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Produce Price Sticker Shock

3K views 37 replies 16 participants last post by  New-mom-to-be 
#1 ·
at the grocery store. I stopped in today because we are getting really low on fruit. :thud: in the grocery dept. I ended up buying 5 apples @ $1.49 per pound and a cantalope at .68 per #. Holy smokes. I also got some OJ. I hope next week has some better prices!
 
#2 ·
I don't buy ANY apples this time of year. Ours are all over a buck a pound and I am not paying that! Nope, not the season to be buying apples or oranges.....in this area anyway.

While I have 'raised my price limits' on some things, (avocados and peppers, mainly) I got some pretty good prices this week........dairy especially.......and it continued today.

This week I got: avocados at 88 each (anything below a buck is good here!!) bananas at .44 pound, cantaloupe at .39 a pound, cabbage at .48 pound, red leaf lettuce at .77 each (didn't have any volunteers in my garden this year!! and didn't plant any) and mini watermelon at 2.98....that is about avg. $ for those, but I like them. I pick the heaviest one I can find...........so always juicy and if hollow sounding---usually good.

The BEST was..............butter at !.44 pound--limit 2...............milk at 1.88 gallon........and health nut and 12 grain bread for 1.88 loaf.

Cheese has been a pretty good price too..............anything at or under $3 a pound is good here............and got the shredded 2 pound bag for 2.50 a pound today........so $5! It was Safeway brand but I can handle that with the shredded as I use it for cooking anyway.....and buy the mixes when I do the shredded as I won't have all the kinds in it to shred myself!
 
#3 ·
I know it's not the best time of year for apples but it my 8 year olds favorite snack. So, while $$$ I am happy he would rather eat apples that junk :) I didn't see good deals on anything produce wise... peaches for $3.49 per # :thud: I am really ready for summer produce and prices! Bananas are always pretty inexpensive but aren't a big hit at my house.
 
#16 ·
I know it's not the best time of year for apples but it my 8 year olds favorite snack. So, while $$$ I am happy he would rather eat apples that junk :)
Oh, yes, I can relate to that and totally agree with the purchase. My dd liked apples and oranges and being a single parent, even if I had to do without, she got them.........thus, she is still a pretty healthy eater today. Go for it!

Cherries here are a killer $ too but I am going to have to weaken........might go to the orchards. Don't expect to see them cheaper but they will be fresher. I have never done the 'self pick' but might do it this year if $ is worth it. I can't buy too many at one time as I turn into a pig....:laugh:....and we all know where that puts you the next day!! Love cherries!! (heck, I just love fruit!!....except apricots!)

Our strawberries (coming from CA) are still pretty high and never go very low as they sell---almost at any price!.........will go to the orchards for more, since mine aren't going to do much this year.
 
#4 ·
I'm just starting South Beach Diet so I'm not even looking at produce prices. If I need it, I'm buying it (within reason). I'm at the point where my health has become more important than my money, especially since if I don't get my weight under control, the cost to treat whatever obesity-induced disaster befalls me is going to far outweigh (ha!) any savings I might realize by not buying the right food. I do check the ads and try to use the sale produce in my menu planning, but if I can't save, I just can't.

I found cheese at $3/lb. and stocked up. I think we spent at least $40 on various cheeses. Most of it is in the freezer now. We shouldn't have to buy for a while.
 
#5 ·
I love how well cheese holds. I freeze shredded for pizza or other dinners. With the blocks they have a nice long shelf life. For some reason my DS doesn't like cheese. He actually prefers fruits over almost anything :)
 
#8 ·
Our cheese prices are pretty good here, but produce, no. Of course I buy fresh what I need for salads, but otherwise, I'm using almost all frozen. It's cheaper and there's no waste. I still buy the occasional potato (not a good thing for me to eat), onions now and then, and when I can get yellow squash (I don't do zucchini) for 1.25 a pound I buy that because that is cheaper than frozen. Fruit only at a really good sale price.

What I can hardly bring myself to buy any more is bread. That's the most depressing aisle in the store for me.

Cherries are 2.99 a pound this week, and $$$ be hanged, I'm going to pig out!

I'm still getting 5% cash back on the CC for groceries this month, so I am going to do some serious stocking up, especially meat sales to fill the freezer, and things that are rarely, if ever on sale, that I have let get really low in the pantry. It's going to be ghastly when I see the total at the end of the month but it was planned -- as little as 5% is, it's 4% better than I would otherwise get. A small discount is still a discount.
 
#11 ·
Brennasmom, are you near the Portland area? If so, there is an "apple guy" that sells boxes of apples (from Yakima) for a decent price (around $0.70ish a pound). I buy a box or two from him occasionally. He also sells other things (tomatoes, berries, potatoes, asparagus - can't think of anything else) throughout the year. If anyone else in the Portland area wants his email, let me know.

Also, anyone near Yakima, you can go to the apple warehouses. One of them sells apple boxes at 2 for $15. That makes the apples like 20¢ a pound. We dig through and pull out the ones that have issues. We either eat them first or make applesauce out of that handful.
 
#13 ·
I always look at the managers special in the produce aisle. If there is something I can eat packaged and on sale I will pick some up. For a while they had apples and I would purchase them and microwave them for a apple compote. Most of the produce I purchase is on sale or a managers special. Lettuce seems to be the only produce I will purchase not on sale but I always go for the lowest price. Figure I should eat the salads as much as I want since I can go in phases with leaf salads.

Must say I am really astounded at the produce prices listed here. Then again mainly purchase what is on sale on the store flyer. Still the prices are WOW!!!

Yesterday I went to CVS to purchase some popcorn kernels. So I go to the register and it rings up to almost $5. This is for the kernels. Should have just said no thank you. All the way home was talking to myself say I could have gotten two large bags of kernels at Shoprite for $5. Guess what is going on the grocery list so I can stock up a little.
 
#14 ·
Bananas are .79/lb here, rarely on sale for .59, even more rarely by the bag for $1 if they're overripe. It's especially hard to get the deals in summer when all the tourists and seasonal people are here.

Today's grocery list for me, from one of our stores having a produce sale:
~watermelon, $4.49 (the last one was around ten pounds, so a great price for fruit)
~grape tomatoes, $1.89/pint
~cucumbers, 2/$1
~lemons, 2/$1
~Granny Smith apples, .99/lb.
~carrots, .69/lb.
~strawberries, $1.99/pound

Also from their flyer, I'm getting string cheese (individually wrapped, great for portion control) $2.99/10 oz.

All pretty good prices for our little tiny town at the end of the road, where we pay big bucks to get anything shipped in. We do not have any big chain stores. We have a family owned store and another store that's part of a chain of less than ten regional stores. Considering some of the prices we've seen in other small towns when we travel, we feel very lucky to have two nice stores with prices as good as they are. If we watch sales, we can usually do as well as or better than Walmart's groceries or the bigger chains.

At our other store, they had 12 oz. cans of fat-free evaporated milk 4/$1, which is an unheard-of price. I already bought a case for making ice cream and it was almost gone last time I was in there, but if there's any left, I'm buying whatever they have. Since I've started South Beach Diet, this will be the best way for me to have fat-free, sugar-free ice cream without all the additives and the giant price tag. (And it's really tasty!) I'll have to share with the husband and the dog, so might as well stock up more if I can.

It's going to be a big grocery bill this week. And to think, I wasn't going to buy any groceries this week, but we have to go into town to buy a new trailer hitch ball, and the 'as long as we're going anyway' factor has kicked in! :D But it's all good.
 
#15 ·
Brennasmom, those are great prices for around here. I bought a bag of apples for 1.49 /lb this week to make a cobbler. There were two kinds at that price the rest were 1.99 or more.

And I plan to binge on 2.99 cherries because they don't get any cheaper here. They are normally 4.99-6.99.

A local garden center has started selling vegetables this year. Local grown about 1 mile from my house. I got a bunch of beets for $2! I never see them for less than about $4 a bunch in stores.
 
#19 ·
A family member lives So. of Seattle. Are you close enough that you can go to some of the 'farmers markets' near the little towns around?

Not sure about 'up north,' and don't know when they start, but have either been to or seen them in Kirkland........Auburn....Enumclaw....outskirts of Olympia.......though the prices might not be any better.

Are you close to a Trader Joe's?

As strange as it may seem, since TJ is sort of a organic/healthy food store..........their apples were cheaper than our regular groc. stores all winter.
I haven't been to the one here in months............it isn't very close to me.
 
#20 ·
~I was going to get some cherries today. They were $2lb but they were sold out. The guy said more would be there tomorrow so DH is stopping after his game. $2 is a really good price! I had my taste buds all worked up for them too. :p
Have you looked into joining a produce co-op? I just started participating in one this week and I am super impressed! Even at my rock bottom price list prices, for everything I got, I saved 25% more by getting it from the co-op.~
 
#24 ·
I would have wanted some cherries, too, at that price nuisance............our berries are really high here. And they will often NOT come down much in price.
That is why I am thinking I will have to hit the orchards...........if it ever stops raining.........I like to pick my own raspberries and strawberries.


Then you can pick stuff up later at your leisure if they offer rain checks.
Our stores are getting 'stinkier' about rain checks too............one does it with expiration in two weeks.......and one store, that I SELDOM go to, does a one month. They do give them.....but the expire. And I just quit getting rain checks from ShopKo..........that is a joke. They "say" they will call you........and never do.........and often won't get the item in again (ShopKo isn't a groc. store---is retail)
 
#25 ·
Our two groceries are great about rain checks. (I love small towns!) Pamida has been great too. They're switching over to Shopko now but will have the same staff, so I hope the rain check thing won't become an issue.
 
#26 ·
They're switching over to Shopko now but will have the same staff, so I hope the rain check thing won't become an issue.
ShopKo has some great sales, but to 'just shop' I seldom go in there, and THEY seldom advertise............think there is an 'on-line' thing they do.

If they send out one of their 'magazine flyers' (about 3 times a year) you best get there early if it is a good sale! Good sales on bedding/bathroom type things.
 
#27 ·
All of our rain checks have an expiration date - usually a month. I will get them if it's something I really want, but often don't get around to using them.

I spent more than I really intended to on the cherries, but no regrets. They are SO good. Sometimes I just gotta pamper myself! I brought some to work for supper tonight. Three more long hours until Cherry Time....
 
#28 ·
Those prices sound like bargains to me! Everything is definitely "relative perspective". Apples are often at *least* 2.99/lb here...4.99 isn't unusual. Bananas are about 89 cents/lb. Nectarines are 3.99/lb. Cucumbers are 1.29 ea. Peppers are usually 2/$5, but sometimes on sale 2/$4. Cherries can be as much as 8.99/lb. Avacados 2/$5. Tomatoes 3.49/lb. Eh, those are good examples... I look for sales and try to get a little bit of 'fresh' now and again...
 
#29 ·
OMG...L2BF, as beautiful as I think Alaska must be, it makes me glad I don't live there. I would go through produce withdrawal!! :laugh:

Our cucumbers run a 'steady' 2 for $1 somewhere, but for whatever reason, not the English ones, never figured that out. Our peppers, excluding orange, stay right around a buck a piece......sometimes more, seldom less, except the green, in the summer are much less. The avocados have to be under $1 a piece for me to buy them......doesn't happen too often. And when it does, it won't be for long.

I just heard last night that due to all our rain, one kind of cherry crop was 10% lost............there goes those prices. The Bing haven't come on yet.

I don't think it will be a great gardening year in this area...........I don't even have blooms on my tomatoes yet but the good thing, they don't look like they have drowned YET!!!
 
#31 ·
Curious....and was thinking............KIWI........does anyone else eat kiwi besides me?

Ours will go on sale 3/$1...........but they haven't been real 'great looking'. But this will be any time of year.........strange.

Got the ads/circulars today.......peaches/nectarines are $1.48 (probably really green!), plums are 1.88, green/red grapes are 1.48------and they haven't gotten BELOW that for a long time! The red cherries were $3.99...........:thud: don't think I can splurge at that price!!! :ack:

I was just glad to find a brand of ice cream I like for under $3!! Unless you buy the store brand, our ice cream is CRAZY $$! And, of course, right after I posted that I "seldom" eat it..........I gobbled down a 1/2 gallon.........(that is no longer 1/2 gallon)---what do you call them now? quart and a pint??? gees......

I noticed in the Trader Joe flyer (which I got today too, but it only comes out about every third month) that strawberries are cheaper than our reg. groc store so think a trip to TJ's is coming for me.
 
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