The SCI Grocery Year
What goes on sale in April
Spring produce finally arrives, and the seasonal clearance lands.
April brings the first real price drops on fresh food since the fall, which is a relief after a winter of expensive lettuce.
When Easter falls in April, the week after it brings a candy clearance steeper than February, because nobody wants a chocolate rabbit in May. In years when Easter is in March, that clearance has already happened.
Garden centers get very persuasive this month. The seeds are cheap. Everything around the seeds is not.
Worth watching
If you actually use these things, April is a good time to take a look.
Easter candy
The week after Easter is when the seasonal shapes become a clearance problem, whichever month it lands in.
Ham
Heavily promoted for the holiday, and it freezes well.
Eggs
Often at a seasonal low around Easter, though egg prices have been unusually volatile.
Seeds and garden supplies
Before the planting rush picks up.
Don’t get carried away
A packet of seeds is two dollars. The pots, soil, tools and little decorative sign are not. The seeds were never the expensive part.
One thing to watch
Egg prices have swung hard in recent years because of supply disruptions, so the usual seasonal pattern has been less reliable than it used to be. Check against your own price book rather than assuming.
April is a good month for produce too
Depending on where you live, these are often abundant and especially good this time of year.
- Asparagus
- Rhubarb
- Spinach
- Peas
- Strawberries
- Spring greens
Worth doing this month
Cook one thing you have never cooked
Spring produce is cheap and forgiving right now. Pick one vegetable you always walk past and find one way to cook it. It costs almost nothing to find out.
Keep your own prices
Seasonal patterns can tell you when to pay attention. But the best price for your family depends on what you buy, where you shop and what things normally cost in your area.
That is why keeping your own prices is so useful.
Start your free price bookBefore May gets here
Take five minutes on one thing
Check the pantry, the freezer or the household supplies for one thing you are running low on. That is it. You do not need to stock a bunker. Just notice what you will actually need next.
Next month the grills come out, and the meat prices follow them down.
See what is coming in May