How to find out how much groceries will cost you in Silicon Valley

So how do you find out how much a litre of milk will cost you among the many factors in your decision-making about a potential relocation to Silicon Valley? It’s not easy.

Luckily I’ve been accumulating my Safeway receipts over the past few weeks in order to give my readers an idea of what they can expect to pay for their groceries when they move here. Eating is a vital part of life – so check these figures out below.

Remember, if you have a Safeway card (and you’d be crazy not to) you will get a discount on many products. The second price is the actual price I paid if the item was on sale. You can see I base my grocery purchases on those items! For my international readers, prices are in US$.

Grocery

Large Jar Applesauce 3.55 2.99

6 pack Schweppes Tonic Water 4.99

Bottle Martinelli’s Cider 3.49 1.79

13 oz jar Nutella 3.99

1 pack Wrigley’s Orbit Gum 1.49 1.00

Bag 14 large flour tortillas 4.25

Yellow Cake Mix 2.89 1.25

Devils Food Cake Mix 2.89 1.25

Bag semi-sweet choc chips 4.15 2.50

Safeway Cream of Mushroom Soup 1.39

2 lb Bag of Penne Rigate 2.29

2 lb Bag of Macaroni 2.29 1.79

Safeway Raisin Bran 3.99 2.50

Kellog’s Crispix 3.99 2.29

Kellog’s Rice Krispies  3.99 2.49

Safeway Marmalade  4.31 3.99

Pack Dole Fruit Bowls 3.69 2.99

Box Ghirardelli Brownie Mix 4.19 2.19

12 Pack Diet Coke 5.99

Box Safeway Chicken Broth 3.29 2.00

Box Barilla Orzo 1.99

Large bottle MUG Root Beer 1.99

Large Box Goldfish crackers  7.99

2 lb bag Safeway sugar 2.99 2.00

Small jar Safeway peanut butter  2.99 2.00

2 Boxes Tetley Tea Bags 11.98 5.99

Can Safeway Italian Diced Tomatoes 1.39 1.00

Grocery Non-Edible

12 pack Angel Toilet Paper 6.99

Bag 2ply napkins  3.49

Purina Dog Chow 20.49 17.99

Refrig/Frozen

Tub Lucerne Cream Cheese 3.19 2.99

2 boxes 18 each eggs 11.98 5.99

1 lb bag grated Mozarella/Cheddar 7.99 5.99

1/2 pt Lucerne Half n Half 1.79 1.59

Litre Milk 1% fat 3.19 2.35

Tub Lucerne Vanilla Yoghurt 3.29 2.49

Small tub blueberry Yoghurt 0.85 0.55

1 lb unsalted butter 3.99 3.00

box Breyer French Vanilla Ice Cream 3.99 3.00

Baked Goods

Loaf of French Bread 1.99

8 hot dog buns 1.99 1.79

6 ct croissants 4.79 3.00

Safeway Cinnamon Raisin Bagels 3.19 2.00

Loaf Safeway Whole Wheat Bread 2.99 2.19

Bag Tandoori Nan 2.19

Box Chocolate Chip Cookies 3.99

Meat

Ground Beef 80% Lean 3.5 lbs 4.99

4 lb bag frozen chicken breasts 12.49 8.99

1 bag Tyson Chicken Nuggets  7.99 5.99

Produce

Bananas 0.89/lb

Pink Lady Apples 2.49/lb

Red Bell Pepper 1.49/lb 1.11/lb

Yellow Jumbo Onions 0.89/lb

Avocado 1.99 1.49

Carrots 2.23/lb

Romaine Hearts 2.29

Green Beans 1.99/lb

Green Grapes  2.99/lb

Parsnips 2.49/lb

10lb bag potatoes  4.99

8lb bag Russett potatoes 4.99

English Cucumber  2.99 1.00

Deli

Roasted chicken 7.99

1 lb sliced cheddar 8.39

1 lb Mesquite Turkey Breast 8.99 7.99

8 oz Provolone Cheese 4.39 3.84

1 lb Virgina Ham 6.75 6.23

Liquor

12 pack Corona Light  16.99 15.49

6 pack Fat Tire  8.99

So, is there anything you’d like to know the price of at Safeway here or at any other store, for that matter?  Then leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to find out for you.

About the Author: Tricia Lawrence is the CEO of California Concierges, relocation specialists in Silicon Valley. Check out their website at www.WeRelocate.com.

The fruits of Silicon Valley

Many of you relocating to Silicon Valley may not realise that there used to be a different type of thriving industry in this area.  Santa Clara Valley, or the Valley of Heart’s Delight, was home to hundreds of orchards which, for the most part, gave way to the massive urbanisation created by the discovery of the Silicon Chip.

I knew about this from hearing those grievances of folks who have lived here a lot longer than I have, but a gentle reminder from the Technology Section of the New York Times brought it home to me this week just how much that old fruit industry has been swallowed up by its technological successor.

The newly remodelled Fiesta Super Market at 391 San Antonio Road in Mountain View is the focus of this publicity.  Seems that, according to Bits,  this is also considered the location of the birthplace of Silicon Valley by a “William Shockley, the famous (some would say infamous) physicist who started a semiconductor laboratory on the site and hired many of the chip industry’s founding fathers”.  It appears that Mr Shockley decided that Silicon was the best material for building semi-conductor devices and the rest, as they say, is history.

It’s very befitting, then, that a valley, originally called Santa Clara Valley and only known for its plethora of fruits and vegetables, the home of Libby’s fruit cannery, should now house a fruit and vegetable market on the very spot where Silicon Valley was ostensibly born.

Can we say “What goes around, comes around?”

For more information on Silicon Valley and its history, check out my website page.

Silicon Valley Safeway prices – annual comparison

A very grandiose title for the little research I’m about to put out there! After my last blog about current Safeway prices, I decided a comparison of a few items’ prices between this June and last (2007) would be more useful to you bloggers interested in these Silicon Valley issues.  However, as I had not thought this through scientifically in June 2007, I did not purchase the same items to compare so only 3 of these are on both lists, 2 of which are actually cheaper this year!

1 gallon 1% low fat milk 4.29   (2007)   4.59 (2008)  a 7% increase

Bananas .89/lb  (2007)   .79 (2008)  an 11% decrease

Red bell pepper 1.99/lb (2007)  .99/lb (2008)  a 50% decrease!

So there you have it.  I’ll try and pick up some more pertinent information/items next time I shop at Safeway to make a more valid comparison!

Safeway Prices in Silicon Valley – updated

According to Google Analytics, the second most popular blog I have ever written is….. Safeway Prices in Silicon Valley – over a year ago!  Interesting what you bloggers out there like to read about, but obviously a subject of some importance to many of you.

I therefore decided to update these figures, not only because they are over a year old and this blog is, if nothing  else, on the cutting edge of what’s happening in Silicon Valley, but also I was interested to see how much the figures have changed, increased since the last time I wrote about this.  The surge in fuel prices is just one factor which will have caused a leap in food prices in any store in this area, or indeed across the nation.

Bear in mind that many of these prices are NOT the actual price I paid thanks to my handy dandy Safeway card which reduced this total bill by 22%.  Of course, I gear my shopping to those items which are “Buy one, get one free” or on sale, every little counts, so many of these items were purchased at a lesser price than the regular one quoted.

(This from purchases made 6/11/08)

Groceries

Large jar Kraft Mayo            4.65

Small Safeway Macaroni Pasta  1.59

Large Bag Safeway Rotelle Pasta  3.18

Large bag Safeway Honey Nut Oats     3.49

Large box Kellogs Rice Pockets         4.15

Box Kellogs Rice Krispies   4.59

Box Post Cereal   5.29

Can Garbanzo beans            1.49

Can Safeway Black Beans  1.49

Smuckers Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce  2.99

Box Eating Right Yoghurt Snack Bars  3.29

Pack Safeway Napkins  3.39

Refrig/Frozen

Gallon 1% milk  4.59

Small yoghurt  .85

Lucerne Unsalted Butter  3.99

Box Popsicle IcePops 3.19

Deep Dish 9in frozen pie crust  3.69

General Merchandise

Bag Safeway Cotton Wool 3.09

Bottle Safeway Nail Polish Remover 1.69

Bottle Safeway Low Doseage Aspirin 4.99

Band Aids 5.89

Baked Goods

French Bread 1.99

Bag Tandoori Nan  2.19

Meat

5 lb 80% ground beef  13.68

Safeway Beef Franks 2.99

Tyson frozen Chicken Patties 8.49

Produce

Green Grapes 2.49/lb

Bananas .89/lb

Gala Apples 1.99/lb

Apricots 3.99/lb

Nectarines 1.99/lb

Strawberries 3.99/lb

Red Plums 2.99/lb

6 white corn 4.14

Red onions 1.49/lb

Red Bell Pepper .99/lb

Yellow Sweet Onion 1.69/lb

Tomatoes 2.49/lb

Happy Shopping!

I will be following this up with a Trader Joe’s list shortly so come back soon!

And of course you were wondering what my most popular blog is so far – it’s 2008’s Best Cities for Relocating Families. Check it out!

Lucky Prices

First of all, Lucky used to be Albertsons and at the time of this blog, I see no more Albertsons in my neighborhood, Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley, but that may not be true everywhere. Secondly, their products’ brand name is Sunnyside. And thirdly, and most importantly, they have the BEST chocolate chip cookies – you could easily turn up with them at the school fundraiser and people would think you’d baked them yourself – look for them in a bag in the bakery section. So yes, I had to go there and do a price comparison for my blog and of course had to buy some, all in the name of research! Again, no plastic discount card, but instant in-store savings as listed below. So, some more prices for you :

Can Chaok Coconut Milk 1.19
Pack chopped walnuts (1/2 cup) 1.99
6-pack Dole Fruit Bowl Punches sale 2.00 (usually 3.65)
6-pack Dole Mandarin Bowls sale 2.00 (usually 3.65)
Large bag Faraon rice sale 3.49 (usually 5.19)
Glass Magic 16 oz 3.99
General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios 2 bags 6.79
Sunkist Albacore Tuna 4.79
Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat Bread 3.99
Sara Lee Multi Grain Bread sale 2.99 (usually 3.99)
12 Brown and Serve Rolls 2.28
6-pack Sunnyside Apple Sauce with Cinnamon sale 1.50 (usually 2.39)
1 bottle Sunnyside Club Soda .98
1 box Sunnyside Dark Brown Sugar sale .79 (usually .95)
1 box Sunnyside Light Brown Sugar sale .79 (usually .95)
1 jar Sunnyside Raspberry Jam 3.39
1 bag Starbucks Breakfast Blend Coffee 9.49
1 small tub Daisy Sour Cream 1.49
2 Marie Calendar Pastry Shell 4.99
Large tub Mountain High Fat Free Vanilla Yoghurt 3.29
Small tub Sunnyside Fruit Yoghurt sale .50 (usually .59)
Sunnyside Unsalted Butter sale 2.89 (usually 3.59)
Sunnyside Lactose Free Milk 2% 3.09
Sunnyside Lite Whipping Cream small 1.99
Large Tub Sunnyside Plain Yoghurt 2.69
1 tub Sunnyside sliced frozen strawberries 2.50
1 bag Sunnyside frozen white corn sale 1.50 (usually 3.59)
1 Tony P Frozen Cheese Pizza sale 2.50 (usually 4.79)
1 box Tyson Chicken Nuggets sale 2.50 (usually 3.89)
Bananas .69/lb
Green Cabbage .79/lb
Small bottle lime juice 1.19
Oranges 1.69/lb
Box Delacato Chardonnay sale 16.99 (usually 18.99)
1 bottle Foxbrook Chardonnay 1.99
1 bottle Foxbrook Merlot 1.99
1 bag yummy chocolate chip cookies sale 3.49 (usually 3.99)

Whole Food Prices

Wow! We have the most gorgeous Whole Foods just opened in our very own Silicon Valley – Cupertino, Stevens Creek Ave to be exact, fairly near Target. You could take away a yummy dinner every night and never have to cook again! They even sell clothes – organic ones of course! I ventured into there with my 15 year old daughter today and we spent a LONG time shopping together! My main excuse for going there was so I could relay some of the prices to you. I didn’t shop across the board – it’s definitely more expensive than my Safeway – but I had to buy some stuff in the name of blogging! SoI did buy things there I couldn’t get at Safeway as well – ready-cooked smoked chicken (just eaten for dinner – excellent) and smoked trout pate for lunch on Tuesday. Their French bread seemed a little stale and boring – nothing can replace the Safeway French bread straight from the oven! And no plastic discount cards here! Anyway, here’s what I bought :

Sandwich bags 50 ct 1.49
Reynold Aluminum Foil 12in 3.79
Soy Chocolate Milk 1.69
Bananas .79/lb
French Bread 2.79
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal 3.99
Kashi Brown Maple Oatmeal 3.00 (on sale)
Performance Power Bar .99
Orange Bell Pepper 3.99/lb
Yellow Bell Pepper 3.99/lb
Cantaloupe .79/lb
Nectarines 1.99/lb
Gala Apples 1.49/lb
Organic Strawberries 2lb 6.99
White corn .50 each
12 xlarge while eggs 2.49
Smoked Whole Chicken 8.99
1 gal 1% low fat milk 4.79
Austin Original BBQ Sauce 5.49
Small tub smoked trout pate 3.49
Pork backribs $7.99/lb
Cod Fillet $8.9/lb
Tub Silk Live Soy Yoghurt 6 oz .69

And I managed to spend $122!

Trader Joe’s prices in Silicon Valley

Trader Joe’s provides an eclectic and exclusive mix of groceries and is always somewhere I enjoy shopping.  Their success has stems from their exuberant staff, their reasonable prices and their wholesome and interesting variety of goods that appeals to many of our Silicon Valley inhabitants.  And I go there particularly for their Charles Shaw wine at $1.99 a bottle (commonly known as 2 buck Chuck). I’ve got another price list for you from my last shopping spree there (no plastic discount cards here either – they’re only at Safeway and Luckys (formerly Albertson’s) :

Hawaiian BBQ chips                                    1.69
Organic Ketchup                                          1.99
Bag freeze dried strawberries                    2.69
Bag frozen blueberries                                 2.99
Valrhona Bar Chocolate                               2.99
Vanilla Soy Milk 1/2 gal                               3.29
Chicken Enchiladas                                       1.49
Bag of lemons                                                1.49
Arizona Green Tea 42 oz                             1.39
Fettuccine Pasta                                             .69
Bolognese Pasta Sauce                                 2.99
Minisweet Bell Peppers                               1.99
Nature’s Granola Pumpkin Flax                 2.29
Sausages – Chicken Mango                          3.99
Bruschetta Sauce  12 oz                               2.29
Babybel Mini                                                 2.99
Baby Bok Choy                                              1.79
Pack Green Beans                                         2.49
Mushrooms 8 oz                                            1.69
Spinach Salad                                                 1.99
Organic Spring Salad                                     1.99
Organic Red Onions                                       1.69
Homestyle Red Salsa                                      2.79
Yoghurt 1/2 pint                                               .79
Laundry Detergent  5lb                                  4.99

Happy Shopping!  Let me know what you think.

Nob Hill Prices in Silicon Valley

Continuing the theme of prices of groceries in Silicon Valley – see my earlier blog on Safeway prices – here’s a taste of Nob Hill’s offerings.  Nob Hill is a more upscale supermarket than Safeway, with no plastic discount card to help with the savings but the prices are comparable before discounts.  And it does, in my opinion, make for a more pleasureable shopping experience.

French Bread                                         1.69
3 lb bag white flour                               1.88
Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal            3.98
1 bunch green onions                              .69
1 bag plain bagels                                   2.48
1 bag chips                                              3.49
1 tube Pillsbury Cinammon Rolls        3.39 (on sale for 2.50)
1 bag Nestle choc chips                         3.79
6 pots Apple Sauce                                2.18
1 bottle tonic water                                 .88
1 lb strawberries                                    3.49
loaf sliced brown bread                         1.98
4 lbs green grapes                                  5.49
Cantaloupe                                               .59/lb
Bananas                                                    .79/lb
Red plums                                               2.49/lb
Nectarines                                               2.49/lb
Aidell Chicken/Apple Sausages            4.89 (reduced from 4.99)
Regular Bacon pack                                4.29
Red Bell Pepper                                       2.99/lb
1 lb butter                                                3.00 (reduced from 3.33)
1 doz eggs                                                 2.00 (reduced from3.54)
1 gal 1% milk                                            3.89
12 bottle pack Corona Light                11.99 (reduced from 16.88)

I’ll be checking out other grocery stores so watch this blog!!

Organic farmers in Silicon Valley

Blogging about farmers’ markets got me thinking of getting produce direct from the source in Silicon Valley – ie organic farms. There are several around in the South and East Bay, which basically will deliver a weekly supply of fresh fruit and veggies to your door. The contents will vary from week to week but it gives you the opportunity to eat plenty of veggies, some of which you know, and some you don’t! Check out this one in Gilroy at www.twosmallfarms.com as an example.

And if you want to read my other blogs about farmers’ markets go to http://movingtosiliconvalley.wordpress.com/?s=farmers+markets and check the comments.

International Grocery Stores in Silicon Valley

The longer I live here, 12 years now since I relocated from the UK, the more grocery stores I see popping up from other countries.  I mean, I was quickly told about the British store in Campbell when I first moved here (though I confess I’ve never been there – my desire for Heinz Baked Beans and Ribena has not been that overwhelming!), but now we have Indian, Thai, Chinese and Mexican supermarkets dotted around the Bay Area.

So if you’ve relocated here from another country, look around if you’re missing that favorite home food – you can probably get it somewhere  in Silicon Valley!