10 Kitchen Items to Always Buy at Five Below

We all know the fastest way to trim down a food budget is to skip the restaurant meals and dine at home more, but stocking your kitchen with basic essentials has never been more expensive. 

Buying high-end appliances can make sense for cooking aficionados, but the rest of us are looking for a balance between quality and price tag to decide what to buy for creating meals at home.

Five Below is known for mostly $5 pricing, and they have some hidden gems that will cut down your food storage waste with reusable options allowing you to save more on everyday essentials.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Price: $3

Ditch the disposable sandwich bags for reusable options that will reduce waste and cut down your budget from recurring purchases while helping the environment.

Studies have revealed BPAs, a common chemical used in plastics manufacturing, can harm human bodies. Many countries have pivoted to ban these products and phase them out of public use.

Price: $5.55

Charcuterie boards are like adult Lunchables, so it's no wonder everybody loves them. Bamboo can double as a cutting board so it will cut your dishes in half while still making an attractive serving tray for a snack. It also has helpfully labeled rings, so you can be sure to serve a well-balanced and proportionate treat.

Similar styles from Amazon are typically priced between $13 to $20, so you'll save more than half by grabbing these from Five Below.

Price: $5.55

An easy way to decrease your paper goods spending is by switching to reusable cloths for quick cleanups around the kitchen. Some simple 12-inch square washcloths dedicated to the kitchen are easy to wash and come priced low enough that you won't have to worry about tossing them when they do eventually need to be replaced.

Price: $3.25

Silicone has rapidly risen the ranks of cookware for its heat resistance and low contamination rate. That makes it perfect for reusable containers to replace plastic food storage options.

These containers can hold 6.7 ounces of food and have a leak-proof container so there will never be any mess. These multipurpose containers are microwave-safe, freezer-safe, and dishwasher-safe for the ultimate convenience.

Price: $10

Previously, Aldi had the best deals on a portable blending option for smoothies on the go, but now Five Below is offering them for an even lower price. The model looks nearly identical to the Aldi version which sells about twice per year as an Aldi Find and was priced at $14.99 the last time it was available.

It is rechargeable and comes with a micro USB charging cable and a built-in strainer to ensure smoothness.

Price: $5

Folks love the Mrs. Meyer's brand for its cruelty-free plant-based ingredients that use essential oils and other natural options to create environmentally sustainable cleaning products.

A two-pack of hand soap runs $18.48 through Amazon, so you can knock off nearly half the price by grabbing some from Five Below.

Price: $5.55

Previously, Aldi Finds offered a similarly sized plastic food storage set for $8.99, but the rotating stock means it may not be back for quite some time.

Five Below has you covered with an even lower-priced set - and it's made with BPA-free plastic. These containers are microwave, dishwasher, and freezer-safe to cover all your kitchen needs.

Price: $5.55

The hallmark of a good lunchbox is that you decide when your food mixes, which is why airtight bento boxes are all the rage for taking food to-go. This model measures 8.6 inches by 6.3 inches and offers three separate compartments so your food will stay nicely separate until you decide otherwise.

A similar option from retail giant Amazon runs about $15.

Price: $5.55

Soup spoons are surprisingly bad at doing their job, and pale in comparison to Asian-style options. These bowls are designed for dishes such as ramen or pho, but work for every soup of the season.

Price: $3

After discovering silicone ice trays, going back to plastic monstrosities feels like the kitchen equivalent of looking things up on microfiche. They are easier for removing ice from the tray, come in fun shapes, and don't shatter when gravity heaves them out of an overstuffed freezer.

Switching from disposable to reusable products for your kitchen needs is great for your wallet, but it's also great for the planet. It's a win-win situation, and the cost is even lower when utilizing retail stores like Five Below to avoid wasting money on products of the same quality that are marked up elsewhere.

The store is always rotating in new products, so always keep your eye out for great deals on practical kitchen items you'll actually end up using every day, and skip the one-time-use items that'll likely just collect dust in your cabinets.