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!

Thanksgiving debrief

Aarrgghh! Much as I love the Mercury News on Wednesdays for the Cooking Section, (and I have the huge folder of cut-out recipes to prove it) this time of year makes me flip as I read everything I need to know from cooking that damn turkey vertically to laying the table, to choosing the right wine, to eating out (fine idea to me!)

But please, cookery editors, spare a thought for all those people who have relocated here from another country (and I’m sure there’s just a few of those among your readers?!!) and don’t have the foggiest of what this Thanksgiving thing is all about or what you’re supposed to do for it.

In the meantime, that job falls to me so listen up, all you who are new or fairly new to Silicon Valley and the USA in general!

Thanksgiving happens on the 4th Thursday in November so it’s always aThursday but not always the same date. Americans try and get together with families for this annual celebration. Given that, as we are of course a very transient population in Silicon Valley, many of us have families in another country and many in a different state so we do not all have this cosy picture of 20 people sitting around a dining table with Dad poised with carving knife in hand above the humongous brown bird. And so, if Thanksgiving means nothing to you, YOU DON’T HAVE TO CELEBRATE IT! Take advantage of the fact that you and the family have 4 days off (Friday is always a holiday as well) and get out and enjoy yourself – no guilt allowed for no turkey. I have friends who always used to go to Sausalito on Thanksgiving Day and drink some fine beer, gazing out to the sea. Sounds good to me!

I digress, so back to the traditional Thanksgiving. A few days beforehand, Americans flock to their Safeway or Lucky’s or to the more upmarket Whole Foods, to buy their turkey, so they can spend several days preparing their dinner comprising of – said turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, some hideous pink mixture which my good friend Carol tells me is Cool Whip (sweet manufactured cream…) mixed with fruit (now there’s a nutritious side dish for you) , sweet potatoes (like ordinary potatoes but orange and sweet) and a selection of vegetables. Dessert is usually some form of pumpkin pie.

The reason they have Thanksgiving is something to do with the Pilgrims coming over from England and thanking the resident Indians for their help with growing crops – I may well have this slightly wrong but just ask one of your kids at school about it or maybe you already have when they asked you to help them dress up like a pilgrim…

So we and our families get to spend some time being thankful for what we have which is a very good idea, considering that four weeks later, those same kids are tearing into Christmas presents.

And on the subject of Christmas, for all of you who have come from the UK, isn’t it sad that we end up eating turkey twice a year here, and both times within a month of each other? Turkey is so good it would be nice to space it out a little more. For those not from the UK, a little background – traditionally the Brits have turkey at Christmas and that’s it, the one and only time. So when Christmas comes around here, you could opt for something else, as you may have just recently finished the last of your turkey from Thanksgiving. Can’t remember what the Americans do, maybe have ham or beef, anything but turkey.

Hope this helps to understand this quaint American custom. Let’s just be thankful it’s only once a year!

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!!

Safeway Prices in Silicon Valley

Just returning from a visit to Safeway, thought you may like to check on some of the prices (in US$) if you haven’t been to a Safeway in Silicon Valley before.

Sfwy Ketchup 3.45

Sfwy Diet Grapefruit – 6 pack 2.40

Sfwy Honey Nut Oat Cereal 3.76

Raisin Bran Cereal 7.20

Saltine Crackers 1.99

Salt .59

Duncan Hines Brownie Mix 3.17

Peets French Roast Coffee 11.49

Huge bag of Pedigree Dog Food 17.99

1 dozen large eggs 3.49

! bag Sharp Grated Cheddar Cheese 4.59

1 litre orange juice 1.83

1 gallon 1% low fat milk 4.29

Sfwy sliced wheat bread 2.79

Sfwy Hamburger Buns 1.69

Sfwy Hot Dog Buns 1.69

Oroweat sliced bread 4.39

Pack Hot Dogs 4.99

Frozen skinless chicken breasts 11.99

1 lb Ground beef 5.87

1 lb Bananas 0.79

1 lb peaches 1.99

1 lb cherries 2.99

1 lb green beans 1.99

1 lb small red potatoes 0.99

1 lb red bell pepper 1.99

1 lb vidalia jumbo onion 1.50

1 lb Packham pears 1.89

1 English cucumber 1.99

1 lb baby carrots 1.99

1 lb pan roasted turkey 7.75

1/2 lb havarti cheese 2.38

1/2 lb cheddar 3.37

Americans are big on plastic, and with this free beauty you get a discount so the prices you see up there were not the prices I ended up paying on several items. eg I paid $5.86 for the cherries instead of $11.74.