, casseroles, and homemade stuffing later on. I bought about 20 pounds of celery this month for a recipe that I have been using while canning over 100 quarts of bone broth chicken soup.
- Avocado - This one is a MUST to stock up on when it goes on sale! Organic avocados in my area get up to $3 a piece in the off-season... That's just crazy!! Instead, I buy them in bulk and freeze the avocadoes in one of 4 ways, like puree or homemade guacamole!
- Eggs - We all know eggs are getting really expensive, so this month, grab them on sale and save big. You can crack, scramble, and freeze the raw eggs in muffin tins for later. Or you can do what I do and cook anything you would make with eggs and freeze the finished product. I do most often with sourdough pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, or a few homemade quiches!
- Yogurt - Stock up on this with a plan! Either make it the focus of your breakfasts and snacks for a few weeks, or plan to freeze it. You can freeze it for use as yogurt again later, you can turn it into frozen yogurt, or you can make this quick and easy pizza crust to have for easy dinners any time!
- Meat - From steaks to chicken wings, chicken breasts to deli meat, there is a plethora of meat on sale this month! Stock up and freeze it for later! If you don't have room to freeze as much as you want, you can also can or freeze dry it for a shelf-stable option.
Non-Perishable Food Items on Sale in January
In addition to items that need to be eaten quickly or processed for longer storage, there are many shelf-stable items that go on sale during January as well.
- Soup - An amazing pantry staple, all different types of soups, broth, and even chili are on sale in January! Check the dates as you are stocking up and be sure to get the ones with the longest remaining shelf life.
- Beans - Sure, beans are already pretty cheap, but saving money on beans will let you spend that money on something else. You might as well buy them on sale! This recipe for homemade pinto beans is a favorite meal around here, especially paired with a sweet cornbread!
- Oatmeal - During the week we eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning. On the weekends we mix it up a bit, but during the week, a hot bowl of oatmeal kicks the day off right. Take some time to figure out how much you might need for a month, 6 months, or a year, and when you see it on sale this month, grab it up! Just remember to make sure you have a place to store all that oatmeal!
- Tea - Try to pick something that you're going to enjoy all year, and not just a seasonal blend (unless you're like me and enjoy Citrus Spice no matter the season!). I would also recommend knowing for sure that you like the tea first. Don't buy 20 boxes of something because it sounds good. If you get it home and hate it, then you've wasted a lot of money.
- Canned Pie Filling - Look for canned pie filling on sale this month. Check expiration dates and you can go ahead and buy filling for next Thanksgiving! And remember, this doesn't just apply to pumpkin pie, you can also find fruit fillings on sale this month!
- Pasta Sauce - Another great pantry staple. Stock up on pasta sauce, and pasta if it's still on sale, or make your own homemade pasta for a quick and delicious meal any time.
More Money-Saving Food Ideas
Don't just stop here! Learn even more ways to save money on food and protect your family during hard times with these next posts.
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Victoria, please tell us how to preserve avocados. When you freeze them do they not become brown? How does it taste when you defrost the avocado puree? I love avocados and they are so healthy.
Hello! I actually just puree the avocados, add a little lemon juice (a dash per avocado), and then freeze them in ice cube trays.
The avocado puree tastes just like fresh, and the texture is the same too. I usually throw a cube on my salad in the fridge the night before I need it and it’s perfect at lunch, not brown at all.
You can also turn the avocados into guacamole before you freeze it and treat it the same way… usually it doesn’t turn brown in the fridge for several days after thawing, so you could even freeze it ahead of time for a party!
Hope that helps :-)
Ice cubes? Why didn’t I think of that! :-) It’s a great idea for preserving such a delicious food. Avocados all year long Yum! Thank you!
It’s pretty nifty! I even have some shaped cube trays (pumpkins, hearts, and so on…) that we use at different times of year for some added fun. :-)
HI Victoria!
Have you ever tried just dicing the avocado and tossing it with lemon juice before freezing? Just wondering if that might be successful…
Also, a tip for your celery – I just chop it and throw it in the freezer (no blanching required) to use for soups and other recipes throughout the year. I do the same thing with my peppers from the garden in the fall with what I haven’t used by the time they start to go soft. Works like a charm! :)
Happy Homesteading :)
Hey Wendy! Thanks for the freezing tips! I’ll have to try that!
We do toss avocados in lemon juice and freeze. The trick is getting aaaaaall the air out of the bag!
Normally we just make guacamole or purée though. :-)
If by ‘tea bags’ you mean those little portion sized ones, I highly recommend switching to whole leaf tea. Being actual tea and not just crumbles, it tastes far better and it is much cheaper. If you don’t have a strainer, I recommend getting a dishwasher safe one that fits both a single cup and a pot.
Hi Mie! I definitely agree that loose leaf is better. But this post is specifically talking about things on sale at the grocery stores. Most US stores don’t sell loose leaf at all ? A tragedy to be sure!
Thank you for the comment and now I think I’ll brew a cup of loose leaf tea! ❤