Price check on your grocery bill, and this time breakfast foods are to blame for your rising costs.
- 1 doz. eggs = $3.04, up 56% from last year
- 1/2 gal. orange juice = $3.43, up 7%
- 9 oz. box of oat cereal = $3.09, up 3%
According to consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch, name-brand cereal is already among the 8 most expensive things you can buy at the store. Here are the items she says you shouldn't put in your grocery cart because of the markup.
1. Cereal.
"Production costs and retailer share make up about 36 percent and 20 percent of the retail price of cereal; the rest (44 percent) is average manufacturer gross margin.One of the most basic cereals, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, had the highest average retail markup of 43.5 percent. At the low end was an average 18.2 percent markup. Buying generic is a smart means of saving money, nearly 50 percent." (More)
2. Pre-sliced meats
"Meat markup is up to 60 percent and much more for precut or precubed meats. Steaks, for instance, are marked up 40 percent to 50 percent; some cheaper cuts, such as round and chuck meat, are marked up as much as 60 percent. Look for markdowns on meats that are near their sell-by date." (More)
3. Seasoning
"Name-brand spices are marked up close to 97 percent. Smart shoppers can buy spices at a natural food store to save you up to 97 percent on the basic spices people buy regularly." (More)
4. Bakery goods
"Bakery items are marked up nearly 100 percent as you're paying for convenience. For instance, $20 supermarket cake can be made from scratch or out of a box at home for just $5." (More)
5. Batteries
"[Batteries] are marked up as much as 60 percent. Stay away from batteries at the grocery store and instead throw them in your online cart next time you're browsing retail sites online." (More)
6. Pre-sliced produce
"Produce that has been presliced, prechopped, or diced for the consumer will cost on average 35 percent more than the whole vegetable or fruit. Shoppers are paying for convenience." (More)
7. Detergent
"With various free shipping deals and online coupons, you could stock up on bulk detergent and avoid lugging bottles of detergent to and from your car." (More)
8. Personal care products
"From body lotion to shampoo and toothpaste, unless it's on sale, skip it. The best deals are offered at various drug stores." (More)
Be sure to check our Shopsmart Circular page for even more ways to save.
