Back on September 18 I posted briefly about the prices in Juneau. Since I'm in full-on procrastination mode I dug out some grocery receipts to illustrate the costs up here. Food here is generally more expensive than I
remember from the lower 48, whether you’re eating out or getting groceries and
cooking at home. (I'll do a separate post about restaurant prices!) There not many items
that you see at the grocery store and really notice a huge difference in cost
over the lower 48, but when you add up a cart full of groceries, it is
noticeable. I had kept notes on what
things cost in South Carolina, but have since lost them and they’re out of date
now anyways. SO, here are some recent
(last two weeks or so) prices of things we buy.
We generally buy the store brand for most items if it’s cheaper (and we
are on a budget these days), but I’ve noted that below where applicable. Also, I will often make substitutions for
ingredients if something is on sale…like this weekend I made chili and I was
planning to use ground beef and canned black beans but the ground turkey was on
sale and $3 a pound cheaper and kidney beans were on sale, so I am now making
ground turkey chili with kidney beans.
Not a major difference in the end result, but definitely cheaper.
Produce:
Jalapeno peppers, fresh – $1.99/lb
Yellow onions - $0.98/lb
Red onions - $1.39/lb
Russet potatoes - $0.69/lb on sale ($0.89 regular)
Lemons - $0.99/each
Broccoli, crowns (that’s the only way it’s sold
that I’ve seen) - $1.28/lb
Green beans - $2.99/lb
Green bell pepper - $1.39 each (on sale)
Dairy/Refrigerator:
Sour cream, store brand, 8 oz - $1.19
Yoplait yogurt, 6-8 oz container - $0.70
Butter, store brand - $3/lb on sale
Athenos prepared hummus, small container - $4.29
Alaskan ale, 12 pack bottles - $12.99
Milk, gallon (at Costco) - $3.49 (much more expensive
at the grocery store)
Canned/boxed items:
Kidney beans, store brand, 15oz can - $0.97
Crushed tomatoes, Hunts, 28oz can - $2.69
Evaporated milk, store brand, 12oz can - $0.89
Kraft Mac n Cheese box (7.25 oz box size) - $1.89
Sawnson chicken broth, 14.5 oz can - $1.39
(sometimes on sale for $0.89)
Meat:
93% lean ground beef - $6.69/lb
93% lean ground turkey - $3.99/lb on sale
Hormel turkey pepperoni , 6 oz - $3.50 each (on
sale)
Other:
(many of these I haven’t bought, but know the prices)
Snapple iced tea bottles, 6 pack - $7.99
Digiorno pizza $9.99 each (sometimes on sale for
$7.49)
Jello pudding, small box - $1.25 each on sale
Sugar, store brand, 5 lb bag - $2.99
Ziplock freezer bags, 52 qt size bags - $7.79
Taste of Thai brand coconut milk, 13.5 oz can -
$3.79 (and that is by far the cheapest brand!)
Frosted mini-wheats, Costco, the 2-bag box - $9.39
How do these compare to what you pay? Is it more expensive here or pretty
comparable? (And for Tami – you must
think these prices are cheap compared to Tokyo!)
Some of those prices look similar. I gagged when shopping here at first, but now I don't usually pay attention. Costco is cheaper, and I appreciate having a small stockpile of everything (a bit tougher in the RV!). We do discuss the cost of strawberries which right now is something like $5 for 16-20 berries.
ReplyDeleteWe do shop at Costco for some basics that we go through a lot of or for things where there's such a huge price difference that it's worth storing in bulk - like eggs (which we eat frequently), pasta sauce, olives (so expensive in the regular grocery!), milk, and most meat. The cost of heavy or bulky items, like pumpkins or bottled beverages seem to be disproportionately expensive up here, which makes sense since it all has to be brought in by barge or plane. I try not to freak out about grocery prices...it's just the cost of living up here!
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