The SCI Grocery Year · this month
What goes on sale in September
Harvest arrives, and the school leftovers get cleared.
September is a quiet, sensible month, which is not a criticism. The harvest arrives, canned and jarred goods start their fall promotions, and whatever did not sell in the school rush gets marked down.
It is also the last calm month before the heaviest cooking of the year, which makes it the right time to find out what is actually in the pantry.
Worth watching
If you actually use these things, September is a good time to take a look.
Canned soup, beans and vegetables
Fall promotions begin in earnest.
Leftover school supplies
Clearance on whatever August did not move.
Apples
Harvest pricing, and most varieties keep for weeks.
Honey
National Honey Month, and it keeps more or less indefinitely.
Don’t get carried away
Rotate older cans forward and check the label and the can itself. Most dates on canned food describe best quality rather than safety, so storage and condition matter more than the date. If you cannot see the date without unstacking the whole shelf, you will not check it.
One thing to watch
Apple pricing varies enormously by variety and region. The bag on the endcap is not always cheaper per pound than loose fruit two aisles over.
September is a good month for produce too
Depending on where you live, these are often abundant and especially good this time of year.
- Apples
- Pears
- Winter squash
- Pumpkin
- Grapes
- Broccoli
Worth doing this month
Count the pantry before fall
The next three months are the heaviest cooking of the year. Knowing what is already in the cupboard now is worth more than any single coupon between here and the holidays.
Get the free Pantry and Freezer InventoryKeep 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 October 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 baking staples start their slide, and there is a very large candy clearance waiting at the end of it.
See what is coming in October