Tag: grocery

You Better Shop Around

With the price of groceries these days, you better shop around! I can’t type that without hearing backup singers bahdododoing in my head. But I digress. Food prices are erratic right now. Gone are the days you can count on any specific store having the lowest price. A combination of supply chain issues, product shortages, and inflation have led to unpredictable shopping in 2023.

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I recently ran out of Pickapeppa Sauce. When I pulled it up on the Walmart site, it was $10 (marked down from $13.95) for a 5 oz bottle. A search on Amazon found the same item for $7.89. Both of those seemed high so I looked at Kroger through Instacart. Kroger was the cheapest by far at $4.99.

Today, I need cranberry juice. I want the kind that’s nothing but 100% cranberry without any added grape or apple juice. A 32 oz bottle is $7.18 at Walmart, $6.39 at Kroger, and $9.99 at The Fresh Market and Natural Grocers. The choice between $7.18 and $6.39 is less than a dollar. That difference may not change my mind about where to purchase it. On the other hand, $2.81 seems like a pretty big difference.

But the math isn’t that simple. I often have 30 items to purchase at one time. If the price of each one is as erratic as these two examples, I can end up spending $30 – $60 more per shopping trip than if I shop at 3 or 4 different stores.

To comparison shop, I also have to factor in the amount of time I spend reviewing prices. Admittedly, online shopping reduces the amount of time this takes, but I can easily eat a dollar in time trying to save a dollar in cash.

For years, I had the luxury of ignoring grocery prices for the most part. And I got used to the fact that gluten-free items would be expensive in comparison to their gluten-containing counterparts. Now, I find myself questioning every purchase. Do I REALLY need those crackers? Do I NEED French bread from the store or do I have time to bake this week?

Last weekend, I hosted a birthday party. After searching four stores for two slabs of ribs, I checked a local barbecue restaurant. It was cheaper to buy the ribs there already smoked than to buy them uncooked from Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, or Kroger. I could save cash and cooking time by purchasing from the restaurant. That made my decision easy.

If you have a limited amount of time to research prices online, you may want to consider a price comparison app. I haven’t used any of these so I can’t recommend one, but online reviews and a look at their description can help you determine which app may fit your shopping style.

The other thing I do is limit shopping. I do this by:

  • growing vegetables and herbs
  • using as much of a food as possible (leaves, stems, trimmings)
  • eating and repurposing leftovers
  • minimizing spoilage
  • eating what I have instead of what I want
  • trading food from the garden with neighbors
  • keeping basics on hand
  • doing pantry challenges

While I can limit shopping, I am not fully self-sufficient so I will continue to purchase from grocery stores, Amazon, discount, and big box stores.

As long as prices continue to fluctuate drastically, you better shop around.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I Can’t Wait for Grocery Delivery!

I can’t wait for grocery delivery! Creating and testing gluten-free recipes means I can never shop at just one store. I’d rather spend my time in the kitchen than traveling to and from the grocery or walking through the aisles. Building a favorites list online will allow me to spend a minimum amount of time shopping and get all of the basics delivered right to my door. I love that idea!
carts
In preparation for the eventuality of grocery delivery, I’ve been clicking and picking up. My primary concern before I began was the quality of produce. Even when I do the shopping, it’s frequently difficult to find high quality, fresh produce in our local stores. Nonetheless, I decided to dive in.

Of course I can have nonperishables shipped from Amazon any time. I’ve previously purchased things like paper towels and G.H. Cretors popcorn from them. I didn’t enjoy the experience of having to fill a pantry box in order to get free shipping. I hated the way the items were packaged when they arrived. And I had to make sure someone was available to check my porch so the boxes didn’t disappear. That’s not the experience I’m looking for.

Subscriptions work well for some items like coffee. In fact, Jim’s Organic just started a subscription service. I signed up the minute I got an email announcing subscription availability. But coffee is something on which I can easily gauge my usage. I’m not as methodical about my consumption of paper towels or cereal.

In my market, there are two stores that offer click and pick-up service – Kroger and Wal-Mart. I chose Wal-Mart because they have a plan for $10 delivery in the near future. Each time I order from the site, I build familiarity with the product selection and add to my favorites list.

Downloading the app means I don’t have to call upon arrival. Once I receive a notice that the order is ready, I check in from my phone when I’m on the way. When I arrive, the store is notified and brings out the order.

This means that I’m allowing the app to track my location. This can be a privacy concern. If so, there’s an option to receive notification via email, drive to the store location, and call the number listed on a sign found in each parking spot in the pick-up area.
produce
Last week I added sugar snap peas to a pickup order. That evening, I popped the package open, washed a few and ate them raw. I was pleasantly surprised! The peas were crunchy, tender, and sweet. They were the freshest, tastiest produce I’ve had all year. That worry I had about the quality of produce is beginning to wane.

I’m attending a film festival out of town. There’s nothing in my refrigerator at home besides butter, jelly, and pickle relish. This week will be the perfect time to add more produce to an order and see if the peas were a fluke. I hope not. A pattern of reliably fresh produce and the deal will be sealed! Online grocery shopping will become a regular thing for me.

When grocery delivery begins…score!!! I really can’t wait!

http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/what-makes-a-grocery-store-great/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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