best prices I've found on 60 items - and where to find 'em at that price

[Dave Ridley]

as you guys may recall i have been pricing a lot of things so I can get a better sense of what's a good deal and what isn't.  This is helping me put together the Store and Ignore Disaster Kits.

I'd like to share with you the prices I have logged on various items...which I believe may in many cases be the best available prices.  if you know better prices somewhere I'd love to hear about it.  But in the meantime I hope these stats will grant you power as a consumer.

wheat - 55 cents/lb in bulk in early 07 at whole foods, same prices as in 04 i think , maybe even same as 01.
m & m's  m and m's - 2.36 for large at market basket 8/07  that;'s per pound i think , was 2.58 /lb wal mart amh.
rent in advance - star gives 2 weeks free per 6 mo in advance...i.e. 15.3% ARR
raisins - 2 yrs?  market basket by postal:  10/06 1.66 / lb  for store raisins best price so far   still same in 8/07, same at wal mart in 9/07
peanuts peanuts  1.75/lb best as of 4/07 i think stable long time
best price for non condensed clam chowder appears to be 1.10/can  19 oz  may be up since 06f   1.00 a pound that makes it i think mb 2 yr life
am wm has condensed clam chowder for 1.55/lb...which would be like 73 cents/lb uncondensed  2 yf life
canned milk - 2 yrs?  canned milk  .54  wal mart  early 07.  12 oz  stable since 06 i think.  went up to 58 in mid 07, market basket .79,  wm 57 cents per can 10/07 1.52/qt

prices:  toastem's 99 cents market basket  11 oz   '07
below in dollars per unit:
store rasins 1.67 lb
clam 1.00 lb at mb

tuna 1.60 lb
flag poles
NH flags
sterno:  On ebay best price was $77,  $1.08 each for lot of 72, each lasting 2 hrs, km sterno lasts 2.5 hrs per 8 oz.   part of kit at kmart hooksett,  at wal mart 12/07 costs 2 bucks a can
4 hr sterno 24 pack for 55 bucks
6 hr sterno 9 oz   59 bucks incl. shipping for pack of 24

2.5 hr sterno at wal mart keene 1/08....3 cans.... total price $3.86.   1/08
fire starter flint wal mart keene 6 bucks 1/08
50 ft camo cord  1.45
propane:  32 oz. for $4.77 wal mart


peperoni $3.98 lb  pepperoni i think is maybe sometimes 3.38/lb  also was 1.99/pkg in 8/07 at mb postal...whatever that comes to
pepperoni $1.79 per container best price i'v seen, 7/07 market basket postal:  7/07
bleach $1.19 gal,       at wal mart keene it was 42 cents/qt

apple juice  $2.64 cquart
oj $3.50 quart
non ziplock storeage bags  $1.98 / 100 count
toothbrush .25 ea  best price (market basket) , matched by dollar tree.   8 cents each best price on ebay incl shipping
green bels  1.19 best, 1.40 something on 4/07  were 1.99 10/07
wheat thins 2.50 lb on sale for 2   
old granddad whisky;  only price i know is roughly 7.50 bucks per bottle.  later i found this is the best price i could locate
sour mash type kentucky bourbon 7 bucks a bottle 10/07 old crow i think
john stark vodka:  21.50 i paid per 750 ml plus mileage to visit brewery. much more expensive at store
raisin bran crunyy      2.64/lb market basket prices at the one by staples  4/07,  2.23/lb at wal mart amherst 8/07, still 2.23/lb 9/07, 2.28/lb 10/07
green bell peppers 1.23/lb   1.19 best i've seen  Amherst wal mart prices 5/07
cheese Amherst wal mart prices 5/07  3.54/lb   1.79 per cabot's slab appears best price 
beans .37 cents a can  Amherst wal mart prices 5/07 , aka 39.5 cents/ lb .   same price 10/07
small posteroard 2.68 each    Amherst wal mart prices 5/07  20 x 30 best price 2.68 ea wala mart  5/07.  found less high quality poster board for a buck each at dollar tree
fajita steak soup 1.60 /lb , up a lot   Amherst wal mart prices 5/07
18 gal plastic container for storage  3.97 /   Amherst wal mart prices 5/07   3.65/contaner was best price and was very brief
cabot chees 3.38 / lb  market basket postal:  7/07
store cheese bulks 2.66 / lb  market basket postal:  7/07
magic marker 75 cents each /   not htat great store brand  staples  5/07
biggest sign boards roughly 3 x 4   6.70 each for, 5/07 staples  5/07
kleenex market basket as of 6/07 :  44 cents per 100 cou/nt  , best price  i know of for now ...store brand.... good tissues
  - they were e60 cents per 100 in may!    best price at wal mart is around 80 cents per 100.   now best price as of 10/07 was 33 cents per 100

jerky:  8.97/lb best price wal mart amherst 9/07
silver certs.   usually pay 1.50 occasionally 1.00 or 1.25 for low grade
wheat cents - usually pay around 3.5 cents thus far, best price 3 cents i think 
handi-wipes - best price 1.1 cents each at bldg 19 nashua,   1.6 cents each for non antib iotic at am wm.   3.1 cents per wipe, for am wm equate.  and they are big wipes.  it's anti bacterial
dandruf shampoo mb 5.61/qt  2 yr life
smoothie blender 17.96 10/07, same price as in 5.07 i think

handiwipes non antibiotic mb 2.6 cents each
sun detergetn 38 cents/lb mb,      42 cents lb 1/08 keene wal markt
detergent stan's grocery:  8 lbs 2.50
deoderizer trees 7.5 oz   94 cents
odorless mineral spirits home depot 10.50/gal
hammer home depot cheapest: 5.00
fig bars mb 1.50.lb  fig bars wal mart 83 cents/lb
pepperoncini 99.5 cents/lb mb  best priced of the pickle type things there that day v
multivitamins 2.6 cents/pill wal mart amh 10/07  large sized.  same price keene 1/08 equate bran
equate mouthwash large 1.56/qt wm
baggies mb:  10/07 2 cents per baggie

wal mart amherst:  barbeque sauce bbq  77 cents / lb.  best price i've seen so far

shoes
t shirts
socks - 75 cents/ pair best price at first glance in wal mart for white
hand sanitizer 8oz for one buck dollar tree includes dispenser , germ x 29 bucks a gallon at market basket for small size, best price i've seen as of 1/08 is 1 buck for 12 oz...dollar tree keene
Size D batts:   50 cents each goodwill hooksett 12/07  40 cents each bldg 19 12/07
sleeping bags each around 25 bucks   kmart hooksett.
parafin lamp oil 2.79 for 32 oz lo grade   kmart hooksett.
aa batteries  8 for one buck heavy duty exp 2010, at dollar tree.
double razors:  8 for on buck at dollar tree for one buck hooksett
candles 20 mini candles in metal for one dollar at dollar tree hooksett, 60 hr candle 3.59  kmart.  best price as of 12/08 is 50 mini candles for $1.98 wal mart (4 cents each) update:  best price as of 1.08 is 1.87 for 50
soap (liquid): 20 oz for one buck dollar tree hooksett 12/07, same price dollar tree keene
soap (solid) 9.5 oz for $1 dollar tree
hair gell:  32 oz for 1 buck dollar tree hooksett

[Raineyrocks]

Wow, that's quite a list!  Thank you very much!

[Amos Keag]

Welcome to Dave's world 

Good shtuffs, man.  Keep it up!

[yonder]

wheat - 55 cents/lb in bulk in early 07 at whole foods, same prices as in 04 i think , maybe even same as 01.

Get it now while you can.  My wife was just telling me yesterday that she read wheat prices are expected to rise significantly.  I still have to catch up on that myself and check the validity of that projection.

Wheat by itself is of course almost useless.  Better have a grain mill with that, preferably hand-cranked.  But the shelf life of wheat is amazing, when properly stored.

Processed flour doesn't keep quite as long but it's still 5+ years.  I just picked up 50 more pounds this week, and expect to pick up another 100 pounds next week.  We prefer bread flour as it seems to be the most versatile.  And we go through it pretty quickly, being a family of five, and we do a lot of our own baking.  My wife is upstairs making cinammon rolls right now, as a matter of fact.  I think she's going to make pizza later tonight.  I think most Americans our age have forgotten how to use flour and would rather just buy pre-made goods at the market.

sterno:  On ebay best price was $77,  $1.08 each for lot of 72, each lasting 2 hrs, km sterno lasts 2.5 hrs per 8 oz.   part of kit at kmart hooksett,  at wal mart 12/07 costs 2 bucks a can
4 hr sterno 24 pack for 55 bucks
6 hr sterno 9 oz   59 bucks incl. shipping for pack of 24

As an alternative consider getting an alcohol stove. You can get the fuel at Home Depot fairly cheap in the paint section, probably cheaper at Wal*Mart and other discount stores.  Tinny at Mini Bull Design makes some great stoves out of almost 100% recycled materials.  He has lots of demo videos of how his stoves work on YouTube.  I carry one of his stoves and a few days worth of fuel in my tactical manpurse (that blog entry is very dated... I carry an even more comprehensive manpurse now).

50 ft camo cord  1.45

Be very very careful about where you get your paracord from.  I have blogged about cheap imitation paracord as well.  The cheap stuff coming over from Asia isn't composed of the same inner strands as the quality US-made paracord and is nowhere near as versatile.  Possibly not as strong (though I haven't tested that hypothesis).

propane:  32 oz. for $4.77 wal mart

Again, consider the option of using alcohol to replace both sterno and propane.  If you run out of fuel with an alcohol stove you can even use liquor or rubbing alcohol as a fuel in a pinch but it doesn't burn as well.

beans .37 cents a can  Amherst wal mart prices 5/07 , aka 39.5 cents/ lb .   same price 10/07

Canned beans are okay for a short-term kit but they take up a lot of pantry space and are not as portable due to the can and water weight.  For long term storage, I advocate dried beans.  It's a little more work to prepare them but it is much easier to store dried beans in bulk quantities.

I also advocate loading up on rice.  Rice and beans are cheap in bulk, pretty good for you nutritionally, and can act as a good foundation for adding other stored foods in smaller quantities to thin out your supplies over a longer duration.  For example, a can of soup can be split four ways if served over rice and beans.

jerky:  8.97/lb best price wal mart amherst 9/07

The cheapest jerky is easily made at home.  You can do it with an oven or better yet a dehydrator.  A good dehydrator will cost about $60-$70.  You can find cheaper ones, though.  Once you have a dehydrator it opens you up to many other low cost long-term food storage possibilities.

hammer home depot cheapest: 5.00

Check out Harbor Freight for inexpensive tools.  I don't know if you have them in New Hampshire but we have them in Raleigh and at least as far north as Philadelphia.  They often run sales with steep discounts.  It's all imported Chinese stuff but the quality is pretty good for the price.  They will often have other tools that you won't find at Home Depot (like my anvil).

equate mouthwash large 1.56/qt wm

Consider 3% hydrogen peroxide as an alternative.  It doubles as a topical antiseptic, stain remover, etc.  Usually cheaper than mouthwash.

socks - 75 cents/ pair best price at first glance in wal mart for white

For socks and other clothes cheap, check out cheaperthandirt.com and sportsmansguide.com.  With sportsmansguide I've found it worthwhile to join their buyer's club if you think you're going to really be stocking up.  They will often send you coupons on top of the discounts that will give you $10 or $20 off of a $100 order.  So I order stuff from there $100 at a time to get the best discounts.  You can split things up with friends to make this easier.  They also have a lot of other preparedness goods worth checking out.

hand sanitizer 8oz for one buck dollar tree includes dispenser , germ x 29 bucks a gallon at market basket for small size, best price i've seen as of 1/08 is 1 buck for 12 oz...dollar tree keene

Most people don't seem to know it, but this stuff makes for a handy fire accelerant.  Squirt some out on your kindling, light it, and enjoy the easiest fire you've ever lit.

double razors:  8 for on buck at dollar tree for one buck hooksett

I'm not going to say this is economical for short term planning or anything, but long term you can't beat this.  Vintage straight razor fully honed & restored on eBay for $45.  Strop it between every use, give it a fine honing once or twice a year, and it will last you several generations.  You can find them much cheaper if you're willing to do the initial full honing and restoration yourself.  I've got a trio here that I paid $11 for on eBay, and one of them arrived ugly but pretty much ready to shave with.

EDIT: More on straight razor in this blog entry

[Raineyrocks]

Awesome suggestions Yonder!  I bookmarked the sites you wrote too!

Sprouts are a good thing too!  The seeds are cheap and you can get a bottle sprouter for about $3 a piece, all kinds of stuff can be sprouted, it's cheap and nutritional.

I bought those outside long planters, big bag of dirt and lots of heirloom seeds too.  This way I can grow veggies inside while eating my surplus food,  extra food will be growing indoors, (if it's too cold outside).

[yonder]

Sprouts are a good thing too!  The seeds are cheap and you can get a bottle sprouter for about $3 a piece, all kinds of stuff can be sprouted, it's cheap and nutritional.

Good advice.  Very yummy stuff.  If you're going to be in it for the long haul, and you've got a lot of canned tuna and mayo but no fresh greens because there is two feet of snow on the ground outside, you can grow sprouts in an ice cube tray in the kitchen window.  Sprinkle the sprouts over your tuna salad or whatever you're getting out of cans and you can get a bit of good healthy greenery even during the worst that winter has to offer.

I bought those outside long planters, big bag of dirt and lots of heirloom seeds too.  This way I can grow veggies inside while eating my surplus food,  extra food will be growing indoors, (if it's too cold outside).

I have this little linen closet downstairs that I'm not putting to good use.  I was thinking of trying to grow shiitakes in there.

I've also had some (mixed) experiences with hydroponics.  Very good for leafy greens.  Fruits, especially tomatoes, are much more challenging to get right.  I couldn't get enough going to feed a family of three (at the time) when I lived in Philadelphia and could only garden indoors.  But I did get enough to at least add some green garnish in the winter months.

The herbs did much much better indoors.  Sage, thyme, and chives especially.  The basil was very productive for awhile but kept trying to go to seed and eventually it got ahead of me and fell apart as soon as it flowered.  The chives are great because they don't need a lot of light, they divide vegetatively pretty well, and they come back pretty quickly after aggressive harvesting.  Rosemary, oregano, and marjoram didn't do so well indoors.  I don't think they got enough light.

The problem with seeds in a kit like Dada is planning is that most herbs don't grow from seed very easily. I don't think I would suggest herbs for a kit like his, but sprouting is certainly a possibility.  This goes back to the dried beans that I suggested earlier in the thread.  Bean sprouts are very tasty and nutritious and can make stored foods much more palatable than they would normally be.

[Raineyrocks]

Sprouts are a good thing too!  The seeds are cheap and you can get a bottle sprouter for about $3 a piece, all kinds of stuff can be sprouted, it's cheap and nutritional.

Good advice.  Very yummy stuff.  If you're going to be in it for the long haul, and you've got a lot of canned tuna and mayo but no fresh greens because there is two feet of snow on the ground outside, you can grow sprouts in an ice cube tray in the kitchen window.  Sprinkle the sprouts over your tuna salad or whatever you're getting out of cans and you can get a bit of good healthy greenery even during the worst that winter has to offer.

I bought those outside long planters, big bag of dirt and lots of heirloom seeds too.  This way I can grow veggies inside while eating my surplus food,  extra food will be growing indoors, (if it's too cold outside).

I have this little linen closet downstairs that I'm not putting to good use.  I was thinking of trying to grow shiitakes in there.

I've also had some (mixed) experiences with hydroponics.  Very good for leafy greens.  Fruits, especially tomatoes, are much more challenging to get right.  I couldn't get enough going to feed a family of three (at the time) when I lived in Philadelphia and could only garden indoors.  But I did get enough to at least add some green garnish in the winter months.

The herbs did much much better indoors.  Sage, thyme, and chives especially.  The basil was very productive for awhile but kept trying to go to seed and eventually it got ahead of me and fell apart as soon as it flowered.  The chives are great because they don't need a lot of light, they divide vegetatively pretty well, and they come back pretty quickly after aggressive harvesting.  Rosemary, oregano, and marjoram didn't do so well indoors.  I don't think they got enough light.

The problem with seeds in a kit like Dada is planning is that most herbs don't grow from seed very easily. I don't think I would suggest herbs for a kit like his, but sprouting is certainly a possibility.  This goes back to the dried beans that I suggested earlier in the thread.  Bean sprouts are very tasty and nutritious and can make stored foods much more palatable than they would normally be.

I wonder if marijuana seeds sprout?  Wouldn't that be a cool tortilla idea?  

I'm from Philadelphia too all the way from north Philly where I was born to northeast Philly.  Yeah I moved up to the suburbs!   I've lived on W. Venango St. in north Philly, Kensington, Fishtown, Tacony, Feltonville, Mayfair, and Academy Rd.   I went from Philly when I was 5 to Connecticut, to Philly at 13, Conn. at 14-16, back to Philly, Florida at 28, Eastern Shore Delmarva at 29 to New Hampshire at 39.  I know I ramble a lot!