Let's look back at grocery prices over the last 20 weeks

CLEVELAND — From milk to bread to beef, News 5’s Price Tracker follows six grocery staples at six major Northeast Ohio retailers. And three items reveal the biggest story for your budget over the last 20 weeks: eggs, beef and bread.

Eggs delivered the steepest savings over the past five months. At Meijer, a dozen fell from $5 to $2.39. Dave’s Markets cut prices late in the season, from $4.99 to $2.99. Heinen’s, however, stayed the most expensive, hovering near $4.

“I’d say grocery prices in general have increased,” said shopper Ryan Hochberg. “Probably nothing crazy, but you’ve definitely noticed it’s increased.”

While eggs eased up, beef remained one of the most expensive items in the cart. Aldi held steady in the $4 to $5 range, while Walmart topped $6.90 more than once. Dave’s recently hit $7.49 a pound, among the highest prices seen in the tracker.

“I think meat in general, whether it’s chicken or beef, it used to be a little bit cheaper and now you notice it,” Hochberg added.

For shoppers like Mason Hicks, that means adjusting habits. “The grocery bill is up,” Hicks said. “The wife and I seem to bounce around from store to store… shop around and price match everything.”

Bread told a different story: stable but varied. Meijer gave shoppers a bargain at 99 cents a loaf in July. Giant Eagle stayed close to $2 throughout the season. Aldi averaged about $1.55, keeping it one of the cheapest options.

Across all six stores, Aldi and Walmart often offered the lowest prices on staples. Heinen’s consistently came in at the highest, while Dave’s stayed steady but was rarely the cheapest.

Each week, we’ll visit Meijer, Giant Eagle, Aldi, Walmart, Heinen's and Dave's Market, checking prices on everyday essentials.

Those include: 2% milk, a loaf of wheat bread, chicken price per pound, ground beef tray or patty per pound (80% lean 20% fat), 12 dozen white eggs, and toasted oats cereal.

If you're willing to shop around, you can snag even deeper discounts on meat, dairy, and pantry goods.

We’re also giving you a chance to see how your favorite stores stack up week to week. We’ll compare how grocery prices change at each store on a weekly basis.

Here's how prices compare across stores this week:

Meijer 

Giant Eagle 

Aldi

Walmart

Heinen’s

Dave's Market

From buy-one-get-one-free meat deals to cereal under $2, our Don’t Waste Your Money team will be keeping an eye on store shelves and sharing what we find.

Find a better deal? We want to hear from you! Submit your finds through the form below. If you beat our prices, we’ll feature them.

And if you’re a savvy shopper, always chasing the best deals, we may even join you on your next grocery run.