Buying The Best Groceries At The Best Price
Everyone gets to know Trader Joes well. It's close to campus and the dorm. This makes it an excellent source of food!
However, Trader Joes is small with fewer choices and the prices are a little higher.
There are other food stores within reach that are much bigger with more choices and some have good weekly discounted sales. There is also a local produce store that only sells fresh vegetables & fruits, plus a variety of dry-goods & spices -- much cheaper than anywhere else.
Below is a list of some grocery store options to check out, some accessible by bike, others by bus or car.
Suggestion: Go online each Wednesday to see what special deals you can find, then TELL YOUR FRIENDS and join with others in cars or go by bus.
If you don't remembers the links (below), just search for the store names and look for their promoted Weekly ad sheet.
Peninsula Produce, @2400 Del Monte Ave, Monterey, located along the bike path and near the Smart & FInal store.
This has great prices on fresh vegetables & fruit. For location and photos, bit.ly/3DGPPNo
Smart & Final, @1560 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, Seaside, easy to reach by bike path (beyond Peninsula Produce).
The quality is great and the prices are generally cheaper here than other food stores. It also has a great weekly sales ad sheet that begins each Wednesday, smartandfinal.com/sm/delivery/rsid/522/circular
Santa Fe Foods @1712 Fremont Blvd, Seaside
This is a hispanic grocery source, but it has a big vegitable/fruit selection with good prices. And it has a huge meat market with both raw for cooking and pre-cooked ready to eat! For pics and more, --> santafefoods.org/about-us/.
There is also a really good restaurant & take-out with a huge selecion of hispanic foods. Santa Fe has a great weekly sales ad sheet, starting Wednesdays, with even greater savings Wed - Fri. santafefoods.org/current-ad/.
Safeway Foods, @815 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, Del Rey Oaks (Monterey)
This is the biggest store. Some prices are a little higher but they also have a good weekly sales ad sheet, beginning each Wednesday, safeway.com/weeklyad?cmpid=lp_swy_wkad_ylp. They also have an international section of misc foods, and a huge takeout selection, ready to eat, of Chinese, Japanese and American.
Grocery Outlet, @1523 Fremont Blvd, Seaside
This store is smaller, with fewer choices, but it's considered a "discount store". What they have is often the best prices around. They also have one of the best weekly sales ad sheets that also begins each Wednesday. groceryoutlet.com/circulars/storeid/234
Lucky's, @2000 California Ave, Sand City (Near Costco, next to Target & other good clothing stores.)
This is a big store with generally good prices, including a good fish market. It also has a good weekly sales ad sheet. luckysupermarkets.com/flyers/772
Sidenote: Target, along with two other nearby stores, are great places to buy clothes at good prices.
Costco, @801 Tioga Ave, Sand City (Near Lucky Foods, Target, and other clothing stores).
Costco has great foods, but most everything requires buying large quantities. With dry goods, splitting with another can be good. With fresh perishable foods it's not recommended unless you have one or two others to split it with before it goes bad.
Costco also has good seasonal clothes at good prices. (Costco requires a membership card, which locals often have.)
However, Trader Joes is small with fewer choices and the prices are a little higher.
There are other food stores within reach that are much bigger with more choices and some have good weekly discounted sales. There is also a local produce store that only sells fresh vegetables & fruits, plus a variety of dry-goods & spices -- much cheaper than anywhere else.
Below is a list of some grocery store options to check out, some accessible by bike, others by bus or car.
Suggestion: Go online each Wednesday to see what special deals you can find, then TELL YOUR FRIENDS and join with others in cars or go by bus.
If you don't remembers the links (below), just search for the store names and look for their promoted Weekly ad sheet.
Peninsula Produce, @2400 Del Monte Ave, Monterey, located along the bike path and near the Smart & FInal store.
This has great prices on fresh vegetables & fruit. For location and photos, bit.ly/3DGPPNo
Smart & Final, @1560 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, Seaside, easy to reach by bike path (beyond Peninsula Produce).
The quality is great and the prices are generally cheaper here than other food stores. It also has a great weekly sales ad sheet that begins each Wednesday, smartandfinal.com/sm/delivery/rsid/522/circular
Santa Fe Foods @1712 Fremont Blvd, Seaside
This is a hispanic grocery source, but it has a big vegitable/fruit selection with good prices. And it has a huge meat market with both raw for cooking and pre-cooked ready to eat! For pics and more, --> santafefoods.org/about-us/.
There is also a really good restaurant & take-out with a huge selecion of hispanic foods. Santa Fe has a great weekly sales ad sheet, starting Wednesdays, with even greater savings Wed - Fri. santafefoods.org/current-ad/.
Safeway Foods, @815 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, Del Rey Oaks (Monterey)
This is the biggest store. Some prices are a little higher but they also have a good weekly sales ad sheet, beginning each Wednesday, safeway.com/weeklyad?cmpid=lp_swy_wkad_ylp. They also have an international section of misc foods, and a huge takeout selection, ready to eat, of Chinese, Japanese and American.
Grocery Outlet, @1523 Fremont Blvd, Seaside
This store is smaller, with fewer choices, but it's considered a "discount store". What they have is often the best prices around. They also have one of the best weekly sales ad sheets that also begins each Wednesday. groceryoutlet.com/circulars/storeid/234
Lucky's, @2000 California Ave, Sand City (Near Costco, next to Target & other good clothing stores.)
This is a big store with generally good prices, including a good fish market. It also has a good weekly sales ad sheet. luckysupermarkets.com/flyers/772
Sidenote: Target, along with two other nearby stores, are great places to buy clothes at good prices.
Costco, @801 Tioga Ave, Sand City (Near Lucky Foods, Target, and other clothing stores).
Costco has great foods, but most everything requires buying large quantities. With dry goods, splitting with another can be good. With fresh perishable foods it's not recommended unless you have one or two others to split it with before it goes bad.
Costco also has good seasonal clothes at good prices. (Costco requires a membership card, which locals often have.)