Price books are one of those budget basics that get listed in every "How To Cut Your Grocery Bill" essay. What they don't tell you is that a price book can also provide you with an interesting historical document. I now know what I bought at the grocery store ten years ago in college, and when we first moved to Madison, and again in 2002, 2003, and 2004. I wonder what I was cooking with those ingredients, and I wonder how many people I was feeding (in college we used to band together in the summers). Some foods are things I still buy consistently (frozen oj, flour, diced tomatoes, milk) and others are things I never buy anymore (Von's shepherd bread was a staple in college).
Flour prices are going up right now. I just paid $0.66/lb for flour, compared to $0.24/lb* ten years ago. Consequently the price of a flour tortilla has doubled. Milk has gotten much more expensive, although I've also gotten pickier and am now buying organic ($2.18/gal in 1997 California, $6.99/gal in 2008 Wisconsin).
On the other hand, prices for garlic, onions, and salsa seem pretty stable.
* Corrected from the original $0.024. Apparently flour did NOT cost 2 cents per pound. I misread my book.
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