How to Save Money on Dairy
Here are some easy ways to save big on milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and eggs.
This post is part of a series on How to Save Money on Real Food where we cover how to save money on meat, produce, grains, and dairy.
Look for clearanced dairy items at your grocery store.
Stores will mark the price down on dairy products as the “pull date” approaches.
Learn how to make your own dairy products.
It’s easy to make your own dairy products, especially yogurt. Find an easy “how to make yogurt” tutorial here.
If you find a bunch of clearanced heavy cream, make your own butter by hand or with a Kitchenaid mixer.
Try making your own sour cream — all you need is milk, heavy whipping cream, and vinegar.
Know the difference between “sell by date” and “day it’s going to mold date.”
Almost all dairy products can be safely consumed well after the date printed on the package. Our family is constantly using out-dated cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter and yogurt. My theory is that God gave me a nose and a tongue for an actual purpose. If it smells or tastes bad, we don’t eat it. If it smells and tastes fine, it probably is safe.
Don’t throw your dairy products away based on the date printed on the container.
Know your dairy prices.
This is a good category to know which store has the lowest prices on which items your family uses.
For instance, Costco is my go-to store for shredded cheese if there’s not a sale (and I do not shred my own cheese) — about $2-3 per pound depending on how the market is fluctuating at the time. If I find shredded cheese for less than this, I go crazy.
Grocery stores regularly put milk on sale for $2 a gallon in the Pacific Northwest. You can get a dozen eggs for $1 or less every couple weeks. I buy two-pound bricks of cheese when it’s $5 or less.
When I see these prices, I try to buy 2-3 weeks worth of these items to last me until the next time it goes on sale.
Stock up when it’s on sale.
I purchased a case of Tillamook butter during a previous and stuck the whole box in the freezer. I have a dozen or so bags of shredded cheese in the freezer from a big sale a few weeks ago. I always buy multiple bricks of Tillamook cheese when it’s $5 or less. Sealed cheese stays good for months as long as you don’t open it.
Use this strategy as much as possible when you find a great sale!
Find more ways to saving money on real food here.
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carrie, you drank chunky milk?
I like to buy the yogurt when its free or next to nothing. I stock up and if I see that its close to the expiration date I will often throw it in the blender with some fresh fruit, ice and juice. Then the kids (and me too) have a healthy smoothie. If there is any leftovers or if I have an excess amount of yogurt I will make a larger batch and pour the smoothie into freezer-pop molds. This is great since its healthy, my stockpile doesn’t go to waste and the kids love them. MMMMM, now I want one! ; )
do look at your dairy products before you use them though. my milk was dated a week ago and it was a little chunky and i put it in my coffee and took a sip anyway. should’ve known better than that.
Depending on quantity needed, various Yoplait yogurt (Yo-Plus, Delights, etc.) has been free or a moneymaker using e-coupons stacked with paper coupons at Safeway lately. If you want to make your own, a small carton of plain makes great starter.
Precious String Cheese is $2.98 with $5 rebate WYB 2 at Winco right now.
Also, Organic Valley Milk 1/2 Gallons are typically $3.29 each at Fred Meyers & Safeway. You can go to Organic Valley & search coupons to get $.75 printable to save even more on great milk or look for $2/2 or $1 or $1/2 blinkies found next to the products (usually Fred Meyers or New Seasons). Also, on Saturdays at Fred Meyers I usually find that the Non-fat gallons are always clearance around $1.79 to $2.79. So with a coupon your getting a Sweet Deal! Just watch for the expiration date & freeze it the milk if your not going to use it 🙂
Christina
You can’t beat the price for string cheese or cheese sticks at Costco. I think it is around $8.50 to $10 a bag for 48 sticks. Another great deal, if you like cream cheese is to buy it from Costco in the individual 1oz packs. I don’t remember how many come in a package but it lasts waaaayyy longer than buying a tub or a cube of cream cheese. I think it is because they are each individually vacuumed wrapped into their little pouches it keeps them forever it seems. It may be a little more in the sense that buying a cube of it is cheaper but if you think how long it lasts and wasted cream cheese when you dont’ use it fast enough, the cost is great.
I think for yogurt its like everyone else. I mainly use e-coupons with a mfg coupon and/or store coupon and a sale and normally can get yogurt for $25 and under a cup.
the best price for butter is Costco again. I think it is around $2 for a four pack when breaking it down. So if you see it below that in the store you know you are getting a great deal.
So here is my question regarding freezing dairy products. I started buying yogurt when I could get it free or next to nothing and then after I would take it out of the freezer and thaw them in the fridge, I would open them and they would be kind of lumpy. They still smelled and tasted ok, but the texture is what got to me. I love dairy and so does my family. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions on the rules of freezing dairy. Like how long after I thaw and have it in the fridge can I use it for, since it might have long past the expiration date when I thaw it out.
I don’t know if this is a hard and fast rule for freezing dairy, but, in my experience, frozen dairy works best when cooking with it, rather than simply thawing and eating. Except for butter… butter seems to be just fine frozen or fresh.
You can always mix your yogurt with some fruit or juice and throw it in the blender. I put it into popsicle pops then, and my kids love it. I probably just make sure to put in less than 1/4 yogurt into my pops so they don’t get lumpy.
i just bought about 10 packs of kraft shred cheese for less than a dollar each…they were clearanced and i had a coupon! most of it is in the freezer for later! they also had philly minis on sale for less than a dollar…and i had a coupon…freezer they go!
Walmart is sometimes under $2 per gallon for milk. Yogurt is often on sale, and there have been great coupons! The 4-packs often have $1 off coupons (which you can double at Safeway and Albertsons), and often I get yogurt for free or next-to-nothing.
I have been buying a lot of go-gurt because the boys love them frozen. They taste like a creamy popsicle–remember push-pops from back in the day?? They are part of Safeway’s buy 8 or more thing right now. With promo savings, they are $1.99. There are coupons for $1 off 2, $.80 off 2, $.35 off 1, etc., and there are ecoupons for them, too. Combine your coupons, ecoupons and doubles, and they come out very reasonable, especially considering you get 8 tubes per box over the 4 or 6 ct in most yogurt packaging. Even just with $1.99, you are paying $.25 per tube.
I also buy the yogurt with the clearance stickers. FREEZE IT!!! I got free Dan-a-nino 6 packs the other day through clearance stickers and coupons and doubles. They still had 2 weeks left!
String cheese is awesomely priced at Costco.
I think it’s kinda cute that you make butter but you don’t like to shred cheese. I always grate my own cheese it’s much cheaper and It is something the kids can do to help with dinner.
I love finding meat and dairy products with markdown stickers!
Oh, I don’t make butter. Are you serious? I’d much rather be watching TV than churning cream (or shredding cheese!).