It’s time again for the Grocery Benchmark Report!
So what’s happening in the benchmark report this month?
Well sugar and flour have gone up a bit since the start of the year and stayed up. Of course flour was super cheap at ALDI at the beginning of the year-$.89 a 5lb bag!-so I expected a price increase. But the current price is still up a bit from where it was last year.
Dairy and eggs have all experienced a sudden and fairly dramatic dip at my local shop-$.50 a lb less for cheese is a big difference! I’m not sure yet whether this is a short term price drop or a reflection of dairy prices dropping across the board.
Meat prices are also slowly creeping up. Chicken has gone up another $.29 a lb-that makes almost $.50 a lb increase this year in the boneless skinless breasts.
March Grocery Benchmark
| Item | First price AUG 2011 |
Jan |
Feb | Mar | Change since Aug-2011 | Change YTD | Change since last |
| Sugar (5lb) | 2.69 | 2.39 | 2.85 | 2.85 | 0.16 | 0.46 | 0.00 |
| Flour (white, 5 lb) | 1.69 | 0.89 | 1.69 | 1.75 | 0.06 | 0.86 | 0.06 |
| Milk (2%, Gallon) | 2.15 | 2.15 | 2.15 | 2.15 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cheddar Cheese (1 lb) | 3.49 | 3.49 | 3.49 | 2.99 | -0.50 | -0.50 | -0.50 |
| Mozarella Cheese (1 lb) | 2.99 | 3.49 | 3.49 | 2.99 | 0.00 | -0.50 | -0.50 |
| Eggs (lrg, 1doz) | 1.25 | 1.39 | 1.35 | 1.25 | 0.00 | -0.14 | -0.10 |
| Butter (1 lb) | 2.39 | 2.29 | 2.29 | 1.89 | -0.50 | -0.40 | -0.40 |
| Tuna (chunk light, 5 oz) | 0.55 | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Canned Corn (15.25 oz) | 0.39 | 0.49 | 0.49 | 0.49 | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Lettuce | 1.29 | 1.39 | 1.39 | 1.29 | 0.00 | -0.10 | -0.10 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | 0.29 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Gr Beef (80/20 per lb) | 2.79 | 2.59 | 2.69 | 2.69 | -0.10 | 0.10 | 0.00 |
| Chicken (BS Breast, per lb) | 2.49 | 2.00 | 2.29 | 2.00 | -0.49 | 0.00 | -0.29 |
| Chicken (Whole, per lb) | 0.79 | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Pinto Beans (per lb) | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bread (white sandwich) | 0.75 | 0.89 | 0.89 | 0.89 | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
So how does this “benchmark report” work?
Each month I record prices on a set basket of “staple” grocery items. I price all items at my local ALDI store to keep things simple.
The columns show the price when I first started recording (Aug 11), the price at the beginning of this year (Jan 12), the prices last month and the prices this month.
These price columns are followed by a “Change since Aug 11” “Change, Year to Date” column 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 found this post most interesting! What a great system you have going. I was keeping a price book and got discouraged and stopped. But I am going back to it and follow your method, much easier than what I was doing and seeing how trends are going is a great way to do it.
Thanks for the ideas and the red and green on the graph really make the point.
I’m looking forward to when you have a couple years’ data; it’ll be nice to see how season affects these prices. Other sources claim to collect seasonal data, but most have an obvious interest in the results.
Besides, you’re just down the street from me AND we primarily shop Aldi’s, so your results truly reflect my local conditions.
Lance ==)—————–
-=[ If I had a million dollars, I’d farm ’til it was all gone. ]=-