The SCI Grocery Year
Sometimes the best way to save is knowing when to buy
Grocery prices have a rhythm. Baking supplies tend to drop around the holidays. Frozen foods get extra attention in March. School supplies practically fall off the shelves in August.
Once you start noticing those patterns, you can buy more of the things you actually use when prices are good, and skip the sale that is not really much of a sale.
That is what this page is for. The rhythm repeats every year, so this is a reference to check when the month turns rather than news to keep up with.
Right now, it is October
Baking staples start moving, and candy crashes on November 1.
October is the beginning of the best stretch of the year for a kitchen. Flour, sugar and butter start their slide toward November, and the fall promotions get serious.
- Flour and sugar
- Canned pumpkin
- Candy, from November 1
- Soup and broth
The whole year
January
Fresh-start sales, and the last of the holiday clearance.
Storage bins and shelving · Sheets and towels · Holiday wrap, cards and decorations
See JanuaryFebruary
Valentine’s clearance, and winter clothes finally give up.
Candy and chocolate · Coats, boots and sweaters · Snacks and party food
See FebruaryMarch
National Frozen Food Month, and stores mean it.
Frozen vegetables and fruit · Frozen meals and pizza · Ice cream
See MarchApril
Spring produce finally arrives, and the seasonal clearance lands.
Easter candy · Ham · Eggs
See AprilMay
Grilling season opens, and meat prices follow.
Ground beef, chicken and steak · Condiments and sauces · Soda and bottled drinks
See MayJune
Dairy Month, and summer produce in real volume.
Cheese · Butter · Yogurt
See JuneJuly
The Fourth, then the school stock starts arriving.
Hot dogs, burgers and buns · Soda and bottled water · Ice cream
See JulyAugust
One of those great overlap months.
Pens, paper and notebooks · Food storage and lunch gear · Patio furniture and grilling gear
See AugustSeptember
Harvest arrives, and the school leftovers get cleared.
Canned soup, beans and vegetables · Leftover school supplies · Apples
See SeptemberOctober · this month
Baking staples start moving, and candy crashes on November 1.
Flour and sugar · Canned pumpkin · Candy, from November 1
See OctoberNovember
Often the best baking prices of the year.
Butter · Flour and sugar · Broth and stock
See NovemberDecember
Party food, then everything festive clears on the 26th.
Baking supplies, if you missed November · Party and buffet food · Wrap, cards and decorations, from the 26th
See December
Why we do not list this week’s deals
There are already some really good places to find today’s price on detergent at a particular store. We are not trying to recreate that here.
We are trying to help you know when it is worth paying attention in the first place.
The exact price changes constantly. The rhythm of the shopping year changes much more slowly. Learn the rhythm, keep track of the prices that matter to your household, and suddenly you do not need to chase every sale.
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