Florida shoppers pay $134.35 for a basket of 30 essential grocery items, about $2 more than the national average, according to a new study by Self Financial. The analysis compared 30 essential grocery items, including meat, milk, eggs and produce, and found Florida ranks eighth most expensive in the country for the cost of essentials.
Local shoppers say they feel the impact every time they head to the store. Elaine Capute said looking for deals at the grocery store is a full-time job. "I go online for the Publix ad.
"I clip all the digital coupons because you never know what you're going to buy," Capute said. "I don't know what people do that work full time, because it really takes up a lot of my time, but we're retired, and I do what I have to do."
Retired chef Monte Schrier said his go-to strategy is shopping at a wholesaler, where he gets deals as a member. He showed his last receipt, where 40 pounds of bulk chicken breasts cost just $1.39 a pound. "Clean it, cut it, cryo-vac it and freeze it.
"A lot of people don't like to do that. They don't like to freeze stuff, but if you want to pay $6 a pound every time," Schrier said. Schrier said he also shops around, hitting two or three stores and getting the best deals at each.
Shopper Betty Magar said the strategy is planning ahead. "I eat for that week, what's on sale or what's a BOGO," Magar said. Shopper Bryce Hipp said with a fourth child on the way, the priority is making sure his kids have plenty.
"Take a look at what we eat versus what our kids eat. We want our kids to not go without anything. Sometimes we might dial back what we might want," Hipp said.
Food prices continue to fluctuate. Uncooked turkey and other poultry are up 11.5% in the past year, and instant coffee is up 11%. Egg prices are down 23% over the past year.