Southbay/Beach Cities Groceries (San Francisco, Oakland: sale, real estate, apartment)

[MrsMadtux]

Hello! I just moved with my husband and teenage son to Redondo Beach from the San Francisco Bay Area. We lived in the East Bay in the suburbs where cost of living was still pretty cheap. We moved here for my husband's work, and in order to immerse ourselves in the SoCal lifestyle we decided to find an apartment a few steps to the beach. It's only a few hundred dollars more per month than our place up North, although its tiny. Teeny, tiny. We went from 2400 sq. ft to 750 sq. ft. That's not a type-o, it's 750 sq. ft. But, I digress.

So, rent is somewhat comparable, I assume utilities will be less, my husband's job is less than 1/2 mi. away & I don't drive so gas will be a non-issue. The thing that seems like the biggest racket is groceries. We've tried out Ralph's, Walmart, Albertson's and Fresh & Easy. We're consistently spending 25-35% more than we're used to. I'm wondering, does it pay to travel a few extra miles inland? Is everything just going to be more in the touristy areas? Or is it just way more expensive to eat here? Maybe that's why everyone is so thin??

Are there any more affordable grocery stores off the beaten path?

[ccm123]

Having lived in Southern California for many years and in the South Bay (Redondo), I have always thought the groceries were more expensive here in the Bay Area.

I would try and drive inland a bit and see if the prices are different than in the beach cities.

[mayorhaggar]

Where in the East Bay were you living? Groceries in the Bay Area are either the same or more compared with in LA.

[MrsMadtux]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Where in the East Bay were you living? Groceries in the Bay Area are either the same or more compared with in LA.

Well, thats definitely true for a lot of the Bay Area. I guess most people consider the East Bay to be Oakland, Alameda, Moraga, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill. We lived quite a bit further inland, Brentwood-Oakley, which barely even counts as Bay Area. We lived in Vallejo for a year, which is so economically depressed that many stores and restaurants have to either lower their prices or go out of business. We often shopped at Winco (which I don't think they have here), FoodMaxx (owned by Lucky which also owns Albertson's, which is why I thought Albertson's would be cheaper) and Walmart. Gas, groceries and drug store items are much higher in the City and the areas closer to it.

Today we bought a package of pre-cooked chicken, like what is on a Caeser salad, for $6.99 on sale (we'd normally pay $5.99 or 2/$10.00), one jar of store brand spaghetti sauce $3.69 (vs. $1.99), and a large bottle of Coffee Mate flavored coffee creamer $4.19 (vs. $3.29).

I've been thinking about going on a recon mission to shop in Hawthorne, Gardena, and Inglewood to compare. I would love to go to Costco to stock-up on staples & non-perishables, but my aforementioned tiny apartment prohibits that idea.

[Dunbar42]

I'd kill to have a Walmart accesible to me in Santa Monica. That would go a long ways towards keeping food prices reasonable. When I lived 40 miles inland Walmart + Trader Joe's was my formula for reasonable food prices. I am single so I'm buying more prepared foods and probably doing less cooking than you. As it stands right now I have to wait until stuff goes on sale or pay near extortion pricing at my local Von's. I suspect that in dense areas, with high real estate prices, there is simply less competition so grocery stores (and other retailers) are able to charge higher prices. Another suggestion I've seen for cheap produce and meat is to try Latin markets.

[genjy]

I live all the way north inland near the San Gabriel Mountain area.

I never go to Vons, Ralph's, Albertsons, etc. I have one of each within a mile or so, but I never shop at those stores.

I do a combination of ethnic supermarkets (Middle-Eastern, Chinese, Korean, and Mexican) for veggies and fruits. Very affordable and fresh.

When I want organic stuff and good quality meat, I go to Trader Joe's and Sprouts.

For junk food, I go to Walmart, Target, etc.

Costco comes in handy for good quality meat and frozen food.

The Southbay area (particularly Torrance) should have a few Japanese or Chinese/Taiwanese supermarkets... you should try those out and see what if anything suits your needs.

[MBGal]

There is a WalMart grocery almost ready to open at Old Town Mall on Hawthorne Blvd and 190th..
There is a Trader Joe's in South Redondo and there are Farmer's markets almost everyday in most South Bay Cities..

[DontH8Me]

Cheaper groceries are available just a short drive away. I usually go to the TJ's on Aviation/MBB, prices at most TJ's seems pretty uniform, but then if you head a little further east, you can get some really good deals. There are Food 4 Less, Gonzalez Northgate, El Super, Smart & Final, Fresh & Easy, etc. supermarkets that always have weekly specials and the cheapest produce, as well as access to lots of ethnic foods at affordable prices. If you eat Asian foods I strongly encourage you to get a membership at Marukai in Gardena - the membership works at their Torrance store as well.

If you list the types of foods you usually purchase I can give more specifics for recommendations.

[MrsMadtux]

Originally Posted by DontH8Me

Cheaper groceries are available just a short drive away. I usually go to the TJ's on Aviation/MBB, prices at most TJ's seems pretty uniform, but then if you head a little further east, you can get some really good deals. There are Food 4 Less, Gonzalez Northgate, El Super, Smart & Final, Fresh & Easy, etc. supermarkets that always have weekly specials and the cheapest produce, as well as access to lots of ethnic foods at affordable prices. If you eat Asian foods I strongly encourage you to get a membership at Marukai in Gardena - the membership works at their Torrance store as well.

If you list the types of foods you usually purchase I can give more specifics for recommendations.

Wow! Thanks for all the ideas! I've never heard of TJ's, can't wait to try it out. We've shopped at Fresh & Easy in SF--my husband is British & he loves their selection of British and Indian specialty items. I love their "Reduced for Quick Sale" section, we always find secret treasures in there.

Mostly we buy "easy" food, I have Lupus and hubby works all day, both make it way too tiring to cook anything complicated. We also have a 16 year old son who requires large quantities of "feed" because he grazes from 4-11 pm pretty much every day. Ground beef for tacos and spaghetti; chicken breasts for roast chicken, teriyaki chicken, and chicken Caesar salads, Lettuce and/or pre-bagged salad for salad & sandwiches; cereal, Mac & Cheese, milk by the drum.

We're paying a bit more for our apartment than we're used to, we just got FiOs which is a little more than Comcast that we used to have, our apartment has a tiny washer/dryer combo, but it takes FOREVER to do a small load & medium loads don't fit...so we have no choice but to use the $1.50/load machines in our building. All these little expenses add up. Since I've had Lupus, I don't work anymore. Instead, I'm going to try coordinating our menu ideas w/what's on sale and where.

We figured out that if we limit our fast-food trips to once a week, walk instead of drive when we can, save $30 or more per week on groceries, we'll quickly be able to make up the the difference $$ that is how much more our apartment costs vs where we moved from. Thanks for all the great ideas! I'm going to start tomorrow!!

[DontH8Me]

Check your Tuesday and Wednesday mail for all the grocery store flyers with each stores' weekly deals. TJ's is Trader Joe's, and they send out a periodical called the Fearless Flyer. When you go to the store, ask the cashier to be added to the mailing list.

Also, Von's has $5 Fridays, which used to be really great deals, but lately it's been hit or miss.

For produce I strongly encourage you to check out the ethnic stores like El Super or Northgate - best deals and usually the best quality too.

One more suggestion - check out the 99c store - hit or miss as well, but last trip I scored blueberries, asparagus, sweet mini peppers, and canary melon all for a dollar each, and I even found some waffles imported from Belgium in the fridge section. The inventory changes all the time, sometimes there's nothing, other times I fill up my shopping cart. Just make sure you check the sell by dates.