Buying These Food Products At Full Price Is A Waste Of Money

Snacks, pasta, and cereal are great to buy when they are on sale, as they keep in storage for a very long time. If you keep an eye on Publix, you can get General Mills Cheerios and Barilla pasta at a buy-one-get-one free discount. At Kroger, you can also get General Mills cereals for about $1.79 each when you buy five items included in the Buy 5, Save $1 Each event. Target also has the Frito-Lay 18-count variety packs for $8.99 instead of the regular $10.99, listed in the snacks section of the weekly ad. Prices can vary based on location, but luckily these discounts tend to go through a rotation, so snag these deals when your grocery bill goes up.

When cereal or crackers go on sale, buy more than one and always check the unit price (divide the price by the number of ounces). For example, a box of cereal at $3.99 for 18 ounces is about 22 cents per ounce. A larger 27-ounce box at $5.49 is about 20 cents per ounce, so the bigger box is cheaper per ounce. But if there's a buy-one-get-one-free deal, and you get two 18-ounce boxes for $4.29 (36 ounces total), that's about 12 cents per ounce, which is the best deal. For crackers, a 14-ounce box at $3.19 is about 23 cents per ounce, but a multipack of three 8-ounce sleeves for $8.99 (24 ounces) is about 37 cents per ounce, so the single box is the better buy.

When you buy snacks, pasta, and cereal on sale, you can get some real value, especially when package sizes get smaller (which is also known as shrinkflation, a trend a major snack company tried and it went so wrong). But how you store it can make or mar what you save. Note that date labels like "Best if used by," "Best before," or "Sell by" on pantry foods like cereal, pasta, and cookies are typically about quality, not safety, per the United States Department of Agriculture. These dates tell you when the maker thinks the food tastes or feels its best. The only safety date is the "Use-By" date on infant formula; never use formula after that date.

For ready-to-eat cereal, you can keep it unopened in your pantry for about six to 12 months. Once opened, try to use it within two to three months, as long as you keep it dry and close the box tightly after each use. Dry pasta stays good for about 24 months if you do not open the package, and around 12 months after you open it. Crackers hold their best quality for about eight months unopened. Once you open the package, finish them in one month at room temperature. If you close them up tightly, they can last longer. Also, keep opened crackers in the fridge to extend freshness to about three or four months.