5 Groceries Frugal People Buy in Fall

Everyone is familiar with the tale of the grasshopper and the ant. As the summer months dwindled away into crisp early fall, the grasshopper partied it up. Meanwhile, the ant diligently gathered food and tucked it all away in a pantry deep in her anthill — preparing for the oncoming winter.

When the winter months did come, the ant — after enduring all the grasshopper’s taunts to just “live a little” — was cozily ensconced in her easy chair, oven baking away in the other room. The grasshopper? Let’s just say fiddling kept his soul fed, but it didn’t exactly nourish his body when the cold snap happened. 

Sure, living in modern comfort means you’re not exactly in as dire straits as the grasshopper once the thermostat dips. But if you’re a savvy shopper, you’ll still want to be like the ant and use the fall to stock up on the essentials.

GOBankingRates took a look at the groceries you should load up on this fall.

When Real Simple compiled its own list of fall ingredients every chef should get, apples were at the top. But you don’t have to be ready for The Bear to get the most use, and the best cost, out of these staples of the season.

The article quoted April Franqueza, pastry chef at High Hampton, saying that apples are perfect for topping danishes, sumptuous when baked in pies and compotes, and, of course, made into apple butter.

If you’re not that adventurous, they’re still a terrific snack. Get them at your local farmer’s market or on sale or the grocery store. 

This delightfully named vegetable is a versatile wonder of the fall.

Interviewed in Real Simple, Derek Piva, executive chef of The Restaurant at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge, called them, “the unsung heroes of the fall season.”

He then shared some insights about how to prepare them: “Whether roasted, mashed or turned into chips, rutabagas and parsnips add warmth and depth to any dish. Rutabagas are nutrient-dense, offering a subtle sweetness with a slightly bitter undertone. They can be prepared in various ways to enhance their flavors.”

Roasting rutabagas is an easy task: Once you’ve peeled and cubed them, you can toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they’re tender and caramelized.

Like many root vegetables, rutabagas are available at lower costs in grocery stores during the fall. 

Is it even fall without maple syrup to pour on those pumpkin spice waffles? It certainly isn’t winter without the option to smother your pancakes in maple syrup after you’ve shoveled snow out of your driveway.

Maple syrup is not just a treat, it’s a pantry essential. During the fall, you’d be wise to stock your pantry with it. You don’t have to go to your grocery store for it — many Dollar Tree locations also sell maple syrup. 

C’mon, it’s not a list of fall foods without pumpkin.

Whether you want to try the latest TikTok pumpkin spice recipe, or make sure you have pie filling on-hand during last-minute invites to Friendsgiving, you’ll have to have canned pumpkin. Dog owners have long known the value of having canned pumpkin in their pantries (if you know, you know).

Canned pumpkin is everywhere on the shelves, but you can get it cheaper at places like Aldi or Lidl. 

Enjoy them as the foundation of a good warm soup on a good cold day, or you could cook them in a curry that will be just as warming and satisfying.

The creative options you can explore with dried lentils compelled writer Ali Domrongchai to include lentils in her own wrap-up of Dollar Tree groceries she planned to stock up on this fall.

A bag of Brown’s Best Lentils at Dollar Tree is only $1.25 — which means you could get hearty in your stock.