2012 Buy Prices = Meat, produce, dairy and frozen

About this time last year, I wrote a series that explained my "buy prices" on grocery, household, and health & beauty items. Many things have changed over the past year - including the price of groceries! In our area, most items have gone up in price.

Please remember that these are my buy prices - not yours! Our prices may be similar on some items and vastly different on other items. I live in a very rural area - for higher quality, better stores, I drive 30 minutes. It's over an hour to Target!

I keep a mental list of my buy prices and can look back at my Super Savings Saturday posts to find prices for items. I encourage you to pay attention to the sales and the prices you regularly pay for products in your area to find your buy prices.

When I find an item on sale that meets my buy price (or is lower), I buy extra - however many my budget will allow. Knowing my buy prices also means that I know at which stores I generally buy certain items. I do occasionally pay more than my buy price for item depending on the circumstances, but I try not to do that unless I really have to. It's all about what fits in the budget in a given month!

This week, I'll give you an idea of my buy prices for meat, produce, dairy and frozen products. {For comparison on how prices have changed in the past twelve months, take a look back at my 2011 prices.}

Meat

• Ground beef - $2.49/lb. (80 or 85% lean)
• Chicken
• boneless/skinless breasts - $1.99/lb. (Aldi sells 3 lb. bags for $6.)
• bone-in - $0.99-$1.19/lb. (I usually make homemade broth, too.)
• Pork - $2-$2.49/lb.
• Nicer cuts of meat - My husband is in charge of this. I wouldn't get the correct kind. :)
• Lunch meat - $4-$6/lb. (We don't eat a lot of lunch meat, but I try to buy it on sale and then freeze some.)
• Beef hot dogs - $3-$3.50 per package.

Fresh produce

• Onions - $0.33/lb. (Aldi frequently sells 3 lb. bags for $0.99. I chop and freeze them.)
• Potatoes - I aim for about $0.30/lb. for Russet potatoes (I usually buy them in 10 lb. bags at Aldi.). I occasinally buy red potatoes, but often pay more for those - $0.40-$0.50/lb.
• Carrots - $0.49-$0.99/lb.
• Broccoli and cauliflower - $0.99/lb.
• Green peppers - $0.99 per lb.
• Bananas - $0.38/lb. (Kwik Trip's everyday price) - We usually eat 6-8 bananas per week between the two of us, so I usually buy bananas every Sunday.
• Strawberries - $0.99/lb. We only get fresh strawberries in the summer when Aldi has them for $0.99.
• Grapes - $1.25-$1.50/lb.
• Lettuce - We love Artisan lettuce, which is $1.99 at Aldi.
• Other berries - I occasionally buy other berries when they are in season, and I usually buy them at Aldi.

Bread items

• Wheat bread (for my husband) - $1-$2 per loaf
• Gluten free bread - I generally do not purchase GF bread for myself. I tend to receive it as a gift quite frequently.
• Hot dog/hamburger buns - $0.99 per package (at Aldi).
• Rolls/other bread items - I make my husband's dinner rolls (usually regular Butterhorns), and I make GF rolls, too. We do pick up other bread items on the day-old bread rack at Walmart (we freeze the bread immediately).

Dairy items

• Milk - About $1.50 per half gallon bag (we don't drink much milk).
• Eggs - $0.99 per dozen.
• Shredded cheese - No more than $3.49 per 16 oz. bag (that's regular price at Aldi).
• Block cheese - $1.50-$2 per 8 oz. block.
• Yogurt - $0.50-$0.60 per cup.
• Sour cream - $1.29 per 16 oz.
• Cream cheese - $0.89 per 8 oz.
• Butter - $2/lb.

Frozen items

• Vegetables - $1 or less per 16 oz.
• Juice concentrate - $1.25/can for 100% juice.
• Waffles/other breakfast items - I aim for about $2. I almost never buy these types of items because a) there's no room in our freezer, and b) they're not very healthy. These items are usually a "treat" for my husband!
• Honestly, I don't buy many frozen items. Our freezer is generally full of meat (that's been vacuum-sealed), bread products (both homemade and storebought), and frozen vegetables.

How do your buy prices compare for these items?