Oatmeal Is A Budget-Friendly Food, But Frugal Shoppers Avoid This Type At All Costs

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

John Prine once sang that a bowl of oatmeal tried to stare him down "and won." Meanwhile, in her seminal "Memoirs of a Beatnik," the poet Diane di Prima recounts being kept alive on oatmeal in her $33/month New York City apartment. Whether you're loving it or hating it (or your relationship status changes by the day), there's a good chance that oatmeal has gotten most budget-conscious foodies through some lean times. Beyond its famously-affordable price tag, it also makes a high-protein breakfast (or dinner) with major fiber benefits, to boot. Oatmeal is "fuel" in the truest sense of the word. But if you're opting for oatmeal cups, you're picking your own pocket. Individually-packaged oatmeal cups make our roundup of six common store-bought foods that frugal shoppers always avoid.

As a general rule, individually-packaged, convenience-centric, "just add water and microwave" oatmeal cups tend to be pricier than oatmeal that comes in single-serving paper envelopes or a 16-ounce tub of rolled oats. It's hard to justify more money for the exact same food product. To illustrate the difference, take a look at some grocery prices from a Stop & Shop in New York. On the individually-packaged front, Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal Cups cost $1.06 per ounce, and Kodiak Protein Packed Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Power Cups costs $1.22 per ounce. By comparison, the paper-envelope-packaged versions of both brands run for a fraction of the price.

A 10-packet box of Quaker Original Instant Oatmeal costs $0.41 per ounce, and a 6-packet box of Kodiak Maple & Brown Sugar Protein-Packed Hearty Instant Oatmeal costs $0.47 per ounce – just 39% of the cost of their cup counterparts. Sounds like a screamin' deal? It is. Happily, it gets even more cost-effective. The cheapest way to enjoy oatmeal is to buy it in bulk. At the same Stop & Shop, a large tub of Quaker 100% Whole Grain Old Fashioned Rolled Oats will set you back just $0.28 per ounce, or $0.34 per ounce for Kodiak Classic Rolled Protein Oats. 

We get it: The modern foodie lives on-the-go a lot of the time, which makes eating every meal at home impractical or impossible. However, when you can, the result is less money, less wasteful packaging, and less added sugar. Whipping up a batch of customizable overnight oats can even provide a portable way to make those oats ahead of time and bring 'em along. Eating hydrated, dimensional oatmeal out of a lidded glass jar is also arguably far more pleasurable than spooning microwaved oats from a throwaway plastic cup. Making low-cost oats at home allows foodies to add whatever honey, berries, nut butters, spices, and other mix-ins they please. To ensure a flavorful, budget-friendly bowlful every time, we've collected 13 of our go-to oatmeal recipes, as well as 15 topping ideas to take overnight oats to the next level.