2013 Buy Prices = Meat, Produce, Dairy and Frozen

Last year in February, I ran a four-week series that looked at my "buy prices" for various items. This month, I'll be doing the same thing - with my updated buy prices for 2013.

Please don't forget that these are my buy prices - they are specific to my location and situation. We live in the Midwest in rural Wisconsin. Aldi is 30 minutes away and Target is an hour! I don't regularly play the "drugstore game" because Walgreens is not conveniently located. I eat 100% gluten free; it's currently my husband (not GF) and me, but we are adding a baby to the family next month (Feb. 2013). We do focus on eating "whole foods" and consume very little in the way of processed foods (i.e., we cook and bake mostly from scratch).

All that to say: My buy prices are constantly evolving and changing. Do I ever purchase an item when it's more than my buy price? Occasionally. I certainly do my best to stock up when the price is low, so I am not forced to pay more for something when we need it.

This week, we'll take a look at my buy prices for meat, produce, dairy and frozen grocery items. Feel free to comment and let us know how your buy prices compare to mine! {For comparison on how prices have changed in the past twelve months, take a look back at my 2012 prices.}
Meat

• Ground beef - $2.49-$2.99/lb. (80 or 85% lean). $3.29/lb. for 95/5 (on sale).
• Chicken
• boneless/skinless breasts - $2.16/lb. (Aldi sells 3 lb. bags for $6.49.)
• bone-in - $0.99-$1.19/lb. (I usually make homemade broth, too.) \
• Pork - $2/lb.
• Nicer cuts of meat - My husband is in charge of this. I wouldn't get the correct kind. :)
• Lunch meat - $5-$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 - $3.50 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 $0.20/lb. for Russet potatoes (I usually buy them in 10 lb. bags at Aldi.). I buy red potatoes on sale, but often pay more for those - $0.30/lb.
• Carrots - $0.49-$0.99/lb.
• Broccoli and cauliflower - $0.99-$1.19/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 - $1.50/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) - $1.50 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-$1.29 per dozen.
• Shredded cheese - No more than $3.29 per 16 oz. bag.
• Block cheese - $1.75-$2 per 8 oz. block.
• Yogurt - $0.50 per cup.
• Sour cream - $0.99 per 16 oz.
• Cream cheese - $0.99 per 8 oz.
• Butter (salted & unsalted) - $2-$2.29/lb.

Frozen items

• Vegetables - $1 or less per 16 oz.
• Juice concentrate - $1.25-$1.50 per 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!

My Observations

• The area where I've seen the highest increases this year is meat. Our budget has certainly felt that increase! It's important to us to have meat, though, so I work it into the budget.
• For me, the price of fresh product has generally stayed the same over the past year, which is wonderful. One of the ways we are able to eat more fresh produce is by buying it at Aldi - great quality and low prices!
• Most dairy products' prices have stayed the same this year and a few even decreased, which has been really nice for the budget!