35+ things I buy at Trader Joe's
My list includes plant-based staples, frozen foods, and very few cult favorites.
A quick note: I took the paywall off this post from last year, in case any of you need to bolster your resolved not to shop Prime Day “deals.”
When I off-handedly mentioned that I’d only recently begun shopping at Trader Joe’s, many of you expressed your surprise. It’s not that I didn’t like Trader Joe’s before now; rather I have never lived in convenient proximity to a TJ’s, and it never seemed worth making a special trip the way it does for my quarterly Costco trips. However, this year my son started taking a weekly, hour-long class just a few blocks away from a Trader Joe’s.
With time to kill, I wandered into Trader Joe’s one day and did some shopping. When I saw the total bill for my cart, I was amazed at how cheap it was compared to the “natural market” in my neighborhood (we’re talking half what I expected). So, in the name of living on a small budget, it became my habit to do a weekly grocery trip while my son attended his class. I was lucky that this turned out to be a relatively quiet time to shop.
Over the course of the year, I tried a ton of different products. Some were hits and others were misses. Eventually I found a collection of products that have become staples for my family. However, I have a suspicion my Trader Joe’s favorites are quite different from most people’s. My friend Jenna Helwig asserts that Trader Joe’s is for “eaters, heaters, and assemblers ... not for cooks.” The first part of her statement is not wrong, but I humbly disagree with the idea that it’s not a store for cooks, too. In fact, I’d argue most people are buying all the wrong things at Trader Joe’s. I believe the best way to shop at Trader Joe’s is like a cook.
Most people visit Trader Joe’s for their prepared foods, frozen meals, and novelty snacks. For the most part, these are the things I avoid buying. I don’t like all the packaging and I find most of the prepared/frozen meals unappealing. Nor have I ever made one of those Trader Joe’s hacks meals where you combine a salad kit and some precooked protein or somesuch. Instead I focus on buying whole foods and staple ingredients that are sold for a significant discount of what I’d pay elsewhere, plus a few prepared foods for kid lunches. (This has the added benefit of reducing the packaging waste.)
As much as I have come to love shopping there, I don’t think you can make Trader Joe’s your primary grocery store–it’s too limited in its selection and there are a bunch of categories of food that I think you would want to buy elsewhere. But it is a great place to get certain things. The reason to add it to your rotation of stores is primarily to save money, but there are also a few things that you can get at Trader Joe’s that are hard to find elsewhere (crunchy salty almond butter, for one!).
I was surprised to find that I like shopping at Trader Joe’s. When the brand first came to New York City in 2006 there were lines around the block to get inside. Then the checkout line snaked through the entire store, so that you could get in the queue and pick up groceries on your way to the checkout. Not my kind of scene! But twenty years later I kind of love the vibe (I shop at a relatively quiet hour). The staff all seem genuinely happy to be working there. I like the silly signs and the Hawaiian shirts. The old-timey illustrations make me smile. I feel good knowing the employees are treated well. The customer service is excellent. (One time I was overcharged ($40.93 for a single onion), and when I called about getting a refund I was shocked that a human answered the phone and genially explained how I could get a refund next time I came in.) Plus, the other shoppers appear to enjoy shopping there too. I frequently see families shopping together seemingly for fun. There is even, dare I say, camaraderie when the line is long.
At the encouragement of Living Small readers, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite Trader Joe’s items—the things I buy week in and week out. It ended up being close to 40 items, some of which may surprise you. Even though I have found my personal faves, I’d love to hear about your favorites in the comments because I like trying new things too.
One last thing before we dive into the list. Trader Joe’s with all its fun foods can inspire overconsumption, which is the antithesis of living small. My rule to help me avoid overshopping at Trader Joe’s is to try only one wild card item per shopping trip. Another way I prevent myself from over-buying is to fill only the top basket of the smaller cart, which is about all I can carry on foot. You can only save money if you avoid buying things you don’t really need!
Here’s what I find essential at Trader Joe’s: