You know you're in Alaska when... (Anchorage, Metlakatla: home, buying, restaurants)

[angelface101]

So I found it funny during my short stay in Anchorage that I came up with a couple of " You know you're in Alaska when..."

You know you're in Alaska when you are listening to the christian radio station and the DJ comes on the air and says " Caller 10 wins a gift card to a custom firearm store" So funny! You would never hear that here in OR.

You know you're in Alaska when you drive through the area towns and see a bunch of tanning places and realize it's not for your hide, or any other human's!!

It's been funny reading people's posts on how expensive food is. I went into Fred Meyers by Muldoon and found the grocery prices very similar to Oregon's. I didn't realize our food in OR is expensive, but it must be compared to other states because I didn't find AK food any more.

My husband and I had the joy of eating Reindeer sausage and it was good. The Halibut was amazing though. So much yummier than the frozen halibut we eat here. And much cheaper!

Definitely seems like a nice and friendly air about people. People with overall good down home family centered values.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by angelface101

It's been funny reading people's posts on how expensive food is. I went into Fred Meyers by Muldoon and found the grocery prices very similar to Oregon's. I didn't realize our food in OR is expensive, but it must be compared to other states because I didn't find AK food any more.

It's about the same as here in Tampa, too from what I saw (but a tiny bit more than back home in North Texas on some things). The restaurants aren't bad either. A bit more than around here maybe, but you do get your money's worth most places I went.

[akvarmit]

Nuff said

[angelface101]

That's awesome!!

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by angelface101

It's been funny reading people's posts on how expensive food is. I went into Fred Meyers by Muldoon and found the grocery prices very similar to Oregon's. I didn't realize our food in OR is expensive, but it must be compared to other states because I didn't find AK food any more.

My husband and I had the joy of eating Reindeer sausage and it was good. The Halibut was amazing though. So much yummier than the frozen halibut we eat here. And much cheaper!

.

I'm glad that you're enjoying it there and I hope that the job interviews go well.

The food prices in Anchorage, though, aren't very reflective of grocery store prices in quite a few other parts of the state. There have been instances of eggs being around 22 bucks a carton in some of the more isolated areas. I spend a lot of time in Oregon and even the Ray's markets seem inexpensive to me after the AP stores on POW. But still--I do tend to spend less money on food in Alaska; the Pacific Ocean is a pretty reasonable grocery store.

In the more urban areas though the stores do seem pretty much the same as in the lower 48.

[gobrien]

For Oregon, food was cheaper in McMinnville than in the bigger cities along I-5. I think Anchorage prices have dropped a bit since the Walmart Supercenter has opened-almost immediately.

[FloridaKash]

I finally did it. I am comparing items from the Safeway Ad in Anchorage to the Safeway Ad in Portland. I am so tired of people saying there is not a big difference. It is if you break it up percentage wise. All items listed are identical products in Portland Oregon and Anchorage Alaska. See, you get fooled when shopping with a few cents here and there. It doesn't seem like much until you break it down. I can only imagine the difference on items which are not on sale!

Ribeye or NY Steak
Portland $4.99
Anchorage $5.49
+10%

Strawberries
Portland $5.77
Anchorage $6.88
+17%

Alaskan Cod Fillets
Portland $3.99
Anchorage $4.99
+21%

Bottled Water
Portland 3/$10
Anchorage 2/$13
+49%

Purina One Dog Food
Portland $17.99
Anchorage $23.99
+25%

Canned Vegetables
Portland $0.69
Anchorage $0.95
+27%

Large Tomatoes
Portland $1.99
Anchorage $2.99
+44%

20pk Coca-Cola
Portland $5.99
Anchorage $7.99
+25%

Apples
Portland $0.99
Anchorage $2.49
+251%


Potatoes
Portland 5lbs Bag $0.78
Anchorage 3lbs Bag $0.99
+220%




Anchorage is on average 68.9% higher on each item. I like to think this is a somewhat typical grocery list, that everyone here buys these items. Except for possibly the bottled water on a regular basis. CASE CLOSED. Please do not mislead people that are thinking of moving up here on the price of groceries. It was one of the FIRST things I notices when I moved back up here. Groceries are a required item and it does nobody any good or yourself saying they are comparable to what they are in the states. Sure some items are only 10 to 20 percent more than in Oregon, but others are 200%+ more.

[akck]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

.... But still--I do tend to spend less money on food in Alaska; the Pacific Ocean is a pretty reasonable grocery store.

Right! I think I'm down to about $75 per fish when you include the cost of the boat.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by akck

Right! I think I'm down to about $75 per fish when you include the cost of the boat.

Wow, sports fishing sounds pretty expensive.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by AlaskaKash

Anchorage is on average 68.9% higher on each item. I like to think this is a somewhat typical grocery list, that everyone here buys these items. Except for possibly the bottled water on a regular basis. CASE CLOSED. Please do not mislead people that are thinking of moving up here on the price of groceries. It was one of the FIRST things I notices when I moved back up here. Groceries are a required item and it does nobody any good or yourself saying they are comparable to what they are in the states. Sure some items are only 10 to 20 percent more than in Oregon, but others are 200%+ more.

Sorry, but I just didn't notice a difference when I was at the Fred Myer's in Anchorage. I was looking at prices for that reason, and real staples like milk, bread, and eggs were exactly the same price as here, and some things were cheaper! I'm sure some things are more expensive as well. I didn't look at processed or convenience foods because I don't generally buy those things. Maybe if you're from a very inexpensive place and you have a ton of kids the difference is enough to break the bank, but for single people, couples, or small families, I doubt it's going to be a real hardship there in town. If it is, you can always stop buying meat and fish from the store (there's a lot more opportunity to get it yourself there than there is here), and stop buying sodas and junk food, which cost way more than they're worth anywhere.