This Dollar Tree Grocery Hack Will Save You So Much Money

Going through the list of the best groceries to buy at Dollar Tree, we were most shocked to find that spices were a really good deal at the dollar-plus store. Seasonings can be expensive, especially if you are stocking a kitchen from scratch as a young adult. On the other hand, tasteless, boring food can lead you to waste money on needless trips to the drive-thru. Food needs spices! We previously thought that you should buy spices at Aldi for the best price, but Dollar Tree has Aldi beat on locations (currently, 8,900+ versus 2,500+ in America), meaning that there's a greater chance you have a Dollar Tree near you. Plus, as of this writing, all the spices listed on Dollar Tree's website are just $1.25 apiece, which is a darn sweet deal.

Dollar Tree sells plastic shakers of salt and pepper, but that's just the beginning. There are several staple spices like cinnamon, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and seasoning salt, but also a ton of specialty spice blends. We saw Texas BBQ seasoning rub, taco seasoning, sazón, ranch powder, cilantro lime, and even small bottles of Tajin. At a grocery store, specialty spices can run twice the cost of Dollar Tree's bottles or even more! If you need to kit out your kitchen pantry or even just top off your existing spice stash, you might want to make a Dollar Tree run.

If you are dazzled by the low price of Dollar Tree spices, you may be wondering if these are of good quality. We turned to internet reviews and were very encouraged by what we found. Overall, most consumers agreed that Dollar Tree spices were not only a great price compared to similar products at grocery stores but also a good value as well, with many finding that the spices were flavorful and potent.

"I know cooking shows poo-poo dried spices, and especially inexpensive spices, but I'm here to tell you, those $1 bottles of oregano, parsley, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and $2 bouillon can take your meals to new heights," one Redditor gushed on a forum dedicated to cheap cooking.

Foodie's own sister sites tended to agree. Over at Tasting Table, a feature writer who sampled 10 different spices from Dollar Tree had positive things to say about them, even though they admitted to being a "spice snob" going into the testing process. Our colleagues at Mashed had slightly more mixed reviews, giving high marks to chives and cilantro lime but a thumbs-down to Italian seasoning and garlic pepper. Your mileage may vary, but, at just $1.25 a bottle, you can't lose by trying these spices out — especially if you know what it means to bloom spices, which can improve almost any specimen.

Static Media owns Foodie, Tasting Table, and Mashed.