CINCINNATI — With questions about federal food aid still up in the air, more people are trying to make every grocery dollar count.
I’ve been tracking grocery deals for months now — but I wanted to know what you care about most. So this week, I asked which items across the Tri-State you want me to follow.
Linda Money asked me to track ground beef prices, so I compared 80/20 ground beef across local stores.
Ground beef prices across the Tri-State
- Walmart: 1 lb — $6.93/lb
- Meijer: 1 lb — $7.09/lb
- Kroger: 1 lb — $7.49/lb
- Aldi: 2 lb package — $5.49/lb
Walmart had the cheapest one-pound tray at $6.93 per pound, but if you're looking for a family pack, Aldi has a 2 lb. package for $5.49 per pound.
Karrie Gearding asked when we could see beef prices come down. When I spoke with field specialist Garth Ruff about this in July, he said it's going to take some time.
"The thing to keep in mind is if we breed that cow or that heifer today, we're not gonna change her gestation, that's gonna be 9 months, and then another 15 months to feed that animal. We're looking at 2 years, really, before we see much of a change in supply," Ruff said.
I asked if that reflects in price as well, and Ruff explained the outlook isn't promising for consumers.
"Unless some things happen that are out of our control, I look for cattle and beef prices to be relatively steady for the next two years," Ruff said.
Personal care products see significant price increases
Heather Imhoff commented that the price of toothpaste and deodorant has skyrocketed recently. I looked at prices on a stick of Degree deodorant and a tube of Crest Scope whitening toothpaste at all four stores.
Degree deodorant prices:
- Walmart: $3.97
- Meijer: $4.19
- Aldi: $4.19
- Kroger: $4.39
Crest Scope Whitening Toothpaste (5.4 oz) prices:
- Walmart: $3.97
- Meijer: $3.99
- Kroger: $3.99
- Aldi: $4.39
Walmart had the cheapest option for both products, making it your best bet for these personal care items.
Turkey prices ahead of Thanksgiving
With Thanksgiving around the corner, Chabrel Shelly Kendall asked me to track turkey prices.
Turkey prices by store:
- Aldi: Jennie-O — 77¢/lb, Butterball — 97¢/lb
- Kroger: Kroger brand (sale) — 89¢/lb, Butterball — 99¢/lb
- Walmart: Butterball — 97¢/lb
- Meijer: Butterball — 99¢/lb
The cheapest turkey I found was a Jennie-O brand at Aldi for 77 cents a pound. Kroger is running a sale on its Kroger brand turkey for 89 cents per pound.
If you prefer Butterball, Walmart and Aldi both had it for 97 cents a pound, while Kroger and Meijer had it for 99 cents a pound. Prices may vary by a few cents depending on which location you visit.
Diane Caruso sent me an email saying she almost bought a Butterball turkey at Aldi recently, but wasn't sure if prices would drop closer to Thanksgiving. I reached out to Aldi to ask about any upcoming promotions.
Aldi confirmed this season it's offering Butterball for 97 cents. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
"While the $40 basket price is based on a 14 lb Jennie-O turkey priced at .77 cents per pound, ALDI is also offering Butterball turkeys in stores this season for .97 cents per pound. This year, ALDI is offering a complete Thanksgiving meal for 10 for just $4 per person. This includes a 14-lb Jennie-O turkey, plus the ingredients for nine crowd-pleasing sides, including: gravy, rolls, mac & cheese, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie."
The store made no mention of any price cuts coming, so you can go ahead and stock up.
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