The Best Way to Track Grocery Prices Over Time
We hear about grocery inflation constantly, but the number I find most interesting is much closer to home:
What is happening to the price of the groceries I actually buy?
A national index is useful for understanding the economy. Your receipt history is useful for understanding your household.
Start collecting consistent data
You need the item, price, date and retailer.
Receipts already contain most of that information.
The hard part has traditionally been turning dozens or hundreds of receipts into something searchable.
Track repeat purchases
The more frequently an item appears, the more useful its history becomes.
You can see whether the price is stable, moving gradually or jumping around with promotions.
Be careful with package changes
A product can appear to have the same price while quietly getting smaller.
When quantity information is available, unit pricing gives you a better comparison.
Separate your personal basket from the economy
Your grocery bill can increase even if prices are unchanged because you bought more, changed brands or changed the mix of foods you buy.
It can also rise while your behaviour stays nearly identical because prices increased.
Those are very different stories.
Grocery Spending Tracker helps you build a price history from the groceries you actually buy, rather than trying to remember what everything used to cost.
Start your price history today. Scan your grocery receipts free with Grocery Spending Tracker.