Grocery prices are steadily increasing with no real relief in site. Here’s how we save an average of $15 a month on cheese alone . . .
If you’re the type of savvy consumer to pay attention to grocery prices you might have noticed that packages of cheese have “shrunk” yet again.
Several years ago, when I began this site, a 12 oz package of name brand cheese was $2.28 at Walmart. Now, an 8 oz package of that same name brand cheese is $2.58 at Walmart. The package shrunk by 4 oz and to add insult to injury- they increased the price as well.
At big box clubs such as Sam’s or Costco- you can purchase five pounds of shredded cheese for around $11. We generally purchase Mozzarella and Cheddar.
Using a vacuum sealer/Foodsaveror just use ziploc-style baggies, rebag the cheese in 8oz portions. A five pound bag of cheese re-portioned = 10 (8oz) bags. We also frequently divide the cheese into several 4-ounce bags as well to avoid waste for smaller recipes or if we’ll just need a topping for a casserole.
Currently, an 8oz package of Cheese at Walmart is $2.58
A “homemade” 8oz package of cheese is $1.11 –
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Total Savings $1.47 per package or 43% (or .14 an ounce)
We prefer the vacuum sealer/foodsaver because the bags are reusable and the food doesn’t get freezer burn at all.
Other Cheesy Savings Tricks:
- Use stronger varieties of cheese in your recipes, such as Sharp cheddar in place of Colby. The cheese imparts a stronger flavor, therefore you use less in the recipe.
- Real vs Imitation– Pay close attention to the labeling on the bags, some brands use “imitation” cheese, particularly Mozzarella. This cheese-like product does not melt well and often tastes like cardboard. Be sure you’re getting what you’re paying for!
- Purchase blocks of cheese and grate them yourself. To freeze add 1-2 tsp of cornstarch to the grated cheese, seal the bag, shake well to coat, then vacuum seal and freeze. The cornstarch helps prevent the cheese from clumping.
- Buy Scrap Ends- if you’re lucky enough to live near a cheese factory (we did in the midwest for awhile!) you can often purchase ends or scraps. Shred these, label and freeze until needed.
How do you save on cheese and other dairy products?
November 2021 Price Update:
While inflation has dramatically increased over the past several months, the savings of purchasing cheese bulk are still quite prominent.
The price of cheese at Walmart today for an eight-ounce package of shredded mozzarella is $1.98, which is more than 24¢ per ounce.
The price for a bulk package of five-pounds of shredded mozzarella at Sam’s club is $12.26, which is 15¢ per ounce, a savings of 35%.Â
Additional savings are available by purchasing the cheese in season (when it’s on sale) and stocking up. Another option is to purchase in case sizes and divide it up among family and friends, with each person chipping in.
here in florida there are coupons for $1 off any 1 pound of cheese, shredded or brick. The coupons are available quite often so I use them whenever I can.
i, too, use the vacuum sealer/foodsaver to freeze shredded cheese. i pre-freeze the cheese in the original bag. when it is thoroughly frozen, i portion out the cheese into the foodsaver bags and freeze.
this preserves the shred.
we purchase a whole horn of colby jack cheese at the amish store for $30.00 we slice it into 3 inch chunks.Then vacuum seal part of them in the whole chunk and some we shred then vacuum seal them. For the Mexican cheese we add our own spice after it is shredded then put it in the vacuum bags. We split the horn with our daughter & her husband & kids.
And it lasts us months!
I like to add other cheeses to it too to make several different blends. it come out to about $.75 cents a bag!
ok. second article i’ve read recently on saving money using a foodsaver…. gotta start using mine…
you won’t regret it.
my sister and i shop at sam’s (which i love) and buy things in bulk and use the food saver. it saves soooo much money when you buy big, divide it out and freeze. you can also make a weeks worth of suppers and freeze that too.
good luck.
i use my foodsaver on 1/2 of the bag and use a freezer ziplock bag for the other half and freeze both. I use the cheese in the ziplock bag 1st witch can be rezipped. When it is empty I put the other half in the ziplock bag and continue to use.
This cuts down on the plastic and is more convenient to use at cooking time.
am i correct that both sam’s and costco are membership stores? we do not have either one within 75 miles of our town.
another question, what brand of vacuum food saver would you recommend?
I use the actual Food Saver Brand. I really like it. It works well.
As for your other question about Sam’s and Costco, yes, they are membership clubs but they are also online and you can still rack up the savings.
Not sure how to get the membership through the online system, though.
i love cheese… i’m looking into all the above
thanks!
i often purchase the large blocks of cheese such as mozzarella at costco. i then cut it into pieces wrap it in plastic wrap and then put into “freezer” grade resealable plastic bags and freeze. i’m not a fan of using frozen cheese to eat out of hand, but it certainly works well in any recipe when cooked or melted.
frozen shredded cheese lasts longer at my house because it’s less convenient for cheese-loving snackers…that means it will still be there when i want to use it for planned meals! that adds up to a happier cook and grocery savings.
we are really big cheese-eaters here. we eat all kinds in all forms. i usually buy blocks of cheese and slice, shred or cube it, then freeze in freezer baggies. that is, if i can get it in the freezer before it gets eaten.
i never buy shredded cheddar, because something is added (i think it is cornstarch, to keep it from clumping) and that alters its ability to melt well. it is better to use when it is processed at home.
we almost always just buy blocks and shred it ourselves! i don’t want the cornstarch they add to shredded cheese in my recipes. just take one day and process your baskets (bountifulbaskets.org) and your groceries.
i call it weekly food prep day. easy, cheaper, fun.
i use the block cheese, but i do use cornstarch, i can control the amount that i need, if i do not use it when freezing shredded, i have a mess when i haw out the cheese. and you can save money this way, just watch out for the sales.:moneystack: