Lauren Cobello » Budgeting » Frugal Living » 14 Items with the Biggest Markup at the Grocery Store
You’ve got your list and your keys, and you’re ready to head out to go grocery shopping. Not so fast! There are some major money-zapping items that you should mark off your list right now. There are so many items that are overpriced in the grocery store, but here are the 14 Items with biggest markups in the grocery store.
When grocery shopping, it is really important to plan ahead. Jumping in the car and driving to the store without a plan can be one of the biggest money saving mistakes one makes.
One way that I want to help you is to help you create a plan so that you can save money – as a thank you for reading sign up below and grab a free 10 day meal plan. I put together this plan so you can make 10 meals for under $80, and all you have to do it print it out and take it to the store.
Planning ahead and knowing how to meal plan and avoid the hidden tricks grocery stores do, can help you save not just hundreds but thousands of dollars per year. Here are some of my other favorite dump recipes, they are easy and delicious!
Examples: light bulbs, motor oil, lawn furniture, coolers
The grocery store is counting on you buying these items so you don’t have to make one more stop.
If you’re buying auto and home maintenance supplies at a grocery store then this is probably costing you a lot of money. Don’t let the convenience cost your family in the end.
Money Saving Tip:
Examples: deli sandwiches, salads, fruit trays, pre-cut produce, and other ready-to-eat meal products
These convenience items could be stickered with at least a 40% markup. You’re paying way more for prepared meals because of the convenience factor.
Also – pay attention to product placement for these foods. You will be surprised how you can save money just by looking somewhere else in the store.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: name-brand cold cereals and packages of flavored instant oatmeal
No, I do not particularly want to wake up and make a 4-course meal for breakfast every day. Cereal can save time and even money, but not if you’re paying for a name brand and not if you’re paying regular price. These breakfast items are usually marked up about 40%.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: pain medication, cough and cold medication, children’s remedies
Many times the brand names are the same content with the same active ingredients as what’s in the generic varieties. Be smart and don’t pay for the name brand label.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: Makeup, face creams, lotions
50% markup is what you’ll be paying if you buy beauty products at the grocery store. That kind of convenience is costly.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: expensive, hand-sliced meats and cheeses
You can expect about a 50% markup when you go to the deli counter. Those items are marked up because of the special care that has to be taken to hire a dedicated employee to manage that area.
Unless you’re a single person that buys a maximum of 5 slices of meat per week then you should avoid the deli counter completely because you’re throwing away your money.
Money Saving Tips
Example: any meat packaged in the store
You’ll pay up to 60% markup on fresh meats from the butcher counter area of your grocery store. This is due to the quick turnaround they have to have on these fresh products. A lot goes to waste because they just don’t sell it before it goes bad. So they make up the cost by charging you more.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: you guessed it, batteries…AA, hearing aid batteries, 9volts… all of them!
Those 4 packs of batteries that you have to have (so you pick them up while you’re at the grocery store) are costing you up to a 70% markup. That’s mega bucks if you use batteries as much as we do in my house.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: fruits and vegetables that don’t grow year round in your area
Lots of us are trying to eat healthier. Unfortunately, the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables can come with up to a 75% markup. If that produce isn’t coming from within 100 miles of you in the last week then you’re paying for storage and shipping. That adds up and sucks the healthy right out of your budget.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: basil, oregano, cumin, paprika, pepper, etc.
We all want to spice up our cooking without breaking the bank. Brand name spices carry up to 97% markup. There’s no reason to pay for a label when the product inside is the same as a generic spice or herb.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: brewed coffee and espresso drinks from a cafe in the grocery store
These are popping up all over our area and lots of moms love the extra caffeine boost. But be the smart mom that passes up the 99% profit margin that brewed beverages bring with them.
Money Saving Tip
Examples: breads, cakes, tortillas, muffins, cookies
Smart grocers pump the smells from the bakery into the entryway of their store. It’s smart because I’ve never met anyone that didn’t LOVE the smell of fresh baked bread. Well the smells are free, but the bakery items are marked up by 100%. They’re convenient, but probably not worth the ding to your pocketbook.
Money Saving Tips
Examples: greeting cards, boxes of chocolate, stuffed animals, balloons
200% markup! Grocery stores really get us where they want us on this one. We don’t really want to get the kids out of the car one more time today so we’ll pay double for that balloon and greeting card that sings.
Money Saving Tips
4,000% markup! (No, that is not a typo!)
Usually, the water isn’t even special or imported from Europe. It’s a bottle of tap water. No kidding here. You are paying for lots of processing (for the bottle, not the water) and shipping.
Money Saving Tip
Do you know of other items we should watch out for when we’re trying to stick to our budget? What are your favorite money saving tips?
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