Groceries in the US

[ExhaustTed]

Whilst being aware of the fact the US is an expensive place to buy food, having now been here for two weeks, the real shock of just how eye wateringly expensive groceries are is beginning to really hit home. I am wondering if anyone has any shopping tips about how to minimise cost. I have started all the usual food planning and budgeting type stuff, but as I am still navigating my way around the stores and brands - is there a happy place between not too expensive and not to grim? (Giant and Safeway are my two nearest shops with others not to far away). We are considering a Costco card? Is that a good investment?

[Stillwishihadabs]

Why is flour more expensive ? The U.S. Is a huge producer of wheat, that doesn't make any sense

[Eleventybillionfucks]

They have coupons and Apps in America that save you money on groceries.
One i know of is called Flip a Vlogger i watch on YouTube uses it for her family and membership cards reduce costs further also

[Leavingonajet]

realhousewife The reason I mentioned the exchange rate was that having just moved over I am comparing the cost between buying in the UK and buying in the states, I am still notionally buying things in Stirling to help me make sense of costs. I also think we are still be paid in Stirling but with a cost of living adjustment as we are on assignment but that isn't the reason I notice the exchange rates. If the pound was worth 20% more my internal calculations about the cost of things would show the USA to be less expensive. Hope this makes sense.

[realhousewife33]

Leavingonanjet Yes it totally makes sense then if you're still being paid in £. That's a pretty unusual set up though not to be paid in local currency though. Aren't you paying a fortune in fees each time you transfer money to a US account?

[PineappleScrunchie]

We were paid in sterling the entire time we were on an expat contract in the US, I don't think it's that unusual.
These days it's pretty cheap to transfer money. We used transferwise and paid about £10 in fees for transferring several £k each month. The rates are not far off the posted rates either.

We never found Costco good value because we are too weak and always bought loads of random tat. Aldi was by far the cheapest where we were but we didn't have Walmart.

[Firefries]

Flour in bulk from Costco is totally worth it.

[SofiaAmes]

Things like flour and milk and sugar are government subsidized in many/most western countries. US probably subsidizes less. Are you sure you are calculating right between pounds and dollars and pounds and kilos?

[Want2bSupermum]

op and leavingonajet, our budget for food each month is $1000. That includes alcohol, all meals and my DC don't eat school lunch. I went tonight and did well to only spend $140. Normally a weeks food is $200 for us, a family of 5.

[DeliveredByKiki]

Ours is too Want2be

For the poster in LA, you can get tahini in all the supermarkets, TJ does it decent and relatively cheap but I usually buy from Smart and Final

It IS more expensive, I've just accepted that (we have a lot of money coming in here though to compensate)

FWIW we bake our own bread and used to buy bread flour in bulk from Costco but now buy the wheat berries wholesale and grind them fresh for every loaf, and cook in the oven not a bread machine. If you don't count the grinder (think it cost about $200) it means our loaves now work out as less than $1 each and way more nutritious than flour that's been sat on a shelf for months

[AlphaStation]

"You can compare the price of a loaf in bread in Tesco to the price of a loaf of bread in Walmart and be horrified at the price [in Walmart] but it's got nothing to do with exchange rates."

I'm not even sure it's the same kind (type) of bread you're comparing.

[mathanxiety]

I am in the Chicago area.

Here is where I shop and what for (at least what I can remember):

Walmart
name brand breakfast cereals and granola
Tetley tea
Coffee - we like Dunkin Donuts ground coffee (French press, not Keurig)
TP
Walmart brand almond milk ('Great Value')
Eggs (if under a dollar a dozen)
Bread flour
frozen waffles
Walmart own French bread ($1 per loaf, nice for French toast, making a dinner stretch a bit)
tampons
pads
Walmart brand Claritin, Alka Seltzer cold medicine
crackers
Carmex lip balm
Big packets of freezer bags (60 per box)
Big packets of sandwich size bags (200 per box)
Foil
paper towels
Parchment paper for baking
Hispanic brands of vanilla, herbs, spices
Deodorant
some meats - smoked turkey sausage (Ekrich brand), salami
Cat litter
packets of family socks, underwear
milk
Detergent, dishwasher detergent, dish soap

Aldi
Chips
salsa
milk
eggs
butter
ordinary orange and pale yellow cheese (I won't call it cheddar)
frozen green beans grown in Netherlands
frozen peas and corn
tortillas
tomato paste
tomatoes crushed
all canned beans, canned chili beans
sometimes almond milk (own brand)
orange juice
milk
Aldi own brand laughing cow type cheese
Aldi brand TP, 12-pack
Aldi brand choc chips
All purpose flour
sugar of all kinds
cocoa
Christmas - German chocolate Santas and choc coins, choc truffles
New Zealand lamb if available, for special occasions. (Hardly ever available)
table salt
crackers
plonk
cooking oil

Local grocery stores that carry Centrella own brand items
(In my case, a place called Pete's Fresh Market and another called Super Tony's Finer Foods )
all meats with only a few exceptions
spices - middle Eastern, Mexican
10-lb bags of basmati rice for under $10
couscous
stuff like bags of tapioca
most fresh fruit and veg
most deli items including local specialties like Polish sausages
their own house Italian sausage and Halal lamb sausage
frozen tortellini
frozen potstickers
frozen pierogies
kefir
Greek yogurt/middle eastern yogurt/tworog (= Russian/Polish quark)
laughing cow cheese
rye crackers/Wasa brand crackers
pasta - there is always a sale of some brand of pasta. I stock up if I can find a lb of pasta for under $1. My most recent haul was ten packets of various pasta shapes for 59c per packet, organic, imported from Italy.
Hispanic brands of vanilla
Cheap (Hispanic) brands of herbs, spices and dried garlic and onions
breakfast sausage
bacon
Alpen
vodka
gin
sometimes plonk
Polish /European flour (there is a difference)
Sliced whole wheat bread for sandwiches/toast - Koeplingers brand
Polish sausage brands
Blackcurrant drinks
Sunflower oil

Local chain grocery - in this case Jewel
fizzy water - own brand
digestives
Branston pickle
bagels - good deal of a dozen mix and match big bagels for $5 on Sundays
in-store prepped fried chicken ('cheap chicken Mondays')
white potatoes, sweet potatoes
frozen (oven) chips
deals on frozen fish products during Lent
frozen pizza
frozen fruit
pickled herring

Dollar Store
sea salt
cake mix
ginger snaps
cotton balls
q-tips
greeting cards
wrapping paper
otc medicines like nasal decongestant, immodium
plasters (band aids)
kitchen sponges
magic eraser sponges
kitchen/bathroom cleaner ('Awesome Bang')
cleaning cloths
rubber gloves
Dried onions/garlic/herbs/black peppercorns in grinder
hand soap

Sally Beauty
big containers of conditioner and shampoo
face mask

Whole Foods Market
Cat food
Bulk Israeli couscous
Bulk lentils
Bulk spices and herbs
Bulk nuts
Almond flour/meal
Bulk dried fruit (Christmas)
Christmas turkey
splurge items like decent cheese
Barbara's brand breakfast cereal

Trader Joes
plonk
decent cheese

Walgreens
tampons, pads, makeup

Target
bread machine yeast
Target brand choc chips
Target brand vitamins and supplements
school supplies
university dorm room supplies
detergent occasionally

Carniceria Jimenez
fresh fruits and veg
tortillas

A middle eastern grocery whose name I get wrong, miles away
lamb's liver (only occasionally, don't worry)

Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Burlington Coat Factory
Cookware
towels
sheets
shower caddy
nice Italian or French soap that lasts way longer than shower gel, smells better, and doesn't give the family a rash
socks, underwear, bras


I had four DCs aged 16 to 24 and myself at home this summer and spent about $75 per week on groceries and sundries.

I bake and pre cook and freeze a lot.

[mathanxiety]

And tissues in the Dollar Store too.

[mathanxiety]

And tahini in the middle eastern place too.

[mathanxiety]

Peanut butter in Walmart too (Smuckers Naturals)
And Polish jams in Pete's or Super Tony's (nice blackcurrant jams)

sorry for dribs and drabs...

[SofiaAmes]

I found that the best place to get Tahini is from Amazon....Baron's Kosher 100% Pure Ground Sesame Tahini 16-ounce Jars (Pack of 2)
by Baron's
Link: a.co/7h8milI

[DeliveredByKiki]

the most annoying thing is having to go to lots of different shops for different things. I split mine between Costco, Smart and Final, TJ (where I get most stuff), the farmer's market and wholefoods

It's a big pain in the arse. I long for the days of a Tesco online shop!

[misssmilla1]

We budget around $800 a month for 3 of us for food and toiletries, cleaning stuff etc.

I do my weekly shop at Trader Joes as its miles cheaper than anywhere round us for veg, fruit and dairy, decent cheap cheese, milk and kids yoghurts and beer (no wine sold in ours unfortunately)

Stop n Shop for branded tinned goods, random veg I can't get at TJ's, toiletries (way cheaper than in the brand pharmacies for tampons etc) more specialist stuff like specific milk or yoghurt or english food (hello heinz baked beans)

Costco for bulk meat, cleaning supplies, soap, pasta, tinned toms etc of stuff we actually eat (they do a limited range) You (well, me!) need to go in with a specific list otherwise you come out having spent $400 on random shite and a canoe. Our costco has a gas station which is 30c a gallon cheaper than anywhere else so the $55 a year has paid for itself quite quickly

Its a pita to have to shop at different places, but it is much cheaper in the long run.

Also worth looking at amazon pantry and subscribe and save for regular items, but you have to keep an eye on the price as they regulalry vary

[Firefries]

Great list Mathanxietyand the trick is shopping around for different products is key.

[Want2bSupermum]

I love the click and collect as with all the running around between shops I just don't have time. Here in the NY Tristate area we have Shoprite which is good. Lots of people like Wegmans but it's a hike and I don't hike for my food beyond Costco or Walmart.

[Leavingonajet]

These are great lists thanks guys.

[BeALert]

Partly the problem is that people arrive and keep on buying the things they bought in the UK. Leeks and cauliflower are cheap in the UK but expensive in the US. OTOH corn on the cob is incredibly cheap right now, and broccoli is half price on my local supermarket.

Bread is expensive yet you can get 8 english muffins for $1, so we tend to eat those instead.

We buy whatever meat is on sale that week. Often you can get pork butt for $0.99/lb so we buy one, put it in the crockpot, have a big pulled pork meal and freeze the rest.

Same with fish - often salmon or haddock is half price. I'd never pay $15/lb for our but if it's $7/lb I'll buy double. I also often buy the chowder mix fish and make fish pie.

I don't do coupons at all, and only one shop round here does click and collect so I buy almost all our groceries there.

I go to Wholefoods for their Irish Bangers. Strangely they also seem to be the cheapest place to buy Weetabix.

[diodati]

Costco is definitely worth the membership fee. Apart from that, look out for "specials" - when random items go on sale, especially meat. Our local Safeway has sales every Sunday, when fresh produce such as meat, fish and vegetables that haven't sold during the week are sold at half price. A deep-freeze is a great investment for buying food in bulk and storing it. Costco is especially good for buying in bulk; it feels odd to buy in such huge quantities but you do end up saving in the long run.

[ExhaustTed]

This is all so amazing. I am coming to terms with the expense, but it also helps understand where the best places to get things are. I do think I am suddenly really missing my Tesco app and home delivery.

[KatoPotato]

You absolutely must get Trader Joe's Honey Butter crisps.

[misssmilla1]

Be I'm glad you said that, I've been thinking I'm crazy imagining the v high prices of leeks!

Costco meat is well worth it; the steaks from there are the best we've had (including from our local small independent butcher)

Its also handy for kids clothes (bargain snowsuit from there last year) and I'm obsessed with their $20 sheet cakes for birthdays etc