2013 Buy Prices = Pantry, Snacks and Beverages

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. But 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.}

Baking Items

• Oil (vegetable, canola) - $2.50 per 48 oz.
• Olive oil - $2.80 per 17 oz. bottle (Aldi).
• Granulated sugar - $2.50 per 4 lb. bag.
• Brown or powdered sugar - $1.50 per 2 lb. bag.
• Flour - $2-$2.50 per 5 lb. bag (bleached or unbleached). $3 per 5 lb. bag of whole wheat.
• Gluten free flour - $2.60 per lb. for Better Better.
• Yeast - under $4 for a 4 oz. jar.

Canned and Boxed Goods

• Soup - $1 per can.
• Vegetables - $0.30 per can (we don't eat canned veggies, though).
• Fruit - $0.75 per can.
• Tomato products
• Tomato paste - $0.40 per 6 oz. can.
• Tomato sauce - $0.30 per 8 oz. can.
• Diced tomatoes - $0.75 per 15 oz. can.
• Crushed tomatoes - $1.29 per 28 oz. can (Aldi).
• Pizza sauce - I make my own.
• Cereal - $1.50-$2 per box.
• Tortillas
• Flour - $0.99 per 10 ct. package.
• Corn - $1.20 per 30 ct. package.

Sauces, Condiments, Dressings, etc.

• Peanut butter - $2.50 for 16-18 oz. jar ($0.14-$0.16 per oz.). (Also - Aldi sells a 40 oz. jar for about $3.50, which is $0.11 per oz.)
• Jelly - under $1 per jar.
• Salad dressing - under $1.50 per bottle.
• Pasta sauce - $1 for 24 oz.
• Ketchup - $1.50 for 40 oz. (Aldi).
• Mustard - $0.70 per 14 oz. bottle.
• Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip - $2 per 30 oz. bottle.

Pasta and Rice

• Regular pasta - $1 per pound.
• Whole wheat pasta - $1-$1.50 per pound.
• Gluten free pasta - $2 per pound.
• Long grain rice - $1.70 per 3 lb. bag.
• Instant rice - $2.30 per 28 oz. box.

Spices and Seasonings

• Taco seasoning - I make my own.
• Single spices - $1 per jar (Aldi).

Beverages

• 100% juice - $1.25 for frozen concentrate. (This is usually the only way I buy juice, unless it's free.)
• Orange juice - $1.50 for half gallon.
• Coffee - $3 per 11 oz. canister (we only keep coffee on hand for guests).
• Soda - $2.50 per 12 pack cans.
• Bottled water - $0.10 per bottle (although we do not buy bottled water).

Candy and Cookies

• Chocolate candies - $1-$1.50 per bag.
• Chocolate chips - $1.79 per bag (Aldi).
• Packaged cookies - under $1.50 (a rare treat!).

Chips and Crackers

• Tortilla chips - $1.20 per bag (Aldi).
• Potato chips - We don't buy potato chips (but Aldi prices them reasonably).
• Crackers - $1.50-$2 per box.
• Gluten free crackers - I make my own! (Or buy them on Amazon.)
• Popcorn - $0.21 per individual microwave bag.

My Observations

• Overall, the prices on most pantry items didn't change too much this year.
• Some baking supplies increased in cost, but not too substantially. I save a lot of money on baking products by purchasing them at our local "bent and dent" store.
• In a few cases (ketchup and instant rice, for example), Aldi actually increased the size of the package without increasing the price! (Just another one of the many reasons I love Aldi!)
• Cold cereal did increase this year, for sure - and we see fewer sales & deals on it now. My new buy price does reflect that increase.
• And of course, we saw the price of peanut butter skyrocket this year, and it really hasn't gone back down. We tried Aldi's peanut butter at Christmas and thought it tasted just fine, so I'll probably be buying that in the future.