USDA Average Cost of Food at Home

[Hall11235]

Tried a local Market Basket last week and saved around 30 dollars on my usual groceries! I felt like I discovered El Dorado after that! The only thing they don't have that my local Shaws has is the nitrite free bacon.
Kudos to all you fine folks who are teaching me to optimize! Still new to the whole living on my own thing (21, just graduated college and moved to a new town 1800 miles from any family) and I love all you people! Seriously, this forum is like my second family.

[4alpacas]

Williamsburg, and shopping quite a bit with my girlfriend in the Upper East  Side. In Manhattan things are so crazy that Whole Foods is the cheapest place we can find. By my apartnent Key Foods is the best, and I've looked at lots of different stores.

Yeah, I live in Manhattan (Harlem specifically) and I'm about to give up trying to find cheap groceries. I'm going to make one last-ditch attempt at a grocery spreadsheet to see if one of my neighborhood groceries is workable, or if I can come up with some reasonable shopping rotation, and if not - I'm going to say "fuck it" and start going to Whole Foods every week. Several things I buy regularly are dramatically cheaper there. It would annoy me because it's not that close to me, but if the alternative is taking trips every week to each of three different stores in my neighborhood to try and shop the sales, I honestly don't have the time or energy for that. (And I don't have the space to take occasional trips to Costco or similar and stock up.)

It's depressing to pay so much for such lousy quality, too... it would be one thing if all I could get was fancy stuff (like Whole Foods) at fancy prices, but I'm paying top dollar for cauliflower that's already turning a little bit brown and potatoes that are getting soft and etc.

If you're fed up with trying to get the best price on items, try to cut down your grocery bill in other ways.  Less food waste.  Less expensive ingredients.  Eating less.  Frozen fruits and vegetables that are out of season. 

[Dollar Slice]

If you're fed up with trying to get the best price on items, try to cut down your grocery bill in other ways.  Less food waste.  Less expensive ingredients.  Eating less.  Frozen fruits and vegetables that are out of season.

Believe me, I try! I waste virtually nothing (except when I get something from a crappy neighborhood grocery store that unexpectedly starts going bad almost immediately). No red meat or fish. No snacks at work. Nothing to drink except filtered tap water. Every time I go to the store I check the receipt for the 2-3 most expensive things and ask myself if I really need to buy that item in the future.

The unfortunate side effect is that I'm eating a carb-heavy diet that's not good for me...

[Dollar Slice]

You might try Peapod, if they deliver by you. I use them in Queens and the quality is solid and the prices are better than the NYC chain grocery stores, though not the ethnic market. And you can order from a phone app.

I have looked at Fresh Direct since they have a much lower minimum order ($30 as opposed to $60) and IIRC a lower delivery fee. Still seemed quite expensive. Is Peapod significantly different?

(I also remember reading that some of the online delivery services charge higher grocery prices in more expensive neighborhoods, so Manhattan might still be more expensive than Queens using Peapod or FreshDirect :-( )  ETA: Just checked with two different NY zip codes... yes, they charge more in Manhattan. MOFOS!

[Dollar Slice]

For my area, Peapod was significantly cheaper. If you dig around, you should find a $50 off your first 2 order of $125 or more coupon from FreshDirect, so it may be worth doing two orders, just to stock up.

I would struggle with $125 grocery orders, I live alone and have zero storage space in the kitchen (my mom said it's the only kitchen she's ever seen that doesn't have even one drawer!). But I'll check it out, and I'll add Peapod to my spreadsheet for some price comparisons...

[4alpacas]

If you're fed up with trying to get the best price on items, try to cut down your grocery bill in other ways.  Less food waste.  Less expensive ingredients.  Eating less.  Frozen fruits and vegetables that are out of season.

Believe me, I try! I waste virtually nothing (except when I get something from a crappy neighborhood grocery store that unexpectedly starts going bad almost immediately). No red meat or fish. No snacks at work. Nothing to drink except filtered tap water. Every time I go to the store I check the receipt for the 2-3 most expensive things and ask myself if I really need to buy that item in the future.

The unfortunate side effect is that I'm eating a carb-heavy diet that's not good for me...

Frozen vegetables (especially peas, which I use in everything) are really cheap too.

[Dollar Slice]

Frozen vegetables (especially peas, which I use in everything) are really cheap too.

Seriously, nothing is cheap at these grocery stores. This weekend I picked up a bag of frozen veg (unseasoned, not organic, not premium, just plain ol' broccoli) and didn't see a price tag... figured, well, how bad could it be? $4.99 at the register. The cheaper store has the same brand for $3.50. I think it's $1.49 at Whole Foods...

[Bumbling Bee]

Yeah, I live in Manhattan (Harlem specifically) and I'm about to give up trying to find cheap groceries. I'm going to make one last-ditch attempt at a grocery spreadsheet to see if one of my neighborhood groceries is workable, or if I can come up with some reasonable shopping rotation, and if not - I'm going to say "fuck it" and start going to Whole Foods every week. Several things I buy regularly are dramatically cheaper there. It would annoy me because it's not that close to me, but if the alternative is taking trips every week to each of three different stores in my neighborhood to try and shop the sales, I honestly don't have the time or energy for that. (And I don't have the space to take occasional trips to Costco or similar and stock up.)

There's an Aldi in East Harlem. I think they have the cheapest prices going.