How much do snacks, frozen meals and prepared meals cost in Atlanta? (Decatur: sales, real estate)

[Cyborger]

If it wouldn't be too much trouble can someone give me a price check (or a guess) on 1 or a few of the items listed below? I want to compare them to how much they cost in my state.

Snacks
Lay's Potato Chips (Ruffled)
Cheetos (Puffs)
Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls

Frozen Meals
Banquet Frozen Dinners (not family size)
Marie Callender's
Hungry Man

Prepared Meals
Hamburger Helper
Velveeta Cheesy Skillets
Chef Boyardee (any variety)

[flyonpa]

here krogers weekly ad take look thru it most of the stuff on your list is in it somewhere,


Kroger Weekly Ads

[cittic10]

That's quite a diet.

If you're trying to compare costs of living based on groceries, you're going to find that they're pretty much the same everywhere, possibly fractionally cheaper here because of relatively less transportation and a lot of competition when it comes to supermarkets. But whether you pay $4.29 for a bag of chips or $3.49 (Those are actual prices of a bag of doritos... I bought a bag the week before last that was $4.29 and then it went on sale the next week and was $3.49) is really a drop in the bucket compared to other areas such as:

cost of auto insurance
cost of health insurance
cost of actual healthcare, dentist work etc
cost of getting around (transit fares, tolls etc)
cost of gas
cost of electricity
cost of natural gas or heating oil
cost of water and sewer
cost of state income taxes
cost of sales taxes
cost of property taxes
cost of education
opportunity cost of potentially long commutes and living in sprawlburbia

and
cost of rent or real estate.

Don't forget to compare wages or salaries too.
If you haven't considered those things, I'd suggest weighing those costs more heavily than the price of a package of Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls.

[ericsonga]

Originally Posted by Cyborger

If it wouldn't be too much trouble can someone give me a price check (or a guess) on 1 or a few of the items listed below? I want to compare them to how much they cost in my state.

Snacks
Lay's Potato Chips (Ruffled)
Cheetos (Puffs)
Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls

Frozen Meals
Banquet Frozen Dinners (not family size)
Marie Callender's
Hungry Man

Prepared Meals
Hamburger Helper
Velveeta Cheesy Skillets
Chef Boyardee (any variety)

I hope you are using this as some sort of base and not an actual diet. I'm pretty sure there is not a natural ingredient in any of those items...

[pignchick]

I think the gorcery tax at least in Atlanta/Fulton County is about 4%... which is higher than somes places like MN that don't have grocery tax... only tax on take-out or restaurant.

But the grocery prices in GA are comparable to anywhere I have been in the USA. Kroger and Publix are the big players and they operate in other states besides GA. I believe Kroger is based in Ohio and Publix is based in Florida. Trader Joes and Aldi (the ultra-low-cost German chains) are also here, and they cater to those that are price sensitive. Whole Foods and niche groceries (Savi, The Mercantile, Decatur Farmers Market, etc.) cater to the higher end.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by pignchick

I think the gorcery tax at least in Atlanta/Fulton County is about 4%... which is higher than somes places like MN that don't have grocery tax... only tax on take-out or restaurant.

But the grocery prices in GA are comparable to anywhere I have been in the USA. Kroger and Publix are the big players and they operate in other states besides GA. I believe Kroger is based in Ohio and Publix is based in Florida. Trader Joes and Aldi (the ultra-low-cost German chains) are also here, and they cater to those that are price sensitive. Whole Foods and niche groceries (Savi, The Mercantile, Decatur Farmers Market, etc.) cater to the higher end.

Decatur Farmer's Market is only a once a week (or less) thing. Your Dekalb Farmer's Market (YDFM) is an actual store, just outside of Decatur, and tends to be significantly cheaper than other grocery stores.

I don't mean to nit-pick. Just wanted to chime in since sometimes people confuse YDFM and Decatur Farmer's Market.

[RoslynHolcomb]

Can't help with anything on your list but the chips. I just bought a large bag yesterday of Lay's and they were nearly $4.

[ATLTJL]

I know that for consumer price index measures, a basket of goods is used, but I don't think it applies in the food category.

A bag of Lay's chips will probably sell for the suggested retail price printed on the bag, $4.29 or whatever it is. But at any given time, one of the grocery stores is probably slashing the price down, offering buy one get one free, or offering a similar deal on a competing brand. So unless you are brand loyal, store loyal, and unwilling to wait, you will never pay full price. Most people will buy whatever brand is on special, go to a competing store that is having a sale, or buy a few bags when they see them on sale and not get them when they are full price.

So a price check of food items at any particular time isn't a very accurate of food costs. The only way to tell that would be to keep track of all purchases over the course of a year so you can get an average of what you are paying.

The biggest thing I will say about the Atlanta food market is if you are budget conscious, it's easy to get knock-off brands for dirt cheap at ALDI. Also, unlike in Florida, Publix will allow you to purhcase a single BOGO (buy one, get one) item at half price if you only want one and not two.

[belleislerunner]

Aldi has everything you need. If you go elsewhere, it's because you enjoy wasting money.

[ATLTJL]

Aldi has everything you need. If you go elsewhere, it's because you enjoy wasting money.

This a pretty gross overstatement, but you can save significant money by making certain purchases at Aldi.

At some point, most people are going to:

* Want something Aldi does not stock
* Not have a debit card and not want to get cash before shopping
* Want or need to shop after 8pm or before 9am
* Prefer a national or another store brand over the Aldi brand

Aldi can be a money saver, but for most people, it is not one stop shopping for all of their food needs.