Cubed or Presliced Meat
“Meat markup is up to 60% and much more for precut or precubed meats. Since meat has a refrigerated shelf life of just five days and must then be thrown out, most meat departments in grocery stores aim for a minimum 30% markup, and often much higher, to make up for losses.
Steaks, for instance, are marked up 40% to 50%; some cheaper cuts, such as round and chuck meat, are marked up as much as 60%. Lesser cuts of meat, those typically cut into pieces for stir-fries or stews are marked up as much as 300%, should never be bought at full price because they’re always discounted at some point (look for markdowns on meats that near their sell-by date or hit up bulk stores like Costco for savings of up to 30% off larger slabs of meat. You can refrigerate that which you don’t use for later).”
Name-Brand Spices
“Name-brand spices are marked up close to 97%. Smart shoppers can buy spices at a natural food store to save you up to 97% on the basic spices people buy regularly. For instance, a $3.52 jar of bay leaves at the grocery store will cost you only 12 cents for the same amount at a natural foods store. Drugstores and discount stores also sell spices cheaper than at a grocery store. You may have to bring your own bottles to fill but the savings make up for this.”
