If you had just $20 to spend at Trader Joe’s (chump change these days, we know), what would you get? It’s a fun thought experiment, if only because it reveals what type of Trader Joe’s shopper you are. Wine snobs might blow their entire budget on a single bottle of wine, while penny pinchers may go for $20-worth of canned beans. Superfans recently gave the question a stab on Reddit, sharing what they’d buy with just 20 bones.
1. ‘Survival Mode’
The haul: the cheapest fruit, the cheapest vegetable, a bunch of bananas, $5 to $6 of raw meat, and $1.99 bag of potato chips (provided it’s within budget)
Practical, budget-minded consumers will appreciate this Redditor’s haul, which privileges affordable staples over frivolous treats. It’s their “go-to” shopping list, they write, noting that they’re “in survival mode” when they go to the grocery store.
2. Bananas
The haul: 105.263158 bananas
Trader Joe’s best-kept secret: its inflation-proof, 19 cent bananas. With $20, you can buy a little over 100 of them, as one Redditor points out. And even if they get all brown and mushy — we recommend freezing them if you have space — you can salvage them with a little culinary ingenuity and these six overripe banana recipes.
3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
The haul: four containers of dark chocolate peanut butter cups
If you want a major test of your will power, go to Trader Joe’s on an empty stomach and try not to buy the chocolate peanut butter cups. The employees always place these sinfully sweet morsels at checkout to tantalize passersby — and it works. If it’s any indication of how addictive these are, one Redditor says they’d blow their entire $20 budget on these.
4. Child’s Choice
The haul: whatever your kid wants
Need to distract your kids while you shop? Give them $20, a short list, and the freedom to pick a few products of their choosing. “You’ve never seen such focus and concentration,” says one Redditor, who lets their 11-year-old child shop with them. Just don’t be surprised if they come back with five boxes of Joe-Joe’s.
5. Do-It-Yourself Asian Pizzas (and More!)
The haul: Taiwanese green onion pancakes, Indian butter chicken, pork gyoza, pasta, pasta sauce, and 1,000-day gouda cheese
You can squeeze four to seven meals out of these pre-prepared favorites, one superfan shares. The key is to make DIY pizzas using the Taiwanese green onion pancakes as your crust. “Tastes a whole lot better then the frozen pizzas,” they write.
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6. Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers
The haul: five bags of Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers
We aren’t exaggerating when we say that these chewy, fish-shaped candies will make your mouth water. Heck, even writing about these citric-acid-coated swimmers kicks my salivary glands into action. It’s no wonder why Trader Joe’s fans are willing to drop $20 on a few bags of these Swedish Fish knockoffs.
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7. A French Feast
The haul: French baguette, mini bouquet of flowers, fresh figs, bottle of Giardino Pinot Grigio Rosé, camembert cheese
If you want to pretend like you’re enjoying a little Parisian snack and a bottle of wine à côté de la Seine, go for this picturesque constellation of treats. The Redditor even budgets for a small bouquet of flowers, perfect for a romantic snack à deux.
Related: Trader Joe’s Frozen Croissants, Ranked
8. Bamba Peanut Snacks
The haul: 11 bags of Bamba peanut snacks
OK, we’ll cut the crap and be honest. No matter how much money we’ve got — $20, $50, $100, it doesn’t matter — we’re going to stock up on Bamba peanut snacks. These peanut puffs are a favorite in Israel, where they’re made with corn, peanut butter, and a dash of salt.
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9. A Whole Lot of Cheese (and Some Crackers)
The haul: $16 worth of cheese and $4 worth of crackers
The fact that cheesemongers are ranking Trader Joe’s selection of Belletoile brie, Roquefort, and cheddar is reason enough to stock up. According to one TikTok expert, highlights include the retailer’s bucheron, iberico, and mini Basque cheeses. Oh, and leave a few bucks for crackers.
Related: I Tried 9 Types of Trader Joe’s Hummus — Here’s How They Ranked
10. Chinese Take-Out
The haul: a bag of mandarin orange chicken, pot stickers, and rice
Of course, no Trader Joe’s list would be complete without name-dropping the store’s famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) mandarin orange chicken. Pair it with convenient bagged rice and frozen pot stickers for a low-effort, restaurant-quality meal.
Related: A Definitive Ranking of 6 Trader Joe’s Wraps and Sandwiches
