July is a great time to stock up on certain things because of the 4^th of July holiday and the beginning of back to school sales. These weekend BBQ’s are GREAT for your grocery budget because this month, everything from soda to buns to fresh meat will hit their yearly stock up prices.  When you buy while prices are low, you’ll save money later on by not having to purchase them when they’re full price!

What to Stock Up on in July

To start, July is National Ice Cream month which means that you need to stock up on your frozen favorites this month. All forms of ice cream and frozen treats will go on sale including popsicles, Drumsticks and more.

For drinks, you’ll want to look for sales on things like Kool-aid, tea and sodas. Coffee can also go on sale this month, but it’s hit or miss on how great the deals are.

Because of the 4^th of July BBQ weekend, any type of bun will be on sale too. Grab a few more than you typically would and freeze them for long term storage. Make sure to pick up both hot dog buns and hamburger buns now and not to skip these sales. They will last for months once frozen.

Be sure to swing by the meat cooler too because everything from fresh chicken, beef and brats will be on sale. You’ll also find great deals on deli meat as well as deals on hot dogs, bacon and sausage too.

Paper and plastic hits the sale racks this month too with not only paper plates and plastic silverware being on our stock up list, but we will also start to see the beginning of the back to school sales too for deals on school paper, pens, crayons and other school or office supplies. The school supplies will all be on sale after the July 4 holiday so be sure that you hold until then to start buying them.

Keeping with the BBQ theme, almost anything sweet or salty will go on sale this month so you’ll want to stock up not just on chips, nuts, and crackers, but also things like pudding cups, fruit snacks, and fruit cups for upcoming school lunches.

For fresh produce, we’re looking again at stocking up on anything that is in season. Things like melon, mushrooms, bananas, apricots, bell peppers, lettuce, raspberries, plums and more. A lot of these can be frozen to keep them fresh longer, but if you don’t want to freeze them, you can grab a dehydrator to preserve them or can them for even longer storage.

Continuing from June, we'll continue to see sales on condiments such as mayo and ketchup as well as salad dressings and chip dips.

July is one of those months that have a ton of items that will be on sale, but keep in mind that it will be one of the last months like this until the major holidays. Because of hot summer months and then cold winter months, the costs of things tend to go up after this for a bit. To keep yourself from having to spend more later on, be sure that you stock up now while you can.