USA Today recently declared Utah the most affordable state in the nation. The report said residents spent the smallest percentage of their income on necessities like housing, gas and groceries
Even with food prices rising nationally in recent years, many Utahns are still able to indulge in a time-honored treat: Girl Scout cookies.
In front of Digby’s Market in St. George, a small line of customers formed at the trademark green booth belonging to Troop 71. For 10th grader Zuriah Beasley, who’s spending her first year at the cookie table, it was a welcome sight.
“I just get to see some of the people's joy on their faces because people are like, ‘Yay! Girl Scout cookies are here!’ It brings happiness.”
Customers generally knew what they wanted before they got to the front of the line. But for anyone who needed advice, eighth grader Bailey Bueler was happy to direct them to some of her top picks.
“Probably the Caramel deLites, Thin Mints and Lemonades. Those are always the best ones.”
Even though some troops in other areas raised prices this year, the cookies at this table remained $5 a box — except for a new gluten-free variety that sold for $6.
Like many Utahns, troop co-leader Lola Delong has noticed grocery prices going up, but she’s learned to adapt, like only buying meat when it’s on sale.
“I think people have a lot of anger towards the price rising, and I'm just like, ‘It is what it is.’ I can't control it.”
Despite rising prices, she said the troop’s sales have remained strong this season compared to years past. It helps that decades of cookie-selling seasons have created devoted fans.
“They expect it. … It's their favorite time of year.”
It may also help that Utah’s food prices remain reasonable relative to other states, at least according to the recent analysis from USA Today. Grocery costs were one of the five basic expenses the report looked at. It found Utah ranked 10th best for affordability at the grocery store, with the average resident spending $3,341 — or 3.8% of the state’s median income — annually.
The positive ranking doesn’t mean Utah’s prices are actually affordable for everyone. Some local food banks have seen an increase in people seeking help over the past year. But the data does indicate things could be worse.
Next to the Girl Scout cookie table, shopper Abby Seplowitz, who’s in town from Colorado, said she noticed the differences in the two states’ grocery prices right away.
“The fruits and veggies seem way more affordable [in Utah]. … Berries for $2 is out of this world. So everything seems great to me,” she said.
That doesn’t mean Utah shoppers haven’t felt the pinch.
Brock and Marianne Morris feel like meat and produce costs have particularly gone up recently. That’s led them to change some of their habits, such as being more careful about the amount they buy so less goes to waste.
The biggest change they’ve seen, however, isn’t the price tag.
“The packaging is way smaller. The chips, the cereal, just about everything,” Marianne said.
Like many of the shoppers here, that didn’t stop them from finding room in their food budget for cookies. The Morrises added four boxes to their shopping cart on their way out.
“You only get Girl Scouts once a year,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how many groceries you buy.”
