5 Ways to Save Money on Cheese

We might just set the record for being the biggest cheese eaters around – we buy a TON of it. In fact, cheese is a significant part of our grocery budget.

Thankfully we are members of Costco – I don’t know what I would do for cheese if not for them.

My kids love Quesadillas, and my daughter is infatuated with Cheese Sandwiches and Mayo for school lunch – we usually buy 4 pounds on EVERY trip to Costco. That’s two huge blocks. Yikes! :)

Because it is such a significant part of our budget, I threw together our favorite ways to save on this wonderful food ~ of course, we would love to see huge blocks of Organic Cheese .. but we’ll put that on our wish list.

1.  Buy it in BULK.

We go through a TON of cheese, and Costco seems to have the best price for us – at $.14 per ounce, and no need to clip coupons. Even with coupons I can’t get a 2 lb Block for $4.49 – that’s $1.12 per 8 oz Block. 

Shredded cheese is also a great deal – and just about the same price per ounce – $.14, sold in 5 pound bags for just over $11. You can freeze shredded cheese if you can’t eat it quickly.

2.  Freeze it.

If you are buying the Bulk Cheese at Costco (5 lbs for just over $11), divide it out and freezer in smaller quantities in the freezer. If you shred your own, add a bit of flour OR cornstarch to the bag before tossing in the freezer to make sure it won’t clump.

3.  Shred your Own.

I’m not against buying bagged cheese…  but I find the blocks to be less. Costco sells the 5 lb Bags for just over $11 – it works out to under $.15 per ounce. It really is about the same price as the blocks – at least if you buy in Bulk at Costco. I can’t speak for Sam’s Club. 

If you aren’t worried about additives, then the bulk shredded bags are an option. But if you aren’t up for anything being added to your cheese, try shredding your own in the food processor – separate into Ziploc Bags, perhaps 1/2 – 1 c. in each bag, and freeze.

4. Use Stronger Cheese

I use cheese in almost every casserole we make ~ as much as I love Monterey Jack, I find that I use MORE …  so this past trip to Costco I picked up the Medium Cheddar. I find that I end up using less since it’s a stronger cheese, not only in our casseroles but ALSO when my kids as for Quesadillas.

5. Slice it THIN 

If you find yourself buying Deli Slices for work lunches, request the deli to slice it THIN – deli slices are one area that I hate spending money on… but we DO buy it for work lunches. Since we have to have it for lunch it’s a MUST for us – it’s nice to be able to make it stretch a little farther. We can hardly tell the slices are thinner – it lasts twice as long.