And you're paying.....what?

[maggiethecat]

I started a thread about comparative food prices a couple of months ago, and it sank like a stone, (or a ten pound watermelon.) As a matter of fact, I can't find it anymore.

So this is Mark II.

I'm looking at a receipt from the West Chicago Farmer's Market that accompanied three bags of food that came in the front door a couple of hours ago. Total: $5.31. I'm interested in what a similar haul would cost you in Portland or Manhattan or Atlanta or Houston.

30 limes

3 pounds (really nice) new white potatoes

20 packages Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Mix (He likes them)

6 fresh flour tortillas

5 lbs. sugar

3 ears corn

1 can Jumex Plum Nectar

This doesn't have to be an item-by-item comparison. But what would $5.31 buy you on a stop on the way home from work?

Edited July 8, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[tommy]

wha? you're joking, yes? limes are about 3 for a dollar here in northern NJ. i'll be right over...

edit: on a different note, 5.31 would buy me a beer and a small tip on the way home from work.

Edited July 8, 2003 by tommy (log)

[slkinsey]

wha?  you're joking, yes?  limes are about 3 for a dollar here in northern NJ.  i'll be right over...

They are?! Man... I think limes were something like 8 for a buck the last time I was at Fairway... and the Korean owned/Mexican staffed market on 104th and Amsterdam has them for something like 12 for a buck. $5.31 would get me almost my weight in limes!

[tommy]

wha?  you're joking, yes?  limes are about 3 for a dollar here in northern NJ.  i'll be right over...

They are?! Man... I think limes were something like 8 for a buck the last time I was at Fairway... and the Korean owned/Mexican staffed market on 104th and Amsterdam has them for something like 12 for a buck. $5.31 would get me almost my weight in limes!

i might be thinking of lemons.

but still, they ain't that cheap 'round my parts. but i only shop at the most expensive of stores.

[slkinsey]

but still, they ain't that cheap 'round my parts.  but i only shop at the most expensive of stores. 

Well, naturally. I assumed you were speaking of the heirloom limes you buy that come individually protected in spider silk wrappings woven by blind virgins. I know that's the only kind I use. I was only using those quotidian limes to make an example.

[maggiethecat]

I assumed you were speaking of the heirloom limes you buy that come individually protected in spider silk wrappings woven by blind virgins.

Thank you, sl. I'll have to wipe off my monitor now.

But what about the sugar and the corn and potatoes and stuff?

Edited July 8, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[Fat Guy]

The receipts that are in my pocket right now are from PathMark in Edgewater, NJ. I have two receipts, each for $2.99, each for one whole gigantic seedless watermelon. There was a one-per-customer limit, so Ellen and I had to check out separately. So that's $5.98 for two watermelons. But of course they were on sale.

[Mistinguett]

Maggie, is $5.31 the delivery fee?

In Queens $5.31 would buy me either 3 lbs. potatoes, 5 lbs sugar and 3 ears of corn, or 26 limes (sometimes fewer).

Or 2 lbs tomatoes (on the vine) and 4 cucumbers (that's about 2 salads worth).

I usually spend that much on fruit every 2 days, however today I was surprised to buy a pretty big seedless watermelon for $3 and change at .19/lb where the seeded one was advertised on sale (?) for .39/lb.

[pixelchef]

3 quarts of freshly picked strawberries for $5 on my way home from the cottage.

Still, though, that isn't even close to the value you got, Maggie.

However, you must take into consideration that $5 Canadian dollars is roughly the same as 17 US cents.

[tommy]

maggie, please sure what you made for dinner with

30 limes

3 pounds (really nice) new white potatoes

20 packages Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Mix (He likes them)

6 fresh flour tortillas

5 lbs. sugar

3 ears corn

1 can Jumex Plum Nectar

[Fat Guy]

From FreshDirect.com, not an exact comparison but close:

30 Limes (Farm Fresh) ($0.20/ea) $6.00

1 After The Fall Oregon Berry Juice (32oz) ($2.19/ea) $2.19

1 Domino Granulated White Sugar (5lb bag) ($2.59/ea) $2.59

20 Nissin Top Ramen Beef Ramen Noodle Soup Mix (3oz) ($0.29/ea) $5.80

1 Richfood Flour Tortillas (10ct) ($0.79/ea) $0.79

3 Bicolor Corn (Farm Fresh, ear) ($0.49/ea) $1.47

8 White Potato (Farm Fresh, Med) ($0.49/lb) $1.57

Subtotal: $20.41

[torakris]

Maggie, I am moving to wherever you are!

$5.31 would buy me 2 limes and 2 potatoes

I don't want to play anymore

[Jinmyo]

Maggie, whaaaa? $5.31? This is in Chicago?

You must have magic money.

[Gular]

Today: Farmers Market in Alb.,NM

5lb russet potatos .99

Red leaf/Romaine lettuce 2/.99

Yellow Onion 3.32lb@ 5lb@.99/.66

medium red tomato 1.30lb@.99lb/1.29

Total: $4.16 with tax...

Not bad,

awesome tomatoes.

Edited July 8, 2003 by Gular (log)

[Fat Guy]

Maggie, your list: did you go out with a specific list in mind and acquire all those items, or did you buy by price once you saw what was cheap? I'm wondering because if you were buying on price based on a specific outlet's cheapest products, it might make for a strange comparison -- it would be like using my watermelon example, above, as a baseline for Northern New Jersey.

Also, if you're interested in what's being offered cheap in various markets, you'll find that more and more supermarket chains are placing their weekly circulars online. Here's the one for ShopRite in Paramus, NJ (large .pdf file): http://www.shoprite.com/weekly/week28/AdTa...Ad/circular.pdf

[Marlene]

$5.31 CDN would buy me two of Maggie's limes once converted to US currency

[elyse]

Here is Morton Williams - Associated market site. You may have to click on weekly specials at the left.

$5.31 doesn't go too far here. I just bought:

5 lbs sugar

5 lbs flour

2 lbs brown sugar

1 lb butter

1 dozen eggs

for close to $12.00. I was not doing my normal sales scavenging.

[elyse]

3 quarts of freshly picked strawberries for $5 on my way home from the cottage.

Still, though, that isn't even close to the value you got, Maggie. 

However, you must take into consideration that $5 Canadian dollars is roughly the same as 17 US cents.

Are these pretend strawberries?

[fresco]

Food Basics, which seems to be the only Ontario supermarket to put their flyer online, offers a pound each of hot house tomatoes, cucumbers, canteloupe, red peppers, eggplant and spinach PLUS about six mangoes and a romaine lettuce for the equivalent of about US$5.31. Or 3.5 12-packs of Mae Wests, a peculiar Canadian confection that I doubt is available outside the country.

http://www.foodbasics.com/about.asp

Edited July 8, 2003 by fresco (log)

[alkonin]

yesterday at my favorite asian produce store, i bought a pint of strawberries, a head of nice romaine, 3 cucumbers, a big bag of those really crisp bean sprouts, a stalk of celery, a bunch of carrots (the nice kind with their greens still attached), and a big bunch of those small, adorable bananas. the whole thing was just under 6 bucks.

[elfin]

Maggie, is Chicago Produce located on Lawrence Ave on the north side of the street in a tiny strip mall? There is a great Mexican grocery store on Lawrence with I think the same or similiar name. It is truly a find for low price produce and, IMHO, great pork chops. The butchers are the most friendy around and are way too kind at my feeble attempts at Spanish. Plus the Perdue whole chickens are always 99/lb. I also buy their fresh chicken livers. The meat is always fresh. The limes are usually 10 cents each ( I stock up for my famous fresh Mojitos). Meanwhile the chain supermarkets sell limes 3/$1.

[Rhea_S]

The cheapest that limes ever get here are 10/$1. A 1-lb bag of new potatoes is about $1.50. The noodles are about 5/$1. No fresh tortillas here, but a dozen from the refrigerator case is $1.50. The sugar, if store brand, can be only $1. Cheapest price for corn right now is 5/$1. The Jumex is just under a $1.

Those same items (but mine would most likely be of a poorer quality) would cost me almost $16 and I only live a couple hundred miles from Chicago!

[maggiethecat]

Maggie, your list: did you go out with a specific list in mind and acquire all those items, or did you buy by price once you saw what was cheap?

The only items that weren't on the list were the Ramen Noodles at five cents a bag...and I'm beginning to feel guilty that I haven't shipped a case to Sam in jail.

elfin: The store in question is about five minutes from my house on Rte. 59. It's located in the town of West Chicago, which has a sizable Hispanic population, and is run by two brothers of Greek descent in their 20's/30's. (Actually, I did an interview with them, pix and everything, which I really should write up.) The meat is impeccable, the store crowded and immaculate.

The brothers have an interesting philsosophy:"We're not going to have toilet paper or Fruit Loops as our loss leaders. We discount what our customers actually want to buy!"

Skirt steak is 1.99 a pound a couple of times a month.

[Dave the Cook]

The brothers have an interesting philsosophy:"We're not going to have toilet paper or Fruit Loops as our loss leaders.  We discount what our customers actually want to buy!"

I'm not going to argue over their pricing, and I'm ambivalent regarding Fruit Loops. But I'm pretty sure most people buy toilet paper.

[Fat Guy]

Fruit Loops

Please pay attention. The correct spelling is:

Froot Loops®