Looking over this week's Publix deals was disappointing.
Publix says they are working to help people by lowering the prices of "essentials." They say they believe bread and meat to be essentials, so they have Publix brand bread for .89 cents, gallon of milk for $3.59, and Ground Chuck "Compliments of Publix" for $1.97 per pound.
These are good deals, and I'm not denying that. But it's clear when you look at the list of Buy One Get One Free specials and some prices of other things, adjustments have been made to help us out with the "essentials." When they take money off one area, they have to tack it on other items...
The BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) deal list has less than half the number of products that they usually offer. Also, because I know the usual prices for things, I can see that Publix water in the 24 bottle pack is now $4.50 (advertised as 2 for $9, hoping you won't notice) but it's usually $3.99. Quilted Northern bathroom tissue often sells for $5.50, but it's nearly $6.50 in this weeks' flyer. Yes, it's only .50 cents here and a dollar there, but when you consider buying on average perhaps 50 to 100 items in each grocery shop, imagine how that extra money will add up.
These are just a couple examples, and another reason why it's good to know normal prices.
So, stock up on the "essentials" advertised, but do your regular weekly shopping for other items elsewhere to get the best prices. It's hard to do, there are going to be tempting rotisserie chickens and deli breads just begging you to buy them too.
The ground chuck at Publix for $1.97 is a nice deal. But last week, Kroger had ground chuck for $1.58 per pound, if you bought it in 5 pound packages for $7.95 each. I bought two of them, divvied the meat up into 1 lb sized packages, and froze them.
It's all about thinking ahead and knowing your prices.
