It’s time again for the Grocery Benchmark Report.
I’m starting to see some definite changes in prices since I started recording them last August. The prices have remained fairly stable here locally since last month-the two biggest changes being sugar and flour, which were most likely heavily reduced to be “loss leaders” for the holidays and are now swinging back up to their actual price. I’m also seeing slow but steady increases in the prices on meat.
February Grocery Benchmark
| Item | First recorded price in 2011 | Jan-12 | Feb-12 | Change YTD | Change since last |
| Sugar (5lb) | $2.69 | $2.39 | $2.85 | $0.16 | $0.46 |
| Flour (white, 5 lb) | $1.69 | $0.89 | $1.69 | $0.00 | $0.80 |
| Milk (2%, Gallon) | $2.15 | $2.15 | $2.15 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Cheddar Cheese (1 lb) | $3.49 | $3.49 | $3.49 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Mozarella Cheese (1 lb) | $2.99 | $3.49 | $3.49 | $0.50 | $0.00 |
| Eggs (lrg, 1doz) | $1.25 | $1.39 | $1.35 | $0.10 | -$0.04 |
| Butter (1 lb) | $2.39 | $2.29 | $2.29 | -$0.10 | $0.00 |
| Tuna (chunk light, 5 oz) | $0.55 | $0.59 | $0.59 | $0.04 | $0.00 |
| Canned Corn (15.25 oz) | $0.39 | $0.49 | $0.49 | $0.10 | $0.00 |
| Lettuce | $1.29 | $1.39 | $1.39 | $0.10 | $0.00 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | $0.29 | $0.35 | $0.35 | $0.06 | $0.00 |
| Gr Beef (80/20 per lb) | $2.79 | $2.59 | $2.69 | -$0.10 | $0.10 |
| Chicken (BS Breast, per lb) | $2.49 | $2.00 | $2.29 | -$0.20 | $0.29 |
| Chicken (Whole, per lb) | $0.79 | 0.85 | 0.85 | $0.06 | $0.00 |
| Pinto Beans (per lb) | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Bread (white sandwich) | $0.75 | $0.89 | $0.89 | $0.14 | $0.00 |
Remember, each month I show the last two month’s prices on a set basket of “staple” grocery items. I price all items at my local ALDI store to keep things simple. These price columns are followed by a “Change, Year to Date” column (right now I’m just using my data from when I started recording in August. Once we are a couple months into the year I’ll switch it over to a true YTD) and a “Change since last month” column.
Note: If a price is shown in green, it’s gotten cheaper. If it’s in red, it’s more expensive.
Remember-prices can vary wildly by region. My desire here is to help us all notice and take action on price TRENDS so we can make decisions about how best to manage our budget for our own households.
Wondering why I’m so concerned about rising food costs? Because the the price of food at home is projected to rise by 4 to 5 percent this year, and another 2 to 3 percent next year, according to the US Agriculture Department.
Thanks to Malloreigh for the photo that I found on Flickr to create the graphic from.
I am going to have to start shopping consistently at Aldi’s. These prices are much less than at Weis.
Yes, Aldi’s is a very very good deal for staple items! Just remember, you need a quarter for the cart and you either have to bring your own bags or buy them.
I love my Aldi’s budget shopping. We use to by two weeks worth of food for 80$ last year. Now its more like 120$ Food prices have gone up. I hate that my Baking essentials have too. Thanks for this post Jen. It is nice to see that its NOT JUST ME.
Thanks for the post Jenn. The price of everything seems to be going up during these uncertain times. I appreciate you posting this. 🙂
I’m so jealous of you ground beef prices! Here in the Sierra Nevadas, ground beef rarely gets under $3.99, even at the discount stores!
RAchel-my hubs is always saying “eggs are cheaper in the country”. . . we live in a rural area and from comments I’ve gotten from readers our prices are somewhat lower. Of course the median income is probably a lot lower too!
Wow – the Aldis in NY are cheap! I’m an ex pat now living in North Carolina – from Albany area. I shop Aldi here almost exclusively in Raleigh for our groceries and can’t believe how much more food is in NC. Our milk is $3.35 a gallon!!!
I was surprised at how much food was when we moved down here – but PLEASANTLY surprised when we got our first property tax bill! 🙂
Ellen-yes, the prices are pretty good at the ALDI here–but remember, we are right in the middle of dairy country which probably helps with the milk etc 🙂 and yes-the property taxes, sheesh, I don’t even want to talk about that! Of course prices are very variable from region to region-I’m hoping that even though my local prices might not be representative of the country as a whole that the trends-what is going up or down and by how much-will be an indicator of what’s happening with prices across the country as a whole 🙂