My Nitty Gritty Grocery List, take II
About six months ago I posted My Nitty Gritty Grocery List with the best prices for 35 staple items on my food list. Since then prices have risen significantly and there is a new entry into the grocery world. Fresh & Easy, the British grocery chain, recently opened in Van Nuys. They have many stores through Southern California.
So I checked out the prices at Fresh & Easy and compared them to prices at Trader Joe's and Food 4 Less, the two stores that overall had the best prices from the last time I compared prices. Sorry, Vons!
I found, however, that prices during sales at major grocery chains (Vons, Ralphs, and Albertsons) often beat TJs, F4L, and FE, so don't discount them all together. This is especially true for meat and items that frequently go on sale at the chains, which are marked with a star.
I did not have time to update my list with Costco prices, so if you shop there please do your own comparison. As always, prices change very quickly so if you see a good price, make room in your freezer and stock up!
To view my updated Nitty Gritty Grocery List click here. Print it out and stash it in your pocketbook for a quick reference when you shop.
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About The Bargain Hunter
Daily News staff writer Julia Scott loves to find bargains on everything from groceries to Gucci. Her tips will help keep your hard earned cash where it belongs - in your pocket.
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Thank you for doing this!!!
I am burning more fossil fuels running around from store to store!!!
I checked out F&E in Van Nuys and thought the prices were great. Not as gourmet as TJ's, but fine for my middle class diet (and budget).
Carol
Hi! Trader Joe's is still the best and most consistant in low prices. (I haven't gone to F and E.) Ralph's and Von's coupons are now not all doubleable (new word?)...only the $.50 coupons can be doubled...very chincy, in my opinion. Also, I went to Von's to get a pineapple on sale. In checkout, I found out that I did not look at the fine print on the coupon! It had a sale date that was different than the weekly sale price. Pretty sneaky, as I had already started to think about eating that pineapple, so, I bought it at full price anyway.
Thanks for all your good ideas!
Chris
Have you also done a price check with the Super WalMart? Iam in Santa Clarita and we have one it seems to be the pretty low but the produce is yucky.
Hi Julia I believe that I routinely buy 60% of the items on this list for between 30 and 35% less, although admittedly, I do make a career out of this. I also shop at Valu Plus and Valley Produce in order to pull this off. You really are neglecting a goldmine if you do not go to Valley Produce (two locations -- one in Reseda and one in Simi Valley) and at least see what they have, and tell your readers about them. For instance, they sell Costa de Oro Olive oil, in my opinion one of the best for our "everyday" use for a price that you can't touch anywhere else. HUGE variety of interesting foods including nuts and dried fruits at less than Trader Joe's. Of course for that matter, if you want to buy nuts in bulk, you should really go to Christopher's Nut House on Gloria Avenue in Van Nuys, just directly east of the back of the parking lot for Flyaway.
You should try Vallerta for produce. Their prices cannot be beat.They really take pains in providing the freshest produce. It is will worth the drive from Burbank to NoHo.