Could we compare grocery cost item per item?

[Canongirl]

I simply can not believe some of the prices right now or some prices for know healthy foods. I would like to list some of the regular items that I buy or would like to buy and see how prices compare to your local average price.

Prices I list will be from food 4 less purchased this month or current asking price in the stores. I'm located in the PNW

Broccoli- 1.98 lb...priced to high to buy- this is sad
Ice berg lettuce- 1.29 head
Roma tomatoes- .69lb
Zucchini- .79 lb
Yellow squash- 1.49lb
Celery Stalk- 2.29 OH MY GOODNESS, this must be wrong?
Spinach bunch- 1.29
Navel oranges- 1.29lb

Louis Rich Frzn Ground Turkey log-1.18
3lb Frzn Chicken Brst- 5.99
2.5lb Frzn Blueberries-7.69 used for smoothies with protien powder-healthy

2lb store brand Mozz chesse-3.50
Store brand tuna in water- .44
18ct large eggs- 1.35
1 Gal skim milk 1.92
Coffe*atte Creamer(big one) 2.50

Looking at some Loss Leaders for other stores this week

Whole fryers .69lb
Grapes- .98 lb


There is another store in my area- Winco that usually has decent produce prices, I'm going to check out their broccoli prices this week. They are out of my way and the store is not as big, which tends to keep me going to the old stand by F4L.

How are the prices in your area?

Gas prices in my state are pretty high, the cheapest is around $2.55g. This being in mind keeps me from running to every store to get every loss leader. My savings would be used up in the gas consumption.

I'm not giving up yet. It just angers me. I want to eat broccoli when I want to eat broccoli not when the big kahuna decides it's on sale.

Stepping down off my soap box now, but have you ever seen broccoli this high and it's not even organic.

[frugalfriend]

I shop at F4L too. Some of those prices are ridiculous! I've never seen broccoli that high. The produce increases are due to the recent ice storm. Amazingly I got oranges at Vons (supermarket) yesterday for .39 cents a lb. I'm sure that price won't last! I wanted to buy a head of iceberg lettuce and it was $1.98! No way was I paying that!

[Neeley]

I buy many items in bulk at Sam's some of the more common items are:
5 lb shredded lettuce - $4.28 (equals $0.86 per lb)
Kraft Cheese Slices 72 ct - 5.88 (equals $1.96 per 24 slices)
10 lb naval oranges - $7.88 (equals $0.79 per pound)
18 ct large eggs - $1.97 (equals $1.31 dozen)
Boneless skinless Chicken breast - $1.98 lb (but early morning you can get it for $1.25-$1.50 lb)

At the regular grocery store some of the prices are:
Tuna (store brand) - $0.50
White bread - $0.99 loaf
Wheat bread - $1.50 loaf
Store brand mozz or cheddar $1.66 lb

I get most of our veggies from the Farmer's Market so no tax on these items:
Zucchini - $0.50 lb
Yellow squash - $1.00 lb
Celery - $0.50/stalk

[Marie78]

Kudos for all of you who buy the veggies fresh! I buy only a few things fresh and mostly eat frozen or canned veggies. Fresh is always more expensive around here, unless it's the summer and then I get a lot of my veggies from my mom or fresh fruit/veggie stands.

Small package of baby carrots- $1.29
Bananas- 44 cents a pound
Package of chicken breast (3-4) $5-$7 These are the numbers I see lately
Store brand tuna in water 65 cents a can. I shop at Aldi's for 45cents a can.
Store brand cheese slices-$2.50 (24ct)
1 gallon skim milk- $2.00-$2.50 (sometimes they have it on store special)

[AheeK]

Have you guys been affected by the freezing temperatures down South? I heard that Florida, Texas and California all had freezing temperatures that did a number on their fruit and vegetable crops. Is that true? Are prices higher because of it? I haven't noticed any change in prices up here...it seems ironic that I can buy celery cheaper in northern Alberta than you can in the States where it's grown. I bought some the other day for $1.68CDN/lb.

[crazyBMB]

Well, I'm from FL. The prices on produce is horrible! I like to buy/cook fresh when I can but it's expensive (not to mention lack of quality). I've seen my grocery bill go up quite a bit.

[Dancing Lotus]

I usualy buy my produce frozen. I saw a news report that said they are actualy better than fresh becuase they are flash frozen and retain the vitamins that fresh fruit and veggies lose as they age. I wanted cabage the other day and winndixie had it on sale for 39 cents a pound but i was next to walmart so i ran in and thought I would get the cabage their. NO Way it was 97 cent a pound! Why would I pay triple the amount?

[peanut]

Here's how some of your prices stack against ours...

Broccoli- we actually were lower here, at $1.28/bunch this week.
Ice berg lettuce- 1.29 head - same here
Cheapest tomatoes we can get - .99lb
Zucchini- $1.49 lb
Celery Stalk- cheaper at $1.98/bunch (~ 1 lb.)
Spinach bunch- cheaper at .99/bunch (~ 1 lb.)
Navel oranges- .66lb on sale
2 kg. Frzn Chicken Brst- $22.00
Frzn Blueberries- This is where you have us beat. Berries are mega-expensive here...$16 for 1 kg. (I think). It's cheaper for me to ship them in from my sister's blueberry farm in PEI, which I did this fall, for just over $3/lb.
340 g store brand Mozz chesse- $5.49
Store brand tuna in water- .50 on sale. Otherwise, .75
doz. med. eggs- 1.89
1 Gal skim milk- $3.29
Grapes- 1.88 lb

[YankeeMom]

Romaine hearts $1.99 (18oz)
Zucchini - 99/lb or more
Yellow squash- 99c/lb or more
Celery Stalk- $1.99
oranges- 99c EACH
Ground beef - $1.29/lb (at the commissary)
fresh chicken breast (boneless/skinless) $1.99/lb (this is sale price, I don't buy it any other time, so I don't know the regular price. It goes on sale at this price at least once a month so I stock up)
8oz Kraft Cheese -$1 (at commissary)
Bumblebee tuna (water) - 49c
7.5 dz eggs (Sams club) $5-7 (price fluctuates)
Skim milk, gallon $1.89 (at commissary - this recently went up from $1.74!!)
CoffeeMate Creamer (32oz) $2.25 (at commissary)
Bananas 54c/lb
Apples 99c/lb and up
Potatoes 33c/lb
white bread - 64c (24oz loaf - commissary)
whole wheat - $1.25 (24oz loaf - commissary)
Grapes - $1.99/lb (I do NOT buy it at this price. We eat grapes during the summer/fall when they are 99c/lb)

[kabin63]

Just off the top of my head

Zucchini is $1.79 a lb. here. I wish so much that I could get it for less than $1.29 lb.
Bananas $.50 lb.
potatoes are $3.79 for a 10 lb. bag. I think that is outrageous for a bag of potatoes.
I am not sure about other stuff right now. I usually buy frozen veggies this time of year. I try to grow what I can in the summer.
Oh. forgot. 2.5 lb. frozen blueberries are $ 9.48. My Dh likes them in his oatmeal.

[suzysaver]

I know what you mean about the broccili. I love broccili and I had to have some at 1.98 a lb. too. I live in Oregon and shop at Winco.

Iceberg lettuce .98
Yams 1.31 lb
grapes 1.98 lb

I did pass up a few produce items this time around, tomatoes (I can't even remember the price...I just dropped them and ran).

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts 1.98lb
Lite Moz cheese (small block) 2.98
Tuna in water .44
soy milk 1 QRT 1.28
eggs 18 ct. 2.02

I really went on a healthy shop trip this time around and spent about $50 extra dollars on healthy alternatives and better food choices.

[dcompton]

Our produce is very high too, and there seem to be fewer and fewer good sales on it. The sale papers are beginning to use bigger pictures -- so fewer items on the page on sale! Do they think we won't notice?

Zucchini and yellow sqaush are usually 1.69-1.79 a pound. One of the stores had it on for 1.00 this week, and when I was there the bin was cleaned out, which did not surprise me at all. I got a rain check and will be sure to use it! Tomatoes are pretty much out of my budget range now, usually about 1.69 - 1.89/lb, even Romas, which I prefer. Occasionally they'll be on sale for 1.00. I'm out of onions, but when I was at the store for the squash, I decided I would just remain out of onions (a real sacrifice). I don't remember the exact cost, but a three lb bag of yellow onions was well over $3. At least they go on sale fairly often. Green bell peppers are higher than I have ever seen them, sometimes nearly 1.00 each, which is absurd. It's cheaper to buy the frozen chopped ones, since I mostly chop and cook with them anyway. I love it when easy convenience foods are the cheap ones! I don't eat broccoli so I can't say what it costs, but I'll bet it's scary!

Fruit is as bad. I did not buy a single tub of strawberries all summer -- it just wasn't worth it. But in this area we usually get great cataloupe sale prices in season, so I look forward to that. This week one store had tangelos on for an incredible 3/1.00, so I stocked up, anticipating that it might be about the last citrus after California got iced out.

Now I rarely buy any produce now that is not on sale -- it is just too expensive. There are two farmer's markets that I know of here in the summer, but both are way, way of fmy beaten track. But I probably need to check out the one that's a little closer. I don't know how they run now, but when I worked downtown, the one there was not really any cheaper than the grocery store, only fresher (I assume).

I am budgeting more for groceries now just because of the fruit and vegetables. I'm trying to eat more and like fresh, but use a lot of frozen.

[Luv2BeFrugal]

Wow...this is a real eye opener for me... I thought all Alaska groceries were waaaaay more expensive... Guess I was wrong...at least on many, many items! This is a really neat thread!

White bread $1.29/loaf
Wheat breat $1.29 and up (we used to get the $2.09 variety, but now I bake ours).

Gallon of skim milk $2.99 (cheapest anywhere)

Head of iceburg lettuce 99 cents
Green pepper $1.29 each
Red/Yellow/Orange pepper $2/each (on sale)
10 lb bag potatoes $3.99
5 lb bag onions $5.49
Grapes - saw a sale for $2.28/lb recently...usually $2.99/lb and up
(recently my dad paid $3.99/lb - he freaked!)
Oranges - sales as low as $1.29/lb are common...usually $2.29/lb and up
(sounds like that will change with the California freeze)
Apples - can get sales for 88c/lb - 99c/lb - usual prices are 1.99/lb and up
Bananas - 79c/lb
Carrots - 99c/lb (not the pre-peeled kind...just normal)

[Hollyhandi]

Last week I bought cucumbers for 2/$1.00 (this week 3 for $1.89 )
Onions 3lbs $1.29
We get our potatoes at the potato farm and its $10.00 for 50 lbs (50cebts a pound )
Planting a big garden this spring... Canning and freezing a lot more.
Also will be setting up at a couple farmers markets with my gift baskets so will do my produce shopping there ..
Prices in Walmart are really getting high. their bread is $1.07 aldis bread is .69 cents white bread or 79 cents whole wheat.
peppers here forget it.
celery $1.79
Haven't checked the broccoli

[warramra]

I, personally, am jealous of the milk prices you all get. I was so excited to see one of the grocery stores have it on sale this week for $3.00 a gal for 2%. It normally ranges from $3.39 to $3.79 for 2%. I did hear that BJs has dropped their price to $2.87 - so I am going to try there next trip.

Broccoli was 'on sale' last week for $1.39/lb
Banannas are .59/lb
Apples (Fuji or Gala) $3.28/3lb bag (I won't buy red delicious after I noticed dye all over my children's hands & mouth)
Chicken breasts b/s the sale price I will buy at is $1.99/lb
Roasting Chickens sale price $.69/lb