Wednesday, September 24, 2008

What is A Good Price? My Grocery Price Book For September 2008

     I thought it would be fun to compare prices around the country (and beyond). These are the best prices I can usually get for things and what I try to use as targets. Please share what things cost where you live. I would love to know.

     I shop at 4 main stores. The first and closet to my home at 1 .2 miles, is Sweetbay, a moderate discount grocery store. It is not as cheap as the super discount stores and try's to compete with the more upscale store Publix. Publix is a full service grocery store and is generally more expensive, but surprisingly is cheaper than Sweetbay on some staples. It is about 2 miles from my house. Then there is Sam's the warehouse club that is about 1.5 miles from my house. It has more stable low prices on certain meats and staples. I also just checked out Aldis which just opened a few stores in my state this week. I had always heard others talk of Aldis so I had to check it out. The closet Aldis is 7.7 miles from my house. There are no super Walmart Super Stores close by.

They all have their Pros and Cons.
Sweetbay;
 Pros   1. Great sales and loss leader items each week.
            2.  Consistently low canned goods prices and low prices on store brands
            3. large variety of produce
            4. Still has some of the lowest prices for cheese
             5. Closest to my home.
Cons
             1. Very high prices on staples like flour and rice lately.
             2. You really have to know your prices because to compensate for their great sales 
                 other everyday items are higher priced.

Publix
Pros 
              1. Nice to shop at. ( They have a nice self serve soda fountain)
              2. Surprisingly some nice sales from time to time
              3. Surprisingly lower priced on staples such as rice, flour, and oil.
Cons
              1 Higher priced on most things

Sam's 
Pros
              1. Consistent lower prices on meat. If I can't get what I want on sale at the regular 
                 grocery stores they generally have the best non- sale price.
               2. Consistent Low prices on most staples. (again if I can't find a better sale price.
               3. On the few things I am brand loyal too they usually have the best price on brand 
                  names. (however I am not super brand loyal and usually I can find an equivalent
                   store brand that is cheaper than the name brand at other stores.
Cons
              1. Doesn't carry a lot of generic brands.
              2. Huge store and I always get lost and spend a ton of extra time. Not an in an out 
                  store.
               3. I don't have the storage for a lot of bulk shopping.

ALDIS, 
Pros and Cons Yet to be assessed since I have only been there once. Only con at this time is that it is a bit of a drive.
                                                   
Dairy   
Fresh Milk 1 Gal :             Sweetbay 3.79,  Aldis 2.72,  Sam's 3.52
Powdered Milk 2/lbs:     Sweetbay  8.49
Canned Evap Milk:          Sweetbay .89,  Aldis   .69
Mozzarella Cheese 8oz:  Sweetbay 1.69, Sam's 12.18/5lbs (1.22/8oz.)
Cheddar Cheese 8oz:       Sweetbay 1.99
Sliced Am. Cheese :          Publix  2.59/16 sl
Velveeta:                            Sam's 7.80/4lbs (.97/8oz)
Eggs Lg. 1 doz:                 Sweetbay 1.69, Aldis 1.19

Fats 
Smart Balance 3lbs:    Sam's 4.52/3lbs
Margarine  80%:           Sweetbay .89/lb 
Butter:                               Sweetbay 1.99/lb
Vegetable Shortening:   Publix 4.19/3lbs
Vegetable Oil:                   Aldis 2.29/48oz.

Meats
Ground Beef 10% fat:  Sam's 2.60/lb
Chicken Leg Quarters: Sweetbay .59/lb
Whole Chicken: Sweetbay Sale price .79/lb, Sam's Everyday price .79/lb
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast:   Sweetbay 2.29/lb
Hot Dog (Ball Park Meat):  Sam's 5.59/3.5lbs (1.60/lb)
Tuna packed in water 6oz can:   Sweetbay 3.49/4 cans (.87 ech)
Turkey Lunch Meat:   Sam's 6.43/2.5 lbs (2.58/lb)
Chuck/Pot Roast:       Sweetbay 2.29/lb
London Broil:      Sweetbay 2.49/lb
Bacon:       Sweetbay 2.49/lb

Fresh Vegetables
Romaine Lettuce 1head:  Sweetbay 1.59
Cucumber: Sweetbay .79 ech,  Aldis .39/ech
Tomatoes: Sweetbay 1.49/lb
Baking Potatoes; Sweetbay 2.49/5lbs
Zuchini:   Sweetbay 1.29/lb

Canned Vegetables
Corn:      Sweetbay .50
Mexicorn: Sweetbay 4.00/5 (.80/ech)
Green Beans: Sweetbay .50
Crushed Tomatoes 28oz.:  Sweetbay 1.19
Tomato Paste 6oz. :  Sweetbay 2.00/5 (.40/ech)
Tomato Sauce 8oz:    Sweetbay 1.00/3 (.34/ech)
Diced Tomato 14.5oz:  Sweetbay .69/ech
Mushroom Pieces 4oz.  Sweetbay  .69/ech

Canned Soups
Cream of Mushroom: Sweetbay .99, Aldis .59
Cream of Chicken:  Sweetbay .99, Aldis .59
Cream of Celery: Sweetbay 1.39

Canned Beans
Black Beans:  Sweetbay 2.00/3 (.67/ech)
Pinto Beans:   Sweetbay 2.00/3 (.67/ech)

Fresh Fruit
Apples:   Sweetbay .99/lb
Bananas: Sweetbay .69/lb
Cantaloup: Sweetbay 2.00/ech
Grapes: 1.49/lb

Fruit Juice
Orange Juice (Not from Concentrate) 1/2 Gal.:  Sweetbay 1.99
Apple Juice 64oz.: Sweetbay 1.47

Canned/Jarred Fruit
Applesauce 25 oz.: Sweetbay 1.29

Grains and Starches
All-Purpose Unbleached Flour:  Publix 2.29/5lbs,  Aldis (bleached)1.69/5lbs
Whole Wheat Flour: Publix 3.99/5lbs
Bread Flour: Publix 2.99/5lbs
Cornmeal 2/lbs: Publix 1.09
Wh. Wheat Spaghetti: Sweetbay 1.29/lb
Wh Wheat Macaroni: Sweetbay 1.29/lb
Wh. Wheat Penne: Sweetbay 1.29/lb
White Loaf Bread 20oz: Publix .89
100% Wh. Wheat Bread: Aldis 1.09
Instant Mashed Potatoes: Sam's 5.28/3.25lbs (1.62/lb)

Baking Supplies
Sugar:  Sweetbay 1.99/5lbs
Baking Powder: Sweetbay 1.49
Baking Soda:  Sweetbay .49
Chocolate Chips 24 oz.: Sweetbay 4.29

Beverages
Tea Bags Family Size: Sweetbay 1.79
Green Tea Bags: Sweetbay 2.59

Condiments
Bouillon Cubes: Sweetbay 1.49
BBQ Sauce: Sweetbay .79/18oz
Ketchup: Sweetbay .99/24oz
Peanut Butter: Sweetbay 2.39
Pancake SyrupLight: Sweetbay 2.19

Sweets and Treats
Saltines: Sweeetbay 1.29,  Aldis .89
Pretzles: Sweetbay 1.79
Pudding Cups: Sweetbay .99/4

Herbs/Spices
Chili Powder:  Sweetbay 1.19
Thyme: Thyme: Sweetbay .59
Paprika: Sweetbay 1.19





  (I am continuing to work on this and  will update as I add more, but since I couldn't figure how to cut and paste and then post my spread sheet I am retyping this by hand)

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