How Much Did You Pay for Milk Last Year?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 31 Dec 2006 06:43 PM
Federal milk order market administrators collected data on milk price information for selected cities each month. They also averaged the milk prices for these selected cities to report on average prices for the year. The administrators used the most common brand based on shelf space and did not include prices for milk on sale, milk purchased with coupons or any other milk pricing promotions. While the prices are probably pretty close to what milk sold for in the selected cities, it doesn't take into account different retail pricing policies. In other words, a savvy and frugal shopper may have paid less. The complete report lists prices for both whole and 2% milk, but since families on average buy more whole milk, I'll just concentrate on that. The report reflects prices on one gallon jugs. The highest average milk price in 2006 was a whopping $4.10 in New Orleans, LA. Cincinnati, OH had the lowest average for the year at $2.68. Philadelphia, PA, my closest city, has an average yearly price of $3.12, which I would say is pretty accurate. That price is more than I would pay for the store brand at the large grocery store, but less than I would pay if I went over to the corner convenience store. In general, most milk prices in the selected cities were lower in December then they were for the previous January (2006). Detroit, MI is an exception to that. Their prices jumped up in May and stayed higher for the rest of the year. Here are some other average prices on the cost of a gallon jug of milk in 2006.
Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  Valorie Delp (49340) 31 Dec 2006 05:59 PMBoo hoo, sniff, sniff. . .That's me crying over our milk. We spend approximately $36 per week on milk (7 of us. . .5 little kids). We managed to find it for an average of $2.70 per gallon last year but it recently went up to $3.00 per gallon. This is in NYC and we HUNT to compare milk prices!!! UGH!  Mary Ann Romans |
Frugal categories |
Milk prices seem to be going up in states all across the nation. In 2006, states such as Pennsylvania, California and New York announced or proposed price increases. So how much did you actually pay for your milk? 
