Grocery baskets 'bought'a little relief

With the exception of eggs and butternut, which have become a little more expensive or remained the same, the price of a basket of basic pantry staples decreased in August.

As it does every month, the Saturday Dispatch surveyed three major supermarket chains this week to establish the prices of eight basic food items to monitor the impact these will have on the grocery bills of readers.

For shoppers who keep a close eye on bargain buying, it is important to note that only the cheapest prices are reflected on our chart.

This means that in order to truly get the best deals, budget-conscious shoppers would have to shop across different stores, an exercise that in most cases would make little economical or logistical sense.

Contrasts in the price of sunflower oil and mielie meal were especially marked.

A 750ml bottle of oil cost R21.99 in one store, R17.99 in another and just R15.99 in the third, a price difference of R6 between the cheapest and most expensive.

The price of 1kg of mielie meal ranged from R11.99 in one store, R9.99 in the second and R8.99 in the third, a price range of R3.

When every penny counts, these price differences have a significant impact on the household budget.

The price breakdown of trolley essentials is as follows:

• The price of 750ml of sunflower oil went down from R18.99 to R15.99, a decrease of R3;
• 1kg of chicken pieces dropped by 91c from R49.90 to R48.99;
• A loaf of sliced brown bread decreased from R10.29 to R9.99, a price drop of 30c;
• 1kg of mielie meal went down by R1 from R9.99 last month to R8.99 this month;
• Milk is also cheaper, having dropped by R1 to R9.99;
• A 1kg pocket of potatoes remained the same at R9.99;
• Eggs escalated in price by 8c from R25.90 to R25.98 and;
• 1kg of butternut now costs R10.99, a R1 price leap from R9.99. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za