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Guilty Pleasures

As much as penny pinchers might want to live like cloistered monks, living off porridge and the fumes of self denial, everyone gives in to their desires eventually. Even Redditors on r/Frugal — a group that goes to extreme lengths to save money — recently shared a handful of non-negotiable treats that they could never go without. So, whether you want to feel less guilty about your spending habits or need shopping list inspiration, here are nine foods that frugal shoppers never pass up no matter how expensive they get.

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1. Real Maple Syrup

Real, Grade-A syrup may be more expensive than some wines. But unlike Log Cabin, Butterworth, and similar brands that peddle caramel-colored corn-based goop, syrup from Canada and Vermont actually contains maple syrup. You know, the kind that comes from trees. If you must compromise, one Redditor suggests swapping out the real stuff with agave.

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2. YASSO Frozen Greek Yogurt

The way one Redditor describes these frozen treats — “stupidly good,” a “dopamine hit” — you’d think they have a yogurt problem. But we get it. A vanilla froyo bar dipped in chocolate crunch? On a bad night, we’re eating the whole box.

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3. Nuts

Out of all the expensive, irresistible goodies that companies dangle in front of our faces, you’d think that nuts would be at the bottom of the list. That’s not so. Nuts made it to the very top of this Reddit thread, with frugal Redditors praising the entire pantheon of nuts, legumes, and seeds. “I’m super frugal with my weekly grocery shopping except for that $8 bag of cashews,” one Redditor admits.


Related: Psst: You’ve Been Storing Nuts Wrong This Whole Time

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5. High-Quality Butter

Good butter has a similar effect on Redditors. “Never underestimate the power of a good high-cream butter,” one commenter writes. Popular high-quality butter brands include Kerrygold and Lurpak.


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7. Fresh Fruit

When it’s raspberry season, and those beautiful ruby-colored morsels are piled high in cute, green baskets, it’s easy to ignore the price tag. $6 for a handful of raspberries? No problem! Fresh in-season fruit is just too sublime.


Related: Bizarre New Fruits You're Suddenly Seeing at the Grocery Store

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