First Thanksgiving? Help! But on top of all the hard work, there’s the cost too. A Turkey Day feast can become expensive, especially with all the back-up food. (It’s important to be prepared in case the bird never thaws and the apple pie goes up in smoke.)
RedEye compiled a grocery list of ingredients for a basic Thanksgiving dinner and then shopped around at the city’s major supermarket chains to check prices. A 10-pound turkey isn’t an everyday purchase, but we included plenty of convenience foods too, so the total bill is a good bellwether of an average trip to the market.
Also, smart grocery shopping can mean significant savings for consumers who watch what, when and how they buy food. Use the tips to shave cents and dollars off one trip to the store, which can add up to hundreds saved over the year.
How stores manipulate you
Supermarkets are experts at merchandising products to get the most out of your wallet.
According to the Chicago Consumers’ Checkbook, keep an eye out for these techniques:
– Positioning pricier stuff at eye height. Got milk? Grab the gallon straight ahead for $3.49 or the one on the bottom shelf for $2.49.
– Spreading out staples in order to make shoppers walk past pricier or impulse items. Can’t get to the romaine lettuce without spotting a pricey baby spinach salad kit first.
– Grouping products in convenient displays with impulse items. A table stacked with stuffing mix and cranberries next to the frozen turkey case. Pears in the produce section flanked by cheese and crackers.
– Displaying items out of context at the foot of each aisle as a “special feature.” Maybe you do need mustard, but probably not a super-size squeeze bottle of imported dijon. –A.N.
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Keeping tabs on food prices
Each week, city investigators from the Consumer Services Department go grocery shopping around Chicago.
The project, Operation Food Basket, was launched in 2000 as an effort to keep pricing fair from store to store, but also gives consumers a benchmark on grocery costs in Chicago. The weekly shopping list includes about 25 staples such as milk, bread, apples and chicken.
Check out the data at: www.cityofchicago.org/ConsumerServices/P riceUpdates/foodbasket.html
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Average Chicago food prices
According to the results posted online, prices have declined slightly on average at large chain and midsized stores in recent years (six-month intervals, measured during the last week of the month):
Oct. ’00: $48.78
April ’01: $49.30
Oct. ’01: $47.13
April ’02: $45.05
Oct. ’02: $43.22
April ’03: $46.46
Oct. ’03: $43.78
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Are coupons worth the effort?
Clipping coupons from the newspaper may seem like your mother’s domain and a waste of time, but a little effort can yield real savings, according to consumer magazines.
Just keep a few things in mind:
– Think bulk. If cereal qualifies as dinner several times a week, that’s some serious Frosted Flakes consumption.
Coupons are worthwhile for expensive processed foods you buy often and in quantity.
– Keep them handy. No one is thinking about coupons when they dash into the grocery after a long day. Store the coupons in a visible spot in your wallet.
– Buy the usual. Don’t waste time clipping coupons for items you don’t normally buy.
They’ll end up smashed and forgotten at the bottom of your bag. –a.n.
Not a newspaper reader?
You can collect coupons efficiently on the Internet where you can search for coupons by category and brand. Try these sites:
– CoolSavings.com A multiproduct coupon site. Print right off the screen.
– Couponsurfer.com Search for coupons by brand name.
Ways to save at the grocery
Leave work late, stumble into apartment, open fridge–nada. Familiar scenario? Ordering in is an easy solution, but certainly not cheap or healthy. Take the plunge–it’s time to go grocery shopping.
The Chicago Consumers’ Checkbook offers a few cost-cutting strategies:
– Think a few meals ahead and stock up on all the ingredients in one trip. Try to avoid fragile produce that spoils quickly such as lettuce and choose fresh items with a longer shelf life.
– Store brands can definitely cut the grocery bill. A taste test by the Chicago Consumers’ Checkbook found that consumers rated store brands nearly equal to national brands.
– Consider the price of canned vs. frozen because it varies between products. Plus, weigh the potential waste: For example, a bag of frozen corn keeps in the freezer; the canned corn has to be used up.
– Eating seasonally will save you money. Spring produce such as strawberries and asparagus are more expensive in the winter because they’re imported, not grown locally.
– Convenience foods are expensive and sometimes not worth the time saved. Sliced cheese costs more than buying a block and cutting it yourself. Packages of individual portions are pricey too.
Check for later spoil dates on products such as milk and yogurt to avoid throwing out unused stuff. For example, the Dec. 1 shipment might be shelved in front of the Dec. 10 stock. Reach to the back.
RedEye’s Thanksgiving menu
Cheap is not the enemy of tasty, friends. In the search for a good Thanksgiving deal, RedEye conducted an informal price check at five popular grocery stores. Forgive us if it’s not an exact science, but shoppers have to roll with the punches–No sweet potatoes? Grab the Idahos instead.
The dinner essentials: The family will dig in to a classic holiday plate of roasted turkey and gravy, creamed spinach, mashed sweet potatoes and stuffing. Followed by homemade apple pie.
Shopping list: Apples, celery, cranberries, lemons, mushrooms, onions, oranges, spinach, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, chicken broth, cinnamon, corn starch, dried thyme, flour, pepper, salt, stuffing, sugar, butter, milk, cream, eggs, cheddar cheese and turkey.
The extra items: Bowls of chips and salsa will keep guests placated while you open plastic cartons of deli-prepared salads and heat up a frozen pizza. The frozen pie doesn’t look half-bad on the box.
Shopping list: Chips, salsa, Coke, deli pasta salad, deli green bean salad, frozen pepperoni pizza, frozen veggie burgers, frozen apple pie, paper towels and toilet paper.
Costs are based on a dinner for eight people using standard-size packaged goods (no jumbo boxes or individual servings). Sale prices or savings card prices were included when available. Also, not all products are the same. RedEye chose the closest substitute when stores didn’t carry certain brands or products. –A.N.
Trader Joe’s
Essentials: $84.28 Extras: $34.02 TOTAL: $118.30
Notes: Shop here for terrific bargains on gourmet foods, but don’t make it your only stop. We found fancy King Arthur flour and imported parmigiano at a fraction of Whole Foods’ prices, but couldn’t scrounge up a single green apple or sweet potato. Only turkey: a 3-pound boneless stuffed breast.
Dominick’s
Essentials: $82.77 Extras: $37.34 TOTAL: $120.11
Notes: Wide variety and good values at one of Chicago’s most popular grocery chains. We liked the “Fresh Values” card for extra savings, but Jewel had similar sales. Some high-end products are available, as well as many quality bakery and store-brand products.
Jewel
Essentials: $81.59 Extras: $41.35 TOTAL: $122.94
Notes: This large grocery chain with locations all over the city is affordable and provides a broad selection. Although the produce quality is uneven, it was relatively inexpensive. Also, the frozen section is very veggie-friendly: One store stocked the whole line of Boca products.
Treasure Island
Essentials: $86.23 Extras: $46.38 TOTAL: $132.61
Notes: Chicago’s original gourmet market chain offers a convenient mix of higher-end products and good values. Many pantry items competed with or undercut prices at Jewel and Dominick’s. Still, most prepared foods, produce and cheeses cost much more, although less than Whole Foods.
Whole Foods: Essentials: $96.25 Extras: $64.23 TOTAL: $160.48
Notes: Shopping at Whole Foods lived up to its nickname, “whole paycheck.” High-quality produce and packaged goods are consistently higher priced, often without alternatives. Shoppers can find organic celery and free-range turkey–though you do pay for the special selection.
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Edited by Lara Weber (lweber@tribune.com) and Michael Morgan (mnmorgan@tribune.com)
