SAN ANTONIO – Checking out is adding up. Aisle after aisle, food prices are climbing and eating into family budgets.
“Everything from vegetables to the meats to the bread to the cereal,” said shopper Sandy Castro. “And, the eggs, oh my goodness, the eggs. It’s ridiculous.”
Just how fast are prices rising? To find out, we shopped the same items we priced last December for curbside pickup at the same North Side supermarket.
Turns out, the same groceries that cost $224.11 just six months ago now cost $15.46 more.
Inflation has a seat at the kitchen table.
Got kids? Milk money doesn’t go as far as it used to. The price of a gallon of milk soared 42% since December.
Breakfast costs are rising, too. Eggs are up 16%, bacon is up 10%, and coffee perked up another 9%.
One of the biggest price jumps was oatmeal. A 42-ounce container of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats is up a whopping 58% more.
That sandwich for lunch will cost you more. The loaf of bread on the list is up 23%, and the sliced turkey lunchmeat is up 16%. The Hellman’s mayonnaise? It’s up 29%.
“You just try and do the best you can with what’s out there,” Castro said. “A lot of chicken and lot of hamburger meat.”
But those prices are up, too. Chicken thighs cost 3% more while ground sirloin rose nearly 6%.
But, the one item that dropped significantly in price from six months ago was prime ribeye. It’s down more than 18%, a rare thing these days.
For that meat and potatoes supper, it’s the potatoes that really soared in price. They cost 30% more.
“It’s not getting any better,” Castro said.
And, it likely won’t any time soon, many economists say. As long as post-pandemic demands, supply chain issues, skyrocketing gasoline prices and the war in Ukraine remain in play, prices are expected to be elevated.
Finally, one more cold, hard scoop. The half-gallon of ice cream on the list cost 14% more.
This is the complete list of groceries we priced. The following prices were online for curbside pickup. (In-store prices are slightly lower.)
| Product | Price - Dec. 2021 | Price - June 2022 | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground sirloin | $5.14/lb | $5.44/lb | +5.8% |
| Pink Lady apples, 3 lbs | $1.95/lb | $2.03/lb | +4.1% |
| Red Gold crushed tomatoes, 28 oz | $1.73 | $1.73 | 0% |
| Sliced cheddar | $2.86 | $2.86 | 0% |
| Iceberg lettuce | $1.83 | $1.52 | -16.9% |
| Quaker Old-fashioned oats, 42 oz | $3.71 | $5.85 | +58% |
| Large avocado | $1.82 | $2.04 | +12% |
| Raisin Bran Crunch, 22.5 oz | $3.91 | $4.31 | +10.2% |
| Coca Cola, 20 cans | $8.61 | $9.85 | +14.4% |
| Frozen OJ | $1.55 | $1.55 | 0% |
| Prime ribeye | $21.62/lb | $17.68/lb | -18.2% |
| 5 lb bag of mandarin oranges | $7.19 | $8.10 | +12.7% |
| Amy’s Cheese Enchilada | $4.30 | $5.29 | +23% |
| Ice cream half gallon | $5.38 | $6.16 | +14.5% |
| Lemons, 2 lb bag | $3.48 | $4.10 | +17.8% |
| Thomas English Muffins | $2.76 | $3.07 | +11.2% |
| Thick bacon, 12 oz | $5.14 | $5.65 | +9.9% |
| Flour tortillas, 20 count | $2.20 | $2.20 | 0% |
| Turkey lunchmeat, 8 oz | $3.08 | $3.59 | +16.6% |
| Red seedless grapes, 3 lbs | $7.19 | $8.22 | +14.3% |
| Best Maid pickle relish, 12 oz | $1.62 | $1.62 | 0% |
| Salmon, 4-piece tray | $18.54 | $19.57 | +5.6% |
| Organic mini carrots, 2 lb bag | $3.06 | $3.05 | -.33% |
| Extra virgin olive oil, 34 oz | $9.42 | $9.42 | 0% |
| Bananas | $.49/lb | $.54/lb | +10% |
| Cucumbers | $.62 | $.62 | 0% |
| Fresh raspberries, 6 oz | $3.07 | $3.07 | 0% |
| Milk gallon | $3.07 | $4.35 | +41.7% |
| Natural chicken thighs | 2 @ $3.08/lb | 2 @ $3.18/lb | +3.25% |
| Orowheat bread | $3.07 | $3.79 | +23.5% |
| Fresh baby spinach, 6 oz | $3.07 | $2.81 | -8.5% |
| Monteli pizza | $6.16 | $6.47 | +5% |
| Orange juice, 89 oz | $4.82 | $4.82 | 0% |
| Bush’s Pinto Chili Beans, 16 oz | $1.42 | $1.42 | 0% |
| Texmati Rice, 3 lb | $7.19 | $7.19 | 0% |
| Russet potatoes, 3 lbs | $.70/lb | $.90/lb | +30% |
| Pork chops natural thick center | $4.83/lb | $4.83/lb | 0% |
| Peet’s Coffee cups, 32 | $18.52 | $20.27 | +9.5% |
| Two Good yogurt, 32 oz | $5.71 | $5.71 | 0% |
| Nabisco Honey Maid Grahams, 25.6 | $4.61 | $5.34 | +15.85% |
| Wheat Thins, 14 oz | $3.78 | $4.41 | +16.7% |
| Frozen corn, 16 oz | $1.01 | $1.22 | +20.8% |
| Fresh grade AA XL eggs | $2.82 | $3.29 | +16.7% |
| Boxed Stuffing, 6 oz | $2.04 | $2.35 | +15.2% |
| Canned pears, 16 oz | $1.39 | $1.39 | 0% |
| Hellman’s mayo, 30 oz | $3.88 | $5.03 | +29.6% |
| Rotel tomatoes, 10 oz | $1.01 | $1.28 | +26.7% |
| Frozen peas select, 16 oz | $1.28 | $1.32 | +3.1% |