Is the closest grocery store the cheapest? Fuelperks+ dies and NOPEC prices — Saving You Money

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sometimes you’re toiling away at creating a Thanksgiving feast. Other times, microwaving yesterday’s turkey and mashed potatoes is “good enough.” And when it comes to saving money, leftovers punch above their weight.

When I write these columns many details get left on the cutting room floor. And while I often get questions from readers after they’re published, the answers aren’t always substantial enough to live on their own.

But Thanksgiving week presents a perfect opportunity for leftovers. Here’s some tidbits.

Is the cheapest grocery store the one closest to your house?

I recently went out to find the cheapest grocery store in Cuyahoga County , and while Meijer won the top prize, a few people mentioned one possible mistake I made.

“You also omitted one very significant factor: distance,” one reader wrote in an email to me. “For example, Heinen’s is two short blocks away from me. Any other store (ALDI, Giant Eagle) is more than ten minutes away, in good traffic conditions. This also involves a significant penalty if I forgot an item, have to return an item, or if the store is out of something I need.”

I would (and did) reply that it would be impossible to do this calculation for every reader, because we all live in different places. But Meijer is sparse in our area compared to Aldi, Walmart or Giant Eagle. It’s worth considering drive time.

There aretwo ways to look at driving costs. One is, how much fuel will you burn per mile?

Fuel costs depend on your vehicle and the time of year, but if you average 25 mpg and pay $3 per gallon — it’s 12 cents per mile.

One example shopper I highlighted would have paid $82.20 at Meijer and $89.81 at Walmart for their items. Let’s assume you lived at the Superelectric Pinball Parlor in Gordon Square (because wouldn’t we all if we could?). That’s 12 miles from Meijer and 5 miles from Walmart (depending on the route).

Driving to Meijer and back would take $2.88 worth of fuel, versus $1.20 for Walmart. So instead of saving $7.61, they’d save $5.93 by choosing Meijer over Walmart.

They’d also spend extra time driving. Time is money. But I don’t know your particular hourly rate.

Now, fuel isn’t the only cost when it comes to driving (which many readers reminded me of after my column about driving to Cincinnati for a cheap flight. ) The IRS standard mileage rate, which includes fixed costs like insurance and maintenance, is 65.5 cents per mile.

That would peg driving to Meijer — a 24-mile round trip — at $15.72, and Walmart’s 10-mile round trip at $6.55. These figures seem high, because you’re paying for oil changes and insurance no matter where you shop. But someone who wants to shop as close-to-home-as-possible could argue they’re right.

Of course, whether your drive on the highway will affect this. So will your choice of vehicle. But if you’re ever wondering whether it’s worth driving somewhere to save money, having a rough idea of cost-per-mile is helpful.

Fuelperks+ is dead, and myPerks has changed

News broke recently that Giant Eagle will end Fuelperks+ in January in favor of another one of its rewards programs, myPerks. And while myPerks has changed for the better, readers were quick to point out that it won’t be as fruitful of a savings program for them.

“My understanding is that under the Fuelperk+ program you earn 2% off groceries for every $50 spent,” one reader wrote. “Under the new program $150 must be spent to get 2%. That’s a big downgrade that will cost me but save Giant Eagle a lot.”

The reader is correct, mostly. Under the old Fuelperks+ program you’d only have to redeem 50 perks for the 2% off. Under the new myPerks its 150 perks. This is a new development, because originally myPerks only let you redeem perks for $1 off your grocery bill or when filling up at a fuel pump.

You have to redeem 100 perks for 10 cents off per gallon of fuel. That means spending $100, instead of the $50 you’d spend under Fuelperks+.

It’s not exactly $150 for 2% off. While you can earn one perk per $1 spent, there are other ways to earn perks, like five for each prescription, or double perks on Giant Eagle brand items. And myPerks Pro members will get 1.5 perks per $1, which means they’ll spend $100 to earn 2% off.

I once wrote a column recommending myPerks over Fuelperks+. Many people disagreed with me. In hindsight, I was wrong. But in extra hindsight, it didn’t even matter, because I think everyone knew the Fuelperks+ days were numbered.

MyPerks is still a better rewards program than you’ll get at most grocers in Cuyahoga County. And Giant Eagle says more changes are coming. But yes, it will not be as good as it was.

Shopping for electricity, and NOPEC prices

No topic has gotten me more emails than electricity bills. Many people with gas-powered furnaces don’t use large amounts of power in the winter, but there are good deals available for people who didn’t find one earlier.

For a real quick refresher, the standard electricity prices for people who didn’t shop spiked this past June at 12.4 cents per kilowatt hour. It has since come down to about 9.6 cents to 10 cents per kilowatt hour, depending on if you live in Illuminating Company or Ohio Edison territory.

NOPEC offered customers a fixed price of 6.5 cents for per kilowatt hour through December. That will increase slightly to 6.6 cents in December and, like in the past, that will become a variable price that can change month-to-month.

You can find 12-month contracts for under 6 cents per kilowatt hour from AEP Energy, Dynegy Energy, Better Buy Energy and others.

If you already got a good deal in the summer, or if you’re with NOPEC, it’s probably best and easiest to stick with what you have. But if you didn’t see all the headlines this summer about high prices, you can still switch to a new supplier.

Financial New Year’s Resolutions

Most readers probably don’t remember my column on financial resolutions for 2023. And frankly, I didn’t remember to do any of them. I still haven’t made a budget. I am meal prepping lunches less and eating out at restaurants more. I did get a used bike for my birthday — but otherwise, the switch to secondhand items didn’t happen.

So, I am both full of turkey and bologna. Happy Thanksgiving!